Mini gamma cameras for intra-operative nuclear tomographic reconstruction

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Nuclear Medicine
• Robotics

Background:

• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) are vital nuclear imaging tools in diagnostics.
• Personalized therapy necessitates advanced imaging capabilities for real-time surgical guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a flexible nuclear tomographic imaging system for intra-operative SPECT-like 3D imaging.
• To assess the system's performance in terms of imaging positions and time for clinical workflows.

Main Methods:

• A miniaturized gamma camera on a robot arm with optical tracking for precise positioning.
• Statistical tomographic reconstruction using a maximum likelihood approach with a precise mini gamma camera model.
• Evaluation using a hot spot phantom focusing on intra-operative workflow criteria.

Main Results:

• High-quality reconstructed 3D images of simple configurations were achieved.
• Positional accuracy errors were less than one millimeter.
• Acquisition times as short as 15 seconds were demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• The flexible nuclear tomographic imaging system shows promise for intra-operative SPECT-like imaging.
• The system's speed and accuracy are suitable for enhancing surgical precision and personalized therapy.
• Further validation in complex surgical scenarios is warranted.