Single photon emission computed tomography – computed tomography (SPECT-CT) imaging facility
The overall goal of this facility is to provide SPECT imaging capabilities with or without high-resolution CT co-registration. The primary use of the facility is for the development and validation of novel radiolabeled imaging ligands which can be used for tumor detection, cell tracking, diagnosis of autoimmune diseases or vulnerable plaque localization.
The most recently installed system is a high resolution X-SPECT™ system (Gamma Medica, Northridge, CA, USA). The SPECT system has 2 gamma detectors, which can be equipped with either parallel hole or pinhole collimators, the latter with exchangeable pinhole diameters. The system can be used with various isotopes, most frequently 111In and 99mTc. The spatial resolution for the SPECT system is approximately 1 mm.
The CT detector is mounted on the same gantry as the gamma detectors. It has a pixel size of 75 µm and allows the acquisition of a 512 × 512 × 512 matrix. The CT data can then be fused with the SPECT data.