Performance evaluation of a parallel-hole collimated detector module for animal SPECT imaging

We have built and investigated a detector module for animal SPECT imaging, especially for use in large field of view (FOV) conditions. The module consists of a PMT-based detector and a parallel-hole collimator with an effective area of 80 mm × 80 mm. The detector is composed of a NaI scintillation crystal array coupled to four H8500 position sensitive photomultiplier tubes (PS-PMT). The intrinsic energy resolution of the detector is 11.5% at 140 keV on average. The planar spatial resolution of the module changes from 2.2 mm to 5.1 mm at different source-to-collimator distances with an unchanged sensitivity of about 34cps/MBq. Additionally, the SPECT Micro Deluxe Phantom imaging was performed with a radius of rotation (ROR) of 40 mm. Using the FBP reconstruction algorithm, a high performance image was obtained, indicating the feasibility of this detector module.     

不同前驱体相对摩尔量对气相爆燃制备纳米SiO2的影响

 以SiCl₄为前驱体,以空气和氢气的混合气体为爆源,通过改变前驱体的相对摩尔量,考察前驱体的相对摩尔量对产物的影响。通过X射线荧光谱（XRF）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）和X射线衍射（XRD）等测试手段对纳米SiO₂粉体进行表征及分析。通过XRF对产物进行成分分析,测得实验所得产物主要由SiO₂组成,且纯度达到99.9%以上;由XRD分析得知,生成的SiO₂产物属于典型的非晶态结构;由TEM图像可以看出,随着前驱体相对摩尔量的增加,所得到的产物粒子逐渐出现粘结,分散性下降,前驱体相对摩尔比应该控制在1.5以内。     

Evaluation of imaging protocol for ECT based on CS image reconstruction algorithm

Single-photon emission computerized tomography and positron emission tomography are essential medical imaging tools, for which the sampling angle number and scan time should be carefully chosen to give a good compromise between image quality and radiopharmaceutical dose. In this study, the image quality of different acquisition protocols was evaluated via varied angle number and count number per angle with Monte Carlo simulation data. It was shown that, when similar imaging counts were used, the factor of acquisition counts was more important than that of the sampling number in emission computerized tomography. To further reduce the activity requirement and the scan duration, an iterative image reconstruction algorithm for limited-view and low-dose tomography based on compressed sensing theory has been developed. The total variation regulation was added to the reconstruction process to improve the signal to noise Ratio and reduce artifacts caused by the limited angle sampling. Maximization of the maximum likelihood of the estimated image and the measured data and minimization of the total variation of the image are alternatively implemented. By using this advanced algorithm, the reconstruction process is able to achieve image quality matching or exceed that of normal scans with only half of the injection radiopharmaceutical dose.     

Geometric calibration for a SPECT system dedicated to breast imaging

Geometric calibration is critical to the accurate SPECT reconstruction. In this paper, a geometric calibration method was developed for a dedicated breast SPECT system with a tilted parallel beam (TPB) orbit. The acquisition geometry of the breast SPECT was firstly characterized. And then its projection model was established based on the acquisition geometry. Finally, the calibration results were obtained using a nonlinear optimization method that fitted the measured projections to the model. Monte Carlo data of the breast SPECT were used to verify the calibration method. Simulation results showed that the geometric parameters with reasonable accuracy could be obtained by the proposed method.     

Preliminary study of depth of interaction measurement for a PET detector

In this work we studied the feasibility of detecting the depth of interaction (DOI) with two layers of crystal arrays of LYSO and BGO scintillators coupled to a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube (PS-PMT) R8900-C12. A front-end electronics was designed, with which we got different pulse shapes for different crystals to obtain depth information. With the double integration method, we got the DOI histogram of a divided integration ratio of two crystals as the standard to determine the layer-of-interaction. The DOI accuracy, measured by scanning a ²²Na slit source along the side of the module, was 98% for the LYSO layer and 95% for the BGO layer. The energy resolution at 511keV was 13.1% for LYSO and 17.1% for BGO. We obtained good crystal separation in 2D position histograms of both layers. These results could be useful in the manufacture of PET scanners with high spatial resolutions.     

Evaluation of imaging protocol for ECT based on CS image reconstruction algorithm

Single-photon emission computerized tomography and positron emission tomography are essential med- ical imaging tools, for which the sampling angle number and scan time should be carefully chosen to give a good compromise between image quality and radiopharmaceutical dose. In this study, the image quality of different ac- quisition protocols was evaluated via varied angle number and count number per angle with Monte Carlo simulation data. It was shown that, when similar imaging counts were used, the factor of acquisition counts was more important than that of the sampling number in emission computerized tomography. To further reduce the activity requirement and the scan duration, an iterative image reconstruction algorithm for limited-view and low-dose tomography based on compressed sensing theory has been developed. The total variation regulation was added to the reconstruction process to improve the signal to noise Ratio and reduce artifacts caused by the limited angle sampling. Maximization of the maximum likelihood of the estimated image and the measured data and minimization of the total variation of the image are alternatively implemented. By using this advanced algorithm, the reconstruction process is able to achieve image quality matching or exceed that of normal scans with only half of the injection radiopharmaceutical dose.