In this paper, we present a Medical Image Visualizer (MIV) targeting cardiac SPECT images. The visualizer is built fully on open source image processing and visualization software. The main features of the visualizer are: a semiautomatic procedure for segmenting challenging cardiac images and an implementation of the polar map visualization (Bull’s eye diagram) that follows recent recommendatio...

PURPOSE This work is a preliminary study of a stationary cardiac SPECT system. The goal of this research is to propose a stationary cardiac SPECT system using segmented slant-hole collimators and to perform computer simulations to test the feasibility. Compared to the rotational SPECT, a stationary system has a benefit of acquiring temporally consistent projections. The most challenging issue i...

This work is part of a feasibility study to develop SPECT imaging capability on a lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) based animal PET system. The SPECT acquisition was enabled by inserting a collimator assembly inside the detector ring and acquiring data in singles mode. The same LSO detectors were used for both PET and SPECT imaging. The intrinsic radioactivity of (176)Lu in the LSO crystals, how...

BACKGROUND Although single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) have evolved considerably over the last decade, there is no recent comparison of diagnostic performance. This study was designed to assess relative image quality, interpretive confidence, and diagnostic accuracy by use of contemporary technology and pr...

UNLABELLED Various methodologies for (99m)Tc-sestamibi parathyroid scintigraphy are in clinical use. There are few direct comparisons between the different methods and even less evidence supporting the superiority of one over another. Some reports suggest that SPECT is superior to planar imaging. The addition of CT to SPECT may further improve parathyroid adenoma localization. The purpose of ou...

Nuclear medicine images have low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to several physical limitations which degrade the image quality considerably. In this study, the Gaussian filter and the patch confidence Gaussian filter (PCG) were used to improve the image quality for Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT). The new approach applies these filtering methods on the acquired 2D-projectio...

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging is widely implemented in nuclear medicine as its clinical role in the diagnosis and management of several diseases is, many times, very helpful (e.g., myocardium perfusion imaging). The quality of SPECT images are degraded by several factors such as noise because of the limited number of counts, attenuation, or scatter of photons. Image...

We proposed and optimized a simple method of temporal subtraction image between successive bone single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images for supporting interpretation of temporal changes, and we evaluated its clinical utility. This method consisted of image registration, count normalization, and image subtraction. For image registration, we used a BEAT-Tl software. For count no...

BACKGROUND The decreasing image quality in heavier patients can be compensated by administration of a patient-specific dose in myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) using a cadmium zinc telluride-based SPECT camera. Our aim was to determine if the same can be achieved when using a conventional SPECT camera. METHODS 148 patients underwent SPECT stress MPI using a fixed Tc-99m tetrofosmin tracer d...

Purpose: We had previously shown the MR compatibility of CZT based single photon detectors and associated nuclear data acquisition electronics [1]. The purpose of the present work was to study the feasibility a combined MRSPECT system operating inside a 4T MR system for dual-modality MR-SPECT imaging. The current investigation included a study of the effect of SPECT detector/collimator system o...