David Beylin MS, MBA, Presenter: Consultant, Gamma Medica, Inc Employee, BLN Scientific, LLC Stockholder, BLN Scientific, LLC Employee, Brain Biosciences, Inc Stockholder, Brain Biosciences, Inc

Pavel Y. Stepanov MS, Abstract Co-Author: Stockholder, Brain Biosciences, Inc

Stephen Schaeffer BS, Abstract Co-Author: Consultant, Brain Biosciences, Inc

Irving Norman Weinberg MD, PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Stockholder, Brain Biosciences, Inc

Valera Zavarzin MS, Abstract Co-Author: Stockholder, Brain Biosciences, Inc.

Dementias and motion disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) present a huge societal and economic burden. Accurate, early diagnosis of these disorders using biomarkers is a research and clinical priority. Recent development of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals for evaluation of Alzheimer’s disease, and other dementias – such as F18 -Florbetapir, F18-FDDNP, F18 -Florbetaben, F18 -Flutemetamol, and F18 -AV-133, and others - position PET as a key diagnostic modality in evaluation of dementia and other brain disorders. Currently available PET scanning infrastructure relies on bulky Whole Body PET (WB PET) machines developed for oncology applications. While WB PET machines can acquire acceptable brain images, large-scale deployment of WB PET scanners to accommodate estimated volume of brain imaging procedures will be inefficient and costly. There is a clear need for a high-resolution, small-footprint, inexpensive PET scanner focusing on neurological applications.  

We constructed a dedicated brain PET scanner with a bore diameter of 25 cm and a 20 cm axial field of view. The intrinsic spatial resolution of the detector block is 1.9mm. The bore and the head-support system are constructed to ensure that the scanner gantry does not obstruct the patient’s line of sight, which is important for claustrophobic patients and patients with neurological or psychiatric conditions, who may need to be in visual contact with the caregiver or healthcare staff at all times. The scanner performance was evaluated using various phantoms, including point sources, uniformity phantom, and Hoffman brain phantom.

The measurements demonstrated spatial resolution of 2-3mm across the field of view, energy resolution of less than 13% for all detector blocks, image uniformity of better than 15%. Quantitative accuracy is better than 10% after calculated attenuation correction as benchmarked against the whole-body PET scanner.

Novel dedicated brain PET imaging device provides an acceptable alternative to whole-body PET machines at reduced cost to the healthcare facility. The device does not obstruct patient line of sight and could, potentially, eliminate claustrophobia.

New PET imaging device could be used for F18-FDG and F18-florbetapir imaging in evaluation of Alzheimer's disease, and clinical neuroscience research with novel CNS radiotracers.

Beylin, D, Stepanov, P, Schaeffer, S, Weinberg, I, Zavarzin, V, High Resolution PET Scanner Optimized for Neurological Imaging.  Radiological Society of North America 2013 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, December 1 - December 6, 2013 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2013/13020275.html