title: An implantable synthetic SPECT lesion: a bridge from phantom to reality.
abstract: Small-animal imaging systems are often characterized using phantoms, which may not predict performance in clinical applications. An implantable synthetic SPECT lesion would facilitate characterization of lesion detectability in a living animal.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anion-exchange columns with bed volumes of 100-300 nL were constructed from medical-grade polyvinyl chloride tubing and resin. The columns were tested in an excised mouse femur and implanted in the femur of a living mouse. Imaging was performed using a prototype dual-modality SPECT/CT system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Activity of 7.4-22.2 MBq (0.2-0.6 mCi) localized within the synthetic lesion. The synthetic lesions were reused multiple times. Mice tolerated the implanted columns without complications for up to 8 wk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A reusable, synthetic SPECT lesion was constructed and implanted in the femur of a living mouse. The synthetic lesion is useful for the development of imaging schemes and for more realistically evaluating imaging-system performance in the context of a living animal.
authors.affiliation: Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging, Department of Radiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: M Bret
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.forename: Lars R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Furenlid
authors.forename: Don W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Gail D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Woolfenden
authors.forename: Harrison H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Barrett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D051379:Mice; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011143:Polyvinyl Chloride; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D011143:Polyvinyl Chloride