Title :
Monte Carlo study and experimental measurements of breast tumor detectability with the YAP-PEM prototype
Author :
Guerra, Alberto Del ; Belcari, Nicola ; Bencivelli, Walter ; Motta, Alfonso ; Righi, Sergio ; Vaiano, Angela ; Di Domenico, Giovanni ; Moretti, Elena ; Sabba, Nicola ; Zavattini, Guido ; Campanini, Renato ; Lanconelli, Nico ; Riccardi, Alessandro ; Cinti,
Author_Institution :
Dipt. di Fisica, Pisa Univ., Italy
Abstract :
A prototype for positron emission mammography is under development within a collaboration of the Italian Universities of Pisa, Ferrara, Bologna and Roma. The device is composed of two stationary detection heads, each with an active area of 6 cm × 6 cm, made of 30×30 YAP:Ce finger crystals of 2 mm × 2 mm × 30 mm. The EGSnrc Monte Carlo code has been used to perform a complete simulation of this camera. We have used a fast three-dimensional iterative algorithm (30 s per iteration on a PC-Pentium III 800 MHz processor) for image reconstruction. The performed study indicates that tumors of 5 mm diameter, i.e., 0.065 cm3 volume, with 37 kBq/cm3 (1 μCi/cm3) specific activity embedded in a breast active phantom, are detectable in 10 minutes for a 10:1 tumor/background ratio with an 8.7 Signal-to-Noise Ratio value. Experimental measurements with the small animal tomograph YAP-PET have validated the Monte Carlo predictions.
Keywords :
Monte Carlo methods; image reconstruction; iterative methods; mammography; medical image processing; phantoms; positron emission tomography; tumours; 10 min; 2 mm; 30 mm; 5 mm; 6 cm; 800 MHz; EGSnrc Monte Carlo code; Monte Carlo study; PET; breast active phantom; breast tumor detectability; fast three-dimensional iterative algorithm; image reconstruction; positron emission mammography; small animal tomograph; stationary detection heads; Breast neoplasms; Breast tumors; Collaboration; Educational institutions; Fingers; Head; Mammography; Monte Carlo methods; Prototypes; Radioactive decay;
Conference_Titel :
Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record, 2002 IEEE
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7636-6
DOI :
10.1109/NSSMIC.2002.1239691