Development and Characterization of Novel Volumetric Acquisition Orbits with an Application Specific Emission Tomograph for Improved Breast Cancer Detection

Abstract : Nuclear medicine based molecular imaging techniques can be used as an adjunct tool in the diagnosis of breast cancer, particularly for women with dense breast tissue. The dedicated emission mammotomograph is now fully functional; the tomographic gantry was enhanced by including an automated radius-of-rotation capability, to allow for fully 3D imaging of a pendant, uncompressed breast. As a result, novel 3D acquisition orbits have been developed to contour various sized breasts. Initial phantom measurements with a l6x20 sq cm field-of-view cadmium zinc telluride detector show the capability of the system to acquire data about concentric hemispheres of the breast, minimizing distance-dependent spatial resolution effects, maximizing the viewable breast volume while more-nearly- completely sampling the breast, and minimizing background contamination from the heart and liver. Results indicate 3D mamnotomography, incorporating a compact CZT detector and unique 3D camera trajectories, is a promising dedicated breast imaging technique for visualization of tumors less than 1cm in diameter. Future work includes evaluation of: patient bed shielding, sampling schemes for various shaped breasts, and axillary imaging.