Abstract
Purpose: We develop a realistic and flexible 4-D digital mouse phantom and investigate its usefulness in molecular imaging research. Methods: Organ shapes were modeled with non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) surfaces based on high-resolution 3-D magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) data. Cardiac and respiratory motions were modeled based on gated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data obtained from normal mice. Pilot simulation studies in single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and X-ray computed tomography (CT) were performed to demonstrate the utility of the phantom. Results: NURBS are an efficient and flexible way to accurately model the anatomy and cardiac and respiratory motions for a realistic 4-D digital mouse phantom. The phantom is capable of producing realistic molecular imaging data from which imaging devices and techniques can be evaluated. Conclusion: The phantom provides a unique and useful tool in molecular imaging research. It can be used in the development of new imaging instrumentation, image acquisition strategies, and image processing and reconstruction methods.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 149-159 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Molecular Imaging and Biology |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2004 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Computed tomography
- Phantom
- Simulation
- Single-photon emission computed tomography
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
- Cancer Research