title: Design and Feasibility Study of a Single Photon Emission Microscope System for Small Animal I-125 Imaging.
abstract: This paper presents a design study of a single photon emission microscope (SPEM) system for small animal imaging using I-125 labelled radiotracers. This system is based on the use of a very-high resolution gamma camera coupled to a converging non-multiplexing multiple pinhole collimator. This enables one to "zoom" into a small local region inside the object to extract imaging information with a very high spatial resolution and a reasonable sensitivity for gamma rays emitted from this local region. The SPEM system also includes a pinhole (or multiple pinhole) gamma camera that has a full angular coverage of the entire object. The designed imaging spatial resolution for the SPEM system is between 250μm to 500μm FWHM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA.
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Clinthorne
authors.affiliation: VA Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Skinner
authors.affiliation: Van Vandel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 USA.
authors.forename: R V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.affiliation: VA Medical Center, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gross
keywords: Converging non-multiplexing multiple pinhole aperture; microscope; very-high spatial resolution gamma camera