Compton imaging with (99m)Tc for human imaging

We have been developing a medical imaging system using a Compton camera and demonstrated the imaging ability of Compton camera for (99m)Tc-DMSA accumulated in rat kidneys. In this study, we performed imaging experiments using a human body phantom to confirm its applicability to human imaging. Preliminary simulations were conducted using a digital phantom with varying activity ratios between the kidney and body trunk regions. Gamma rays (141 keV) were generated and detected by a Compton camera based on a silicon and cadmium telluride (Si/CdTe) detector. Compton images were reconstructed with the list mode median root prior expectation maximization method. The appropriate number of iterations of the condition was confirmed through simulations. The reconstructed Compton images revealed two bright points in the kidney regions. Furthermore, the numerical value calculated by integrating pixel values inside the region of interest correlated well with the activity of the kidney regions. Finally, experimental studies were conducted to ascertain whether the results of the simulation studies could be reproduced. The kidneys could be successfully visualised. In conclusion, considering that the conditions in this study agree with those of typical human bodies and imaginable experimental setup, the Si/CdTe Compton camera has a high probability of success in human imaging. In addition, our results indicate the capability of (semi-) quantitative analysis using Compton images.