Portable hybrid imaging systems increase access to complex imaging procedures
Orange County, CA - June 16th 2016 - At the 2016 Annual Meeting of Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), researchers unveiled a groundbreaking innovation - a hybrid camera fixed with gamma and optical imaging capabilities.
The University of Leicester and Nottingham in the United Kingdom recently concluded a clinical trial for their hybrid optical-gamma camera, an original and intraoperative device. Their inventive instrument is a portable gamma camera, upgraded with an optical module. Whereas many hybrid imaging procedures demand abundant space, this innovation differs in its portable size.
The gamma camera facilitates scintigraphy procedures by detecting radioactive signals after a patient is injected with radionuclide. This radioactive substance interacts with certain physiological functions to give specialists improved visual clarity. Upgrading to the gramma camera, with the addition of optical imaging, provides further dimension to the images by allowing physicians to view molecular make-up of the targeted bodily region.
Typically, gamma cameras are utilized to depict sentinel nodes. However, issues with clarity have prompted researchers to discover a clever way to rectify the issue. Without anatomical information, it can be difficult for physicians or surgeons to locate these nodes. With the goal of mitigating this issue, the team was able to produce images in less than five minutes, with the implementation of a 1.5 mm scintillator and a 1 mm pin-hole collimator. The former picks up gamma rays as the latter acts as aperture to hone in on areas under analysis.
"This scanner has hand-held potential and can be used in a variety of settings, including the outpatient clinic, patient bedside, operating theatre, and intensive care unit," said researcher Alan Perkins, PhD, Radiological Sciences, University of Nottingham.
In the pilot study, 25 participants underwent routine molecular imaging procedures, such as imaging of the thyroid, eye, and lymphatic system, as well as bone scans. Researchers found that the hybrid camera was most effective at imaging lymphatic and thyroid tissues, and drainage from tear ducks or lacrimal glands.
Although the hybrid camera is still in prototype phase, the positive results from this clinical study suggest that it will be made available for medical applications after further examination. Specifically, combining nuclear imaging with surface anatomy imaging presents physicians with the ability to peer into the body at a greater degree. In the future, the hybrid camera’s portability and scope of imaging possibilities will have a positive impact on the medical industry, as it allows greater visualization of areas that are difficult to image.
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Portable hybrid imaging systems increase access to complex imaging procedures Orange County, CA – June 16th 2016 – At the 2016 Annual Meeting of Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI), researchers unveiled a groundbreaking innovation – a hybrid camera fixed with gamma and optical imaging capabilities. The University of Leicester and Nottingham in the […]