A Novel J-Shape Antenna Array for Simultaneous MR-PET or MR-SPECT Imaging

Simultaneous MR-PET/-SPECT is an emerging technology that capitalises on the invaluable advantages of both modalities, allowing access to numerous sensitive tracers and superior soft-tissue contrast alongside versatile functional imaging capabilities. However, to optimise these capabilities, concurrent acquisitions require the MRI antenna located inside the PET/SPECT field-of-view to be operated without compromising any aspects of system performance or image quality compared to the stand-alone instrumentation. Here, we report a novel gamma-radiation-transparent antenna concept. The end-fed J-shape antenna is particularly adept for hybrid ultra-high field MR-PET/-SPECT applications as it enables all highly attenuating materials to be placed outside the imaging field-of-view. Furthermore, this unique configuration also provides advantages in stand-alone MR applications by reducing the amount of coupling between the cables and the antenna elements, and by lowering the potential specific absorption rate burden. The use of this new design was experimentally verified according to the important features for both ultra-high field MRI and the 511 keV transmission scan. The reconstructed attenuation maps evidently showed much lower attenuation (similar to 15%) for the proposed array when compared to the conventional dipole antenna array since there were no high-density components. In MR, it was observed that the signal-to-noise ratio from the whole volume obtained using the proposed array was comparable to that acquired by the conventional array which was also in agreement with the simulation results. The unique feature, J-shape array, would enable simultaneous MR-PET/-SPECT experiments to be conducted without unduly compromising any aspects of system performance and image quality compared to the stand-alone instrumentation.

Automated summary

Simultaneous MR-PET/-SPECT is a promising technology that combines the advantages of both MRI and PET/SPECT, allowing for sensitive tracer imaging and versatile functional imaging capabilities. The use of a novel gamma-radiation-transparent antenna concept optimizes system performance and image quality for both ultra-high field MRI and the 511 keV transmission scan.