Quantitative validation of Monte Carlo SPECT simulation: application to a Mediso AnyScan GATE simulation.

Background: Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are used in nuclear medicine imaging as they provide unparalleled insight into processes that are not directly experimentally measurable, such as scatter and attenuation in an acquisition. Whilst MC is often used to provide a 'ground-truth', this is only the case if the simulation is fully validated against experimental data. This work presents a quantitative validation for a MC simulation of a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system.

Positional dependence of activity determination in single photon emission computed tomography.

Accurate image quantification requires accurate calibration of the detector and is vital if dosimetry is to be performed in molecular radiotherapy. A dependence on the position of calibration has been observed in single photon emission computed tomography images when attenuation correction (AC) and scatter correction are applied. This work investigates the origin of this dependence in single photon emission computed tomography scans of phantom inserts filled with Lu solution.

Improving molecular radiotherapy dosimetry using anthropomorphic calibration.

Unlabelled: The optimised delivery of Molecular Radiotherapy requires individualised calculation of absorbed dose to both targeted lesions and neighbouring healthy tissue. To achieve this, accurate quantification of the activity distribution in the patient by external detection is vital.

Methods: This work extends specific anatomy-related calibration to true organ shapes.

Organ-specific SPECT activity calibration using 3D printed phantoms for molecular radiotherapy dosimetry.

Background: Patient-specific absorbed dose calculations for molecular radiotherapy require accurate activity quantification. This is commonly derived from Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) imaging using a calibration factor relating detected counts to known activity in a phantom insert.

Methods: A series of phantom inserts, based on the mathematical models underlying many clinical dosimetry calculations, have been produced using 3D printing techniques.