A microPET/CT system for in vivo small animal imaging.
A microCT scanner was designed, fabricated and integrated with a previously reported microPET II scanner (Tai et al 2003 Phys. Med. Biol. 48 1519, Yang et al 2004 Phys. Med. Biol. 49 2527), forming a dual modality system for in vivo anatomic and molecular imaging of the mouse. The system was designed to achieve high-spatial-resolution and high-sensitivity PET images with adequate CT image quality for anatomic localization and attenuation correction with low x-ray dose. The system also has relatively high throughput for screening, and a flexible gantry and user interface. X-rays were produced by a 50 kVp, 1.5 mA fixed tungsten anode tube, with a focal spot size of 70 microm. The detector was a 5 x 5 cm(2) photodiode detector incorporating 48 microm pixels on a CMOS array and a fast gadolinium oxysulfide (GOS) intensifying screen. The microCT system has a flexible C-arm gantry design with adjustable detector positioning, which acquires CT projection images around the common microPET/CT bed. The design and the initial characterization of the microCT system is described, and images of the first mouse scans with microPET/CT scanning protocols are shown.
Liang
H
H
Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, GBSF Building, 451 East Health Sciences Drive, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Yang
Y
Y
Yang
K
K
Wu
Y
Y
Boone
J M
JM
Cherry
S R
SR
D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D005682:Gadolinium / Q000737:chemistry; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D051598:Whole Body Imaging; D014965:X-Rays
C021197:gadolinium sulfoxylate; D005682:Gadolinium