TY  - JOUR
A1  - Janssen, Jan P.
A1  - Hoffmann, Jan V.
A1  - Kanno, Takayuki
A1  - Nose, Naoko
A1  - Grunz, Jan-Peter
A1  - Onoguchi, Masahisa
A1  - Chen, Xinyu
A1  - Lapa, Constantin
A1  - Buck, Andreas K.
A1  - Higuchi, Takahiro
T1  - Capabilities of multi-pinhole SPECT with two stationary detectors for in vivo rat imaging
JF  - Scientific Reports
N2  - We aimed to investigate the image quality of the U-SPECT5/CT E-Class a micro single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system with two large stationary detectors for visualization of rat hearts and bones using clinically available \(^{99m}\)Tc-labelled tracers. Sensitivity, spatial resolution, uniformity and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the small-animal SPECT scanner were investigated in phantom studies using an ultra-high-resolution rat and mouse multi-pinhole collimator (UHR-RM). Point source, hot-rod, and uniform phantoms with \(^{99m}\)Tc-solution were scanned for high-count performance assessment and count levels equal to animal scans, respectively. Reconstruction was performed using the similarity-regulated ordered-subsets expectation maximization (SROSEM) algorithm with Gaussian smoothing. Rats were injected with similar to 100 MBq [\(^{99m}\)TcTc-MIBI or similar to 150 MBq [\(^{99m}\)Tc]Tc-HMDP and received multi-frame micro-SPECT imaging after tracer distribution. Animal scans were reconstructed for three different acquisition times and post-processed with different sized Gaussian filters. Following reconstruction, CNR was calculated and image quality evaluated by three independent readers on a five-point scale from 1="very poor" to 5="very good". Point source sensitivity was 567 cps/MBq and radioactive rods as small as 1.2 mm were resolved with the UHR-RM collimator. Collimator-dependent uniformity was 55.5%. Phantom CNR improved with increasing rod size, filter size and activity concentration. Left ventricle and bone structures were successfully visualized in rat experiments. Image quality was strongly affected by the extent of post-filtering, whereas scan time did not have substantial influence on visual assessment. Good image quality was achieved for resolution range greater than 1.8 mm in bone and 2.8 mm in heart. The recently introduced small animal SPECT system with two stationary detectors and UHR-RM collimator is capable to provide excellent image quality in heart and bone scans in a rat using standardized reconstruction parameters and appropriate post-filtering. However, there are still challenges in achieving maximum system resolution in the sub-millimeter range with in vivo settings under limited injection dose and acquisition time.
KW  - small animal SPECT
KW  - HMDP hydroxymethylene diphosphonate
KW  - skeletal
KW  - quality
KW  - scanner
Y1  - 2020
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-230616
VL  - 10
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Chen, Xinyu
A1  - Kudo, Takashi
A1  - Lapa, Constantin
A1  - Buck, Andreas
A1  - Higuchi, Takahiro
T1  - Recent advances in radiotracers targeting norepinephrine transporter: structural development and radiolabeling improvements
JF  - Journal of Neural Transmission
N2  - The norepinephrine transporter (NET) is a major target for the evaluation of the cardiac sympathetic nerve system in patients with heart failure and Parkinson's disease. It is also used in the therapeutic applications against certain types of neuroendocrine tumors, as exemplified by the clinically used \(^{123/131}\)I-MIBG as theranostic single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) agent. With the development of more advanced positron emission tomography (PET) technology, more radiotracers targeting NET have been reported, with superior temporal and spatial resolutions, along with the possibility of functional and kinetic analysis. More recently, fluorine-18-labelled NET tracers have drawn increasing attentions from researchers, due to their longer radiological half-life relative to carbon-11 (110 min vs. 20 min), reduced dependence on on-site cyclotrons, and flexibility in the design of novel tracer structures. In the heart, certain NET tracers provide integral diagnostic information on sympathetic innervation and the nerve status. In the central nervous system, such radiotracers can reveal NET distribution and density in pathological conditions. Most radiotracers targeting cardiac NET-function for the cardiac application consistent of derivatives of either norepinephrine or MIBG with its benzylguanidine core structure, e.g. \(^{11}\)C-HED and \(^{18}\)F-LMI1195. In contrast, all NET tracers used in central nervous system applications are derived from clinically used antidepressants. Lastly, possible applications of NET as selective tracers over organic cation transporters (OCTs) in the kidneys and other organs controlled by sympathetic nervous system will also be discussed.
KW  - norepinephrine transporter
KW  - benzylguanidine
KW  - phenethylguanidine
KW  - antidepressant
KW  - organic cation transporter
Y1  - 2020
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-241148
VL  - 127
ER  -