Application of pixel truncation to reduce intensity artifacts in myocardial SPECT imaging with Tc-99m tetrofosmin.

Background: Technetium 99m-labeled radiopharmaceuticals accumulate in the liver and gallbladder, where they generate intensity artifacts that can result in misdiagnosis of myocardial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images. This study identifies and eliminates factors affecting the magnitude and appearance of intensity artifacts in a gallbladder-heart phantom.

Methods And Results: The myocardium and background compartments of a phantom were filled with Tc-99m at concentrations of 320 and 26.