6533b81ffe1ef96bd1278f37

RESEARCH PRODUCT

A device to measure the effects of strong magnetic fields on the image resolution of PET scanners

K. HonscheidD. AlbaniE. ChesiH. KaganNeal H. ClinthorneMarko MikuzP. WeilhammerP. WeilhammerAndrej StudenS.s. HuhEric W. CochranCarlos LacastaP. SchmalbrockM. KnoppD. Burdette

subject

PhysicsNuclear and High Energy PhysicsRadioactive tracerAnnihilationPhysics::Instrumentation and Detectorsbusiness.industryResolution (electron density)DetectorField of viewlaw.inventionMagnetic fieldOpticsNuclear magnetic resonancePositronlawPhysics::Accelerator PhysicsbusinessInstrumentationImage resolution

description

Abstract Very high resolution images can be achieved in small animal PET systems utilizing solid state silicon pad detectors. As these systems approach sub-millimeter resolutions, the range of the positron is becoming the dominant contribution to image blur. The size of the positron range effect depends on the initial positron energy and hence the radioactive tracer used. For higher energy positron emitters, such as Ga 68 and Tc 94 m , which are gaining importance in small animal studies, the width of the annihilation point distribution dominates the spatial resolution. This positron range effect can be reduced by embedding the field of view of the PET scanner in a strong magnetic field. In order to confirm this effect experimentally, we developed a high resolution PET instrument based on silicon pad detectors that can operate in a 7 T magnetic field. In this paper, we describe the instrument and present initial results of a study of the effects of magnetic fields up to 7 T on PET image resolution for Na 22 and Ga 68 point sources.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2009.07.090