SPECT imaging of fluorine-18

The objective of this work was to determine the potential clinical usefulness of SPECT to image 511-keV annihilation photons. Methods : A triple-headed gamma camera equipped with ultrahigh-energy collimators was used to image 18 F. Sensitivity measurements were carried out and the FWHM and FWTM were determined in air and for a unit-density scattering medium. Additionally, tomographic phantom studies were acquired to evaluate image quality. Results : The sensitivities of the three cameras were, for all practical purposes, identical. At a source-to-collimator distance of 100 mm, the FWHM and FWTM were 13 and 29 mm, respectively. A tomographic phantom study demonstrated that spheres with a diameter of 20 mm were well resolved when filled with 18 F activity and placed inside a waterfilled phantom. Conclusion : The triple-headed SPECT camera in this investigation is a practical means of acquiring tomographic 18 F images. The reconstructed slices were of sufficient quality to be of value in some clinical studies.