Gamma shielding materials for MR-compatible PET

As for standard positron emission tomography (PET) scanners, MR-compatible PET scanners will require gamma shielding to suppress the influence of activity outside the PET field of view (FOV). Suitable materials must have very specific properties, including magnetic properties close to those of water, high density, high atomic number, and ideally a low conductivity. In order to identify potential suitable materials, we have selected several heavy-metal-based candidates based on the available data for magnetic and shielding properties. These materials include several nonferromagnetic metals and metal oxides, two scintillating crystals (bismuth germanate and lead tungstate) and two metal/epoxy compounds. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatibility of these materials was assessed under various conditions, both on a human and a small-animal MRI scanner. In parallel, we assessed the shielding efficiency at 661 keV of the most promising candidates. These experiments showed that there is a range of possibilities for the design of MR-compatible gamma shields. Lead has acceptable magnetic compatibility but can induce significant conductivity-related artefacts. Heavy-metal-based minerals are fully insulating and hot-pressed lead monoxide showed good MR compatibility combined with good shielding properties. Other possibilities include the use of lead based powders and heavy-metal oxide composites.