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Abstract #3949

Design of a Dynamically-Controlled Resistive Shield for a Combined PET and Superconducting MRI System for Small Animal Imaging

Geron Andre Bindseil1, Timothy J. Scholl1, William B. Handler1, Chad T. Harris1, Blaine A. Chronik1

1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada


Combining conventional PET and MRI faces numerous technical challenges, particularly the sensitivity of photomultiplier tube-based (PMT) PET detectors to magnetic fields. The authors describe an approach to PET/MRI in which a resistive electromagnet shield is used to null the field at the PMTs of a conventional PET system in the vicinity of a superconducting MRI system. The electromagnetic characteristics of the shield coil are presented. This approach benefits from allowing the use of commercially available PET systems, which include state-of-the-art timing & energy resolution, high sensitivity, and highly optimized event processing hardware.