THE EFFECT OF ACQUISITION PARAMETERS IN BRAIN SPECT IMAGING: A SIMIND MONTE CARLO STUDY

Abstract

In this work cerebral SPECT images were simulated using the SIMIND Monte Carlo code. The specific purpose was the detection of characteristic Alzheimer’s disease (EA) and Major Depression (DM) lesions in simulated brain images, modeling the data acquisition from a source of 99mTc with a gamma camera Picker Prism 2000XP. An anthropomorphic phantom with brain lesions compatible with EA and DM were configured. The operational scenarios were configured on the basis of the frequent parameters recommended by the protocols as well as in working conditions in local health centers. The simulations performed verified that with the setup of the camera gamma, the pathognomonic lesions of EA and DM can only be visualized if LEHR collimators, patient/detector distance of 16 cm and post-administration waiting time of 45 minutes are used.