Development of an Ultra High Resolution PET Scanner for Imaging Rodent Paws: PawPET

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Nuclear Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is crucial for in vivo imaging.
• High spatial resolution is needed for detailed murine extremity studies.
• Developing advanced PET detectors is key to improving imaging capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct and characterize a novel PET scanner with submillimeter spatial resolution.
• To enable high-resolution in vivo imaging of murine extremities.
• To evaluate the performance of hybrid depth of interaction (DOI) PET detectors.

Main Methods:

• Built a PET scanner using two dual-ended readout, hybrid DOI PET detectors.
• Each detector featured lutetium oxyorthosilicate crystals coupled to photomultiplier tubes and avalanche photodiodes.
• Characterized detector performance including spatial resolution, sensitivity, timing, and energy resolution.

Main Results:

• Achieved a spatial resolution of 0.56 mm.
• Measured coincidence timing resolution of 2.8 ns, DOI resolution of 1.4 mm, and energy resolution of 27%.
• Demonstrated capability for in vivo imaging of murine extremities, acquiring images of a mouse paw.

Conclusions:

• The developed PET scanner provides submillimeter spatial resolution for murine extremity imaging.
• The hybrid DOI PET detectors are effective for high-resolution small animal imaging.
• This technology advances the potential for detailed preclinical research using PET.