TY - JOUR T1 - Performance characteristics of a novel clustered multi-pinhole technology for simultaneous high-resolution SPECT/PET JF - Journal of Nuclear Medicine JO - J Nucl Med SP - 1869 LP - 1869 VL - 56 IS - supplement 3 AU - Kenta Miwa AU - Masayuki Inubushi AU - Yasuto Takeuchi AU - Tetsuro Katafuchi AU - Mitsuru Koizumi AU - Tsuneo Saga AU - Masayuki Sasaki Y1 - 2015/05/01 UR - http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/56/supplement_3/1869.abstract N2 - 1869 Objectives The present study experimentally evaluated the detailed performance characteristics of the clustered multi-pinhole system for simultaneous 99mTc and 18F imaging from the user perspective.Methods Spatial resolution, sensitivity, count rate linearity were determined for the VECTor system (MILabs). Two hot-rod micro resolution phantoms with 6 sectors were created to test the resolution of 99mTc and 18F. Sensitivity and count rate linearity were measured by scanning 99mTc and 18F point sources positioned at the center of the field of view. Furthermore, we quantified the influence of 18F on 99mTc SPECT images. The ratios of SPECT counts on the 99mTc-only and simultaneous 18F-99mTc at various time points were evaluated as a function of the 18F-to-99mTc activity concentration ratio.Results The 0.5-mm hot-rods can be visually distinguished in the 99mTc image, and 0.8-mm rods for 18F remained clearly visible. The point source sensitivity was 2,800 cps/MBq for 99mTc and 2,899 cps/MBq for 18F, respectively. Count rates up to 120,000 cps for one bed position were linear for the activity concentration. Spill-over from 18F into 99mTc SPECT images was negligible when the activity concentration of the administered 18F solution exceeded that of the 99mTc solution by up to a factor of 2.Conclusions We evaluated the performance characteristics of the VECTor that lead to determination of the optimal administered doses of 99mTc and 18F tracers. We found that the VECTor achieved high resolution and high sensitivity as well as good 99mTc and 18F linearity. Simultaneous SPECT/PET imaging with 99mTc and 18F tracers, and stand-alone 99mTc and 18F imaging using clustered pinhole collimators, is feasible and practical for a wide range of research applications using small animals. ER -