ABSTRACT
Imaging of 14C outside of the subject is considered to be difficult because it is a radionuclide that emits only low-energy beta particles. However, we found that bremsstrahlung X-rays form 14C could be imaged from outside of subjects and is thus applicable to in vivo small animal imaging. We developed a high-resolution low-energy X-ray imaging system using a (Gd, La)2Si2O7:Ce(La-GPS) plate combined with a flat panel photomultiplier tube (FP-PMT) for in vivo imaging of a mouse to detect the X-rays from a 14C solution administered. Without using a parallel hole collimator, accumulated 14C in the mouse’s abdomen was imaged in 1 min and dynamic in vivo imaging was possible although the spatial resolution was moderate. With a parallel hole collimator, 14C in the abdomen was obtained with a higher spatial resolution with a 60-min acquisition time. We conclude that in vivo imaging of 14C is possible by using the developed high-resolution La-GPS imaging system and may be promising for molecular imaging research.
GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
![](/cms/asset/4035320c-6b40-4c79-8dd8-19c885259e29/tnst_a_2050319_uf0001_oc.jpg)
Acknowledgments
This work was partly supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 19H00672. The authors thank Drs. T. Fukuchi and J. Kataoka for providing and processing the pixelated La-GPS scintillator plate.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).