Abstract
A considerable limitation of current small-animal PET/CT imaging is the low throughput of acquisitions. Consequently, to sufficiently power a study, high costs accumulate. Together with a commercial scanner manufacturer, we developed a 4-bed mouse “hotel” to simultaneously image up to 4 mice, thereby reducing costs and maximizing the efficiency of radiotracer use when compared with scans performed with a single mouse bed. Methods: For physiologic evaluation of the mouse hotel, temperature and anesthesia were tested for uniformity in conjunction with 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging of mini image-quality phantoms designed to fit the new imaging system. After reconstruction, National Electrical Manufacturers Association NU-4 tests examined uniformity, recovery coefficients, and spillover ratios. To evaluate the mouse hotel under standard in vivo imaging conditions, 4 mice were simultaneously scanned by dynamic 18F-FDG PET/CT over 60 min, and quantified images were compared with those acquired using a single mouse bed. Results: The mouse hotel maintained a constant temperature of 36.8°C ± 0.4°C, with anesthesia distributed evenly to each nose cone (2.9 ± 0.1 L/min). The National Electrical Manufacturers Association tests revealed values within tolerable limits for uniformity, for recovery coefficients in rods larger than 2 mm, and for spillover ratios in the nonradioactive water- and air-filled chambers. There was low variability in radiotracer uptake in all major organs for the mouse hotel versus the single mouse bed. Conclusion: Analysis of images acquired using the mouse hotel confirmed its utility to increase the throughput of small-animal PET imaging without considerable loss of image quality or quantitative precision. In comparison to a single mouse bed, the cost and time associated with each scan were substantially reduced.
Highlights
As a noninvasive imaging tool, PET is used in preclinical research across multidisciplinary areas of work for whole-body, dynamic examination of biochemical processes under normal and pathophysiologic conditions [1,2,3,4]
To sufficiently power a study, high costs accumulate. These high imaging costs present a barrier to widespread preclinical adoption of PET and may restrict the frequency of radioactive preparations available to others who have invested in this imaging modality
To examine and overcome the low throughput of conventional PET imaging, we developed and validated a 4-bed mouse ‘‘hotel’’ in collaboration with Mediso Imaging Systems
Summary
Design and Development of Mouse Hotel We designed the mouse hotel for use in a nanoScan PET/CT system (Mediso Medical Imaging Systems) with the system’s manufacturers (Fig. 1A). The mouse hotel is made of high-temperature–resistant plastic, has 4 holding chambers with individual nose cones for anesthesia delivery (Fig. 1B), contains chambers to allow the flow of heated air to all 4 beds (with each mouse placed equidistant from the center of the field of view), and allows simultaneous imaging of up to 4 mice within the same single field of view (Fig. 1C). For single-phantom scans, 1 phantom was placed into each bed location within the hotel and imaged individually (configuration 2). Four phantoms were imaged in the mouse hotel following the exact specification suggested by the PET manufacturer for single-mouse imaging. Spillover ratios (SORs) in the nonradioactive waterand air-filled chambers were measured as the activity detected in these regions, divided by the mean total phantom activity concentration. Phantom images were reconstructed using those parameters recommended by the manufacturer for standard scans on a single animal. The NEMA NU-4 test results using these standard parameters are shown in
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