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Three-pinhole collimator to improve axial spatial resolution and sensitivity in pinhole SPECT

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to improve the uniformity of the axial spatial resolution and sensitivity in pinhole single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and to extend the axial field of view, by using a dedicated three-pinhole collimator.

Methods

A rectangular tungsten plate with three pinhole apertures of 1.5 mm diameter was designed to image a cylindrical field of view of 55 mm diameter and 160 mm axial length using a clinical gamma camera. To evaluate the non-uniformity of spatial resolution and noise, a multiple-disk phantom was built. The phantom was filled with Tc-99m, and data were acquired using a circular orbit and reconstructed with a dedicated iterative reconstruction algorithm. The axial spatial resolution together with the noise was measured in each disk. These measurements were compared to a single-pinhole system using an identical acquisition geometry and reconstruction.

Results

At the central slice, a spatial resolution of 2.7 mm was observed for both the three-pinhole and single-pinhole geometries. At 17.5 mm from the central slice, the axial spatial resolution deteriorated to 10.3 mm when using a single pinhole, while the spatial resolution remained 2.7 mm for the three-pinhole system. In the central slice, 19% noise was observed for both geometries. At 31.5 mm from this central slice, the noise remained 19% for the three-pinhole geometry, while it increased to 32% using a single pinhole.

Conclusion

The presented three-pinhole collimator improves the uniformity of the axial spatial resolution and sensitivity in pinhole SPECT and consequently extends the axial field of view, a requirement for whole-body small-animal imaging.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Medicine Department, University Hospital Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090, Brussels, Belgium

    Christian Vanhove, Michel Defrise, Tony Lahoutte & Axel Bossuyt

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  1. Christian Vanhove
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  2. Michel Defrise
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  3. Tony Lahoutte
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  4. Axel Bossuyt
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Correspondence to Christian Vanhove.

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Vanhove, C., Defrise, M., Lahoutte, T. et al. Three-pinhole collimator to improve axial spatial resolution and sensitivity in pinhole SPECT. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 35, 407–415 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-007-0579-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-007-0579-y

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