Mahsa Amirrashedi1,2, Saeed Sarkar1,2, Pardis Ghafarian3,4, Reza Hashemi Shahraki1,2, Parham Geramifar5, Habib Zaidi6,7,8,9, Mohammad Reza Ay1,2. 1. Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2. Research Center for Molecular and Cellular Imaging, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 3. Chronic Respiratory Diseases Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NRITLD), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 4. PET/CT and Cyclotron Center, Masih Daneshvari Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 5. Research Center for Nuclear Medicine, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 6. Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, CH-1211, Switzerland. 7. Geneva University Neurocenter, Geneva University, CH-1205, Geneva, Switzerland. 8. Department of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9700 RB, Groningen, Netherlands. 9. Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Southern Denmark, 500, Odense, Denmark.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Xtrim-PET is a newly designed Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs)-based prototype PET scanner dedicated for small laboratory animal imaging. We present the performance evaluation of the Xtrim-PET scanner following NEMA NU-4 2008 standards to help optimizing scanning protocols which can be achieved through standard and reliable system performance characterization. METHODS: The performance assessment was conducted according to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU-4 2008 standards in terms of spatial resolution, sensitivity, counting rate performance, scatter fraction and image quality. The in vivo imaging capability of the scanner is also showcased through scanning a normal mouse injected with 18 F-FDG. Furthermore, the performance characteristics of the developed scanner are compared with commercially available systems and current prototypes. RESULTS: The volumetric spatial resolution at 5 mm radial offset from the central axis of the scanner is 6.81 µl, whereas a peak absolute sensitivity of 2.99% was achieved using a 250-650 keV energy window and a 10 ns timing window. The peak noise-equivalent count rate (NECR) using a mouse-like phantom is 113.18 kcps at 0.34 KBq/cc with 12.5% scatter fraction, whereas the NECR peaked at 82.76 kcps for an activity concentration level of 0.048 KBq/cc with a scatter fraction of 25.8% for rat-like phantom. An excellent uniformity (3.8%) was obtained using NEMA image quality phantom. Recovery coefficients of 90%, 86%, 68%, 40% and 12% were calculated for rod diameters of 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 mm, respectively. Spill-over ratios for air-filled and water-filled chambers were 35% and 25% without applying any correction for attenuation and Compton scattering effects. CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that beyond compactness, lightweight, easy installation and good energy resolution, the Xtrim-PET prototype presents a reasonable performance making it suitable for preclinical molecular imaging-based research.
PURPOSE: Xtrim-PET is a newly designed Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs)-based prototype PET scanner dedicated for small laboratory animal imaging. We present the performance evaluation of the Xtrim-PET scanner following NEMA NU-4 2008 standards to help optimizing scanning protocols which can be achieved through standard and reliable system performance characterization. METHODS: The performance assessment was conducted according to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU-4 2008 standards in terms of spatial resolution, sensitivity, counting rate performance, scatter fraction and image quality. The in vivo imaging capability of the scanner is also showcased through scanning a normal mouse injected with 18 F-FDG. Furthermore, the performance characteristics of the developed scanner are compared with commercially available systems and current prototypes. RESULTS: The volumetric spatial resolution at 5 mm radial offset from the central axis of the scanner is 6.81 µl, whereas a peak absolute sensitivity of 2.99% was achieved using a 250-650 keV energy window and a 10 ns timing window. The peak noise-equivalent count rate (NECR) using a mouse-like phantom is 113.18 kcps at 0.34 KBq/cc with 12.5% scatter fraction, whereas the NECR peaked at 82.76 kcps for an activity concentration level of 0.048 KBq/cc with a scatter fraction of 25.8% for rat-like phantom. An excellent uniformity (3.8%) was obtained using NEMA image quality phantom. Recovery coefficients of 90%, 86%, 68%, 40% and 12% were calculated for rod diameters of 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 mm, respectively. Spill-over ratios for air-filled and water-filled chambers were 35% and 25% without applying any correction for attenuation and Compton scattering effects. CONCLUSION: Our findings revealed that beyond compactness, lightweight, easy installation and good energy resolution, the Xtrim-PET prototype presents a reasonable performance making it suitable for preclinical molecular imaging-based research.
Authors: Émilie Gaudin; Christian Thibaudeau; Louis Arpin; Jean-Daniel Leroux; Maxime Toussaint; Jean-Francois Beaudoin; Jules Cadorette; Maxime Paillé; Catherine M Pepin; Konin Koua; Jonathan Bouchard; Nicolas Viscogliosi; Caroline Paulin; Réjean Fontaine; Roger Lecomte Journal: Phys Med Biol Date: 2021-03-09 Impact factor: 3.609