Development of a high-resolution and high-efficiency single-photon detector for studying cardiovascular diseases in mice

SPECT systems using pinhole apertures permit radiolabelled molecular spatial resolution, good energy resolution, and high sensitivity are required. We designed what we consider the “optimal” radionuclide detector system for this task. It should allow studying both detection of unstable atherosclerotic plaques and monitoring the effect of therapies. Using mice is particularly challenging in situations that require several intravenous injections of radiotracers, possibly for weeks or even months, in chronically ill animals. Thus, alternative routes of delivering the radiotracer in tail vein should be investigated. In this study, we have performed preliminary measurements of detection of atherosclerotic plaques in genetically modified mice with high-resolution prototype detector. We have also evaluated the feasibility of assessing left ventricular perfusion by intraperitoneal distributions to be imaged in vivo in small animals. Nevertheless, studying cardiovascular diseases in small animal models is very challenging, and in particular, submillimeter delivering of MIBI-Tc in healthy mice.