MCCCD Official Course Competencies:

DMI260AB  2006 Spring – 2009 Summer II

Nuclear Medicine Theory I: Part B

1.

Discuss the components, features, operation, application, maintenance and quality control of selected cameras and detector systems used in nuclear medicine to include planar scintillation cameras, multicrystal cameras, solid state detector systems. (I, II, III)

2.

Discuss basic design, principles, functions, operation, maintenance, advantages and disadvantages of selected imaging systems. (IV, V)

3.

Discuss the care, operation, maintenance and quality control of image archive systems. (VI, VII)

4.

Compare and contrast analog and digital computer systems and signals and hardwired and programmable computers. (VII)

5.

Compare and contrast minicomputers, microcomputers, mainframes and supercomputers. (VII)

6.

Apply knowledge of the number system to practical uses in the nuclear medicine field. (VIII)

7.

Apply knowledge of general structure of computer hardware, software, communication systems, data management and internet access/use to practical uses in the nuclear medicine field. (IX-XIII)

8.

Discuss list mode acquisition and histogram and frame acquisition including advantages and disadvantages of each approach. (XIV)

9.

Describe how the computer performs a multigated acquisition study. (XIV)

10.

Compare and contrast the various types of display systems used on nuclear medicine computers. (XIV)

11.

Describe data processing operations that are non-cosmetic and those that are cosmetic treatments of the image including how each is accomplished. (XIV)

12.

Describe computer use in the development and administration of quality assurance testing of imaging equipment. (XIV)

13.

Outline a quality control program to ensure that the computer functions at an appropriate level. (XV)

14.

Describe quality assurance procedures that should be performed to ensure proper computer function. (XV)

MCCCD Official Course Outline:

DMI260AB  2006 Spring – 2009 Summer II

Nuclear Medicine Theory I: Part B

I. Planar Scintillation Cameras

A. Basic principles-system configurations

1. Collimator

a. Geometric characteristics

(1). resolution

(2). efficiency

b. Selection considerations

2. Crystal

a. resolution

b. efficiency

3. Light pipe

4. Photmultiplier tubes

a. cathode

b. dynode

c. anode

d. electron multiplication

5. Positioning circuitry

6. Ratio circuits

7. Summation circuitry

8. Pulse-height analyzer

a. window width

b. centerline versus non-symmetrical window

c. z-pulse

9. Scalers and ratemeters

10. Image display and recording

a. Cathode ray tubes

(1). phosphor

(2). dot size

(3). astigmatism

(4). color

(5). photographic scope

(6). persistence scope

b. Film

(1). radiographic

(2). carbon-based

c. Multiformat imagers

(1). description of systems

(2). image production

(3). quality control

d. Video formatters

(1). requirements

(2). special features

(3). quality control

e. Laser printers

f. Color paper printers

11. Whole-body systems

12. Mobile camera systems

B. Performance characteristics

1. Collimators - Types

a. parallel-hole

b. Low energy all purpose (LEAP) or general all purpose (GAP)

c. High resolution

d. Ultra high resolution

e. Medium energy

f. High energy (511 keV)

g. High sensitivity

(1). diverging/converging

(2). pinhole

(3). slant-hole

(4). fan-beam

2. Collimators - Characteristics

a. spatial resolution

b. sensitivity

c. field of view

d. image size (magnification/minification)

e. image distortion

f. energy characteristics

3. Camera

a. spatial resolution

b. sensitivity

c. linearity

d. uniformity

(1). specifications (differential/integral)

(2). factors afftecting uniformity

(3). uniformity versus intrinsic resolution

e. energy resolution

f. dead-time

g. count density

h. image contrast

II. Multicrystal Scintillation Cameras

A. Principles of operation

B. Performance characteristics

1. spatial resolution

2. sensitivity

3. uniformity

4. energy calibration

5. counting rate

III. Solid State Detector System

A. Principles of operation

B. Crystal characteristics

C. Comparison to Anger camera performance

IV. Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)

A. Basic designs and principles

1. orbit design

2. collimator design

3. multihead systems

4. attenuation correction

B. Acquisition parameters

C. Factors that limit statistics

D. Reconstruction

1. Simple backprojection

2. Reconstruction parameters

a. center of rotation correction

b. uniformity correction

c. attenuation correction

d. filters and filter selection

e. attenuation correction with external transmission sources

f. motion correction and sinograms

3. radiopharmaceutical dose limits

4. time restraints

5. source-to-detector distance

6. attenuation

7. matrix size and linear sampling

8. degrees of rotation

9. number of projections (angular sampling)

10. time per projection

11. time per acquisition

V. Quality Control of Imaging Systems

A. Planar Scintillation Camera

1. Flood uniformity

2. Image size and shape (x,y, gain settings)

3. Spatial resolution

4. Linearity

5. Sensitivity

6. Window calibration

7. Environmental contorl

8. Intrinsic versus extrinsic measurements

9. Cathode ray tube

a. focus

b. astigmatism

10. Collimator

a. septal penetration

b. damage detection

B. Whole-body imagers

C. SPECT systems

1. Center of rotation

a. procedure

b. frequency

2. Uniformity

a. intrinsic

b. total system

c. acceptable limits

d. frequency

3. Resolution

a. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) phantom studies

b. Frequency

4. Table detector

5. Pixel sizing related to matrix size and zoom

6. Intrinsic and extrinsic FWHM

7. Head alignment on multiple head units

D. Photographic devices

1. Image formatters

2. Laser printers

3. Color printers

VI. Care and Maintenance of Image archiving systems

A. Transparent film

1. Chemical and physical composition

2. Film characteristics

3. Storage

B. Film processing

1. Developer

2. Fixer

3. Washing and drying

4. Automatic processing

5. Quality Control

C. Laser printers

D. Picture archiving systems (PACs)

E. Discs

VII. Types of Computers

A. Microcomputers

B. Minicomputers

C. Mainframes

D. Supercomputers

VIII. Number System

A. Analog versus digital information

B. Decimal

C. Binary

D. Octal

E. Hexadecimal

F. Conversions from one number system to another

G. Bits, bytes, word

IX. General Structure of Computer Hardware

A. Processor or System Unit

1. Central Processing Unit (CPU)

a. control unit

b. arithmetic logic unit

2. Main memory or primary storage (RAM)

B. I/O Devices

1. Input devices

a. keyboard

b. mouse

c. joystick

d. lightpen

e. touchscreen

f. digitizer/scanners

g. pen-based computer

2. Output devices

a. image display monitors

b. printers

c. plotters

d. voice output devices

C. Memory

1. Random access memory (RAM)

2. Read only memory (ROM)

3. Programmable read only memory (PROM)

4. Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM)

5. Main memory

a. magnetic core

b. semiconductor

6. Cache memory

7. Buffer memory

8. Auxiliary storage

a. magnetic disk

b. hard disk

c. RAM disk

d. optical disk

e. magnetic tape drive

f. solid state storage devices

g. special purpose devices

X. Software

A. Application software

B. System software

a. operating system

b. utilities

c. language translators

C. Languages

a. machine

b. assembly

c. higher level (C, Basic, Fortran, etc.)

XI. Communications

A. System model

B. Communications channel

C. Communications equipment

D. Communications software

E. Protocols

F. Networks

1. Ethernet

2. Local area network (LAN)

3. Wide area network (WAN)

4. configurations

G. Picture archiving systems (PACs)

H. Radiology information system (RIS)

XII. Data Management

A. Types of file organization

B. Types of databases

XIII. Internet

A. Definition

B. History

C. Organizational structure

D. Hardware requirements

E. Software requirements

F. Service available

XIV. Nuclear Medicine Computer Systems

A. Gamma camera/computer interface

1. Analog to digital converters

a. purpose

b. types

2. buffer

3. zoom

a. magnification versus resolution

b. interpolation

B. Acquisition modes

1. Types

a. frame

b. list

c. multiple gated

d. tomographic

2. Matrix types and sizes

a. word

b. byte

3. Memory requirements

a. addresses (resolution elements)

b. counts per address

C. Memory

1. Types of memory

2. Advantages and disadvantages

D. Display systems

1. Refreshed Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)

2. Storage CRT

3. Video

E. Planar filter options

1. Temporal

2. Spatial/Smoothing

F. SPECT reconstruction techniques

1. Back projection

2. Fourier reconstruction

3. Iterative reconstruction

4. Slice thickness selection

5. Reorientation

G. SPECT filters

1. Filter design and selection

a. selection criteria

b. types

c. cutoff

d. frequency

2. Nyquist frequency

3. Dampening factor

4. Multi-camera head reconstruction techniques

H. Data processing programs

1. Field uniformity correction

2. Background and foreground correction

3. Attenuation correction

4. Motion correction

5. Contrast enhancement

6. Scaling and normalization

7. Image Arithmetic

8. Display manipulations

9. Dead time corrections

10. Center of rotation error corrections

11. Regions of interest (ROI)

a. selection

b. comparison ratios and percentages

c. effects of poorly drawn ROIs

12. Curve generation and manipulation

a. image profiles

b. time-activity curves

c. harmonic analysis

13. Automatic edge detection

14. Gray scales

15. Image registration and Co-registration

16. Three-dimensional reconstruction

17. Polar map generation

I. Use of computers in quality control programs

1. Linearity

2. Sensitivity

3. Gain (test of pixel size)

4. Analog versus digital conversion

5. Resolution

6. Spatial distortion

7. Integration with imaging systems

8. Validation of software

9. Radiopharmacy management systems

XV. Quality Control

A. Environmental control

B. Power supply

C. Test patterns

D. Software QC programs

E. Pixel sizing (x, y, setting)