Published in:
01-10-2005 | Original Article
A newly developed intra-operative gamma camera: performance characteristics in a laboratory phantom study
Published in: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | Issue 10/2005
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Purpose
Radioguided surgery depends on the intra-operative detection of radiolabelled tissues. This is currently accomplished with hand tools capable of providing a tone signal, depending on the proximity and direction of a radioactive source in relation to the probe. The advantages of visual images of radiolabelled tissues are well recognised, but satisfactory means of acquiring such images intra-operatively are not yet available. The goal of this study was to examine the performance of a newly developed intra-operative gamma camera, compact enough to be a hand tool and capable of yielding a visual image of the source field.
Methods
The study was performed in the laboratory with a phantom consisting of a water bath and small hollow spheres (1–2 cm in internal diameter) filled with 99mTc (1–5 μCi/cc), placed in different configurations within the bath. For comparison, studies were also performed using a standard intra-operative gamma probe, and others using a standard single-head high-resolution gamma camera.
Results
Compared with the gamma probe, the intra-operative camera was found to possess a superior ability to distinguish small, deep and weakly localised radioactivity sources from background. By acquiring images from different angles, it allowed a 3D understanding of multiple radioactive sources. It detected “cold” defects within a “hot” radiolabelled sphere. It discriminated a weak source located near a much “hotter” radioactivity source, similar to discrimination with the standard gamma camera, and discerned localised sources against a background of radioactivity.
Conclusion
It is anticipated that the high imaging potential of the camera tested in this study will offer clinical advantages.