Abstract
Purpose
Radioguided surgery depends on the intra-operative detection of radiolabelled tissues. This is currently accomplished with hand tools capable of providing a tone signal, depending on the proximity and direction of a radioactive source in relation to the probe. The advantages of visual images of radiolabelled tissues are well recognised, but satisfactory means of acquiring such images intra-operatively are not yet available. The goal of this study was to examine the performance of a newly developed intra-operative gamma camera, compact enough to be a hand tool and capable of yielding a visual image of the source field.
Methods
The study was performed in the laboratory with a phantom consisting of a water bath and small hollow spheres (1–2 cm in internal diameter) filled with 99mTc (1–5 μCi/cc), placed in different configurations within the bath. For comparison, studies were also performed using a standard intra-operative gamma probe, and others using a standard single-head high-resolution gamma camera.
Results
Compared with the gamma probe, the intra-operative camera was found to possess a superior ability to distinguish small, deep and weakly localised radioactivity sources from background. By acquiring images from different angles, it allowed a 3D understanding of multiple radioactive sources. It detected “cold” defects within a “hot” radiolabelled sphere. It discriminated a weak source located near a much “hotter” radioactivity source, similar to discrimination with the standard gamma camera, and discerned localised sources against a background of radioactivity.
Conclusion
It is anticipated that the high imaging potential of the camera tested in this study will offer clinical advantages.
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Acknowledgements
This study was performed with the financial assistance of the MAGNET Program, Office of the Chief Scientist, Ministry of Industry and Trade, State of Israel.
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Kopelman, D., Blevis, I., Iosilevsky, G. et al. A newly developed intra-operative gamma camera: performance characteristics in a laboratory phantom study. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 32, 1217–1224 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-005-1823-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-005-1823-y