Abstract #3511

Seppenwoolde J, Seevinck P, Nijsen J, de Wit T, Beekman F, van het Schip A, Bakker C

The diagnostic potential of Holmium-loaded microspheres (HoMS), a promising therapeutic anticancer agent for internal radiation therapy, was studied using clinical scan protocols on MRI, CT and SPECT. By phantom experiments, the dependence on HoMS concentration of the performance of the modalities was investigated. Despite the low activated fraction of Ho-166, both sensitivity and low contrast detectability were highest for SPECT, followed by MRI and than CT. All three modalities proved to be capable to detect concentrations of HoMS in the therapeutic range. Task specific demands in realistic situations define which combination of imaging modalities is most suitable.