Inverted compound eye camera for second generation MRI compatible SPECT system

In this work, we will evaluate a novel design of the second-generation MRI compatible SPECT system, MRC-SPECT-II, based on an inverted compound eye (ICE) gamma camera concept inspired by compound eyes often found in small invertebrates. The MRC-SPECT II system is constructed with a total of 24 ICE-camera panels that consists of a very large number (up to 1500) of independent micro-pinhole-gamma-camera-elements (MCEs) looking at the object. Each MCE only covers a narrow view angular through the object space. This system design offers several unique advantages for the MR-compatible SPECT imaging application. First, this design allows for a greatly improved system sensitivity over the more conventional pinhole SPECT system designs. Our Monte Carlo study showed that the MRC-SPECT-II system could deliver a peak geometry efficiency of around 1.5% (as compared to the typical levels of 0.1%-0.01% found in modern pre-clinical SPECT instrumentations), while maintaining an excellent spatial resolution of around 0.5 mm and a single-position field-of-view (FOV) of 1 cm. Second, the ICE camera design also allows for an ultra-compact detection system that helps to fit the MRC-SPECT-II system inside most of high-field pre-clinical MR system. Furthermore, given the very large number of micro-camera-elements pointing towards the object, the MRC-SPECT-II system design offers a super-rich angular sampling of the object. Finally, an ICE-camera-based SPECT system typically uses a highly de-magnifying geometry that requires a reduced detector volume, compared to typical pinhole SPECT system that relies on magnifying geometry to achieve a high spatial resolution. This offers the practical benefit of potentially lower construction cost. In this study, we used Monte Carlo studies to demonstrate the performance benefit of the MRC-SPECT-II system over the existing MRC-SPECT system that we have developed in our lab. We have also expanded the Monte Carlo study to evaluate the use of the ICE-SPECT concept for imaging larger objects, human brain.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nuclear, Plasma, & Radiolgcical Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Lai, Xiaochun

Contributors dc:contributor

• Meng, Ling Jian

• Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) semiconductor detector
• single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT)/MRI
• Compound Eye

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2015 Xiaochun Lai

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/88319

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/88319