SimPET: a Preclinical PET Insert for Simultaneous PET/MR Imaging

Purpose SimPET/M7 system is a small-animal dedicated simultaneous positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) scanner. The SimPET insert has been upgraded from its prototype with a focus on count rate performance and sensitivity. The M7 scanner is a 1-T permanent magnet-based compact MRI system without any cryogens. Here, we present performance evaluation results of SimPET along with the results of mutual interference evaluation and simultaneously acquired PET/MR imaging. Procedures Following NEMA NU 4-2008 standard, we evaluated the performance of the SimPET system. The M7 MRI compatibility of SimPET was also assessed by analyzing MRI images of a uniform phantom under different PET conditions and PET count rates with different MRI pulse sequences. Mouse imaging was performed including a whole-body F-18-NaF PET scan and a simultaneous PET/MRI scan with Cu-64-NOTA-ironoxide. Results The spatial resolution at center based on 3D OSEM without and with warm background was 0.7 mm and 1.45 mm, respectively. Peak sensitivity was 4.21 % (energy window = 250-750 keV). The peak noise equivalent count rate with the same energy window was 151 kcps at 38.4 MBq. The uniformity was 4.42 %, and the spillover ratios in water- and air-filled chambers were 14.6 % and 12.7 %, respectively. In the hot rod phantom image, 0.75-mm-diameter rods were distinguishable. There were no remarkable differences in the SNR and uniformity of MRI images and PET count rates with different PET conditions and MRI pulse sequences. In the whole-body F-18-NaF PET images, fine skeletal structures were well resolved. In the simultaneous PET/MRI study with Cu-64-NOTA-ironoxide, both PET and MRI signals changed before and after injection of the dual-modal imaging probe, which was evident with the exact spatiotemporal correlation. Conclusions We demonstrated that the SimPET scanner has a high count rate performance and excellent spatial resolution. The combined SimPET/M7 enabled simultaneous PET/MR imaging studies with no remarkable mutual interference between the two imaging modalities.