Multimodality image display and analysis using AMIDE

718 Learning Objectives: 1. Create co-registered fused microPET-CT images. 2. Draw regions and quantify data from PET and CT images. 3. Optimize images and movies for display and publication. Abstract (summary): Molecular imaging research typically uses probes with high specificity and low non-specific uptake, making anatomical information necessary to localize uptake. The ability to image mice sequentially in a reproducible position and availability of small animal PET and CT systems has recently enabled preclinical PET-CT research. Advances in technology are also allowing better quantitation of preclinical PET research; however software to analyze the images is not readily available. The lack of image format standards for preclinical imaging systems also makes working with multimodality images difficult, thus a software package which is small, non-vendor specific, free and operates on multiple platforms is highly desirable. This abstract presents the use of AMIDE, A Medical Image Data Examiner (http://amide.sourceforge.net/, created Andres Loening, MD, PhD) with microPET and microCT data. The software can view a number of image formats, including DICOM, Analyze, Siemens microPET, microCAT, ECAT6, ECAT7 and raw data, provided the matrix and header sizes are known. Data can be exported in any of these formats, or as an extended image format (.xif), which conveniently saves all images and regions of interest together into one file. The software can register images, crop, generate movies, projection images, handles gated and dynamic data and can generate images values as percent injected dose or standardized uptake values (SUV) if the calibration values, dose and weight are entered. This software has evolved to include suggestions from many users over the past 4 years and has become an indispensable tool for our imaging research. It is particularly useful for generating volume of interest regions of tumor signals. The software is available online free of charge (~14 mb download) and can be installed on Mac, PC or Linux platforms. Onsite presentation is necessary to demonstrate how to perform various functions. A variety of PET and CT datasets will be shown to demonstrate image scaling, fusion, cropping, volume rendering and creating dynamic and rotating movies of PET probe distributions. Research Support (if any): NCI SAIRP, DoE, NCI ICMIC, JCCC