title: SPECT evaluation of simulated white matter lesions: experimental study using a brain phantom.
abstract: An experimental study using a brain phantom was performed to evaluate the detectability of simulated white matter lesions on two types of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) systems. A ring-type SPECT system with high spatial resolution was able to demonstrate these lesions in the white matter, while a widely used general-purpose single-head rotating gamma camera failed to show them. The detectability of white matter lesions was decreased by photons scattered from the highly radioactive gray matter and the poor spatial resolution of the SPECT system. In order to improve the detectability of white matter lesions it is important to apply scatter correction and improve the spatial resolution of the SPECT system. Brain phantom studies made it easier to interpret white matter lesions that were difficult to interpret on the basis of clinical images alone, and the knowledge acquired from the brain phantom study will contribute to the interpretation of clinical images.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Kumamoto University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomiguchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008961:Models, Structural; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon