“Hotspot” Artifacts Produced by a Magnification/I.D. Control Module

Abstract

We recently discovered an artifact produced by a scintillation camera’s magnification/I.D. control module that appears to be inherent to the design of the unit itself. A “hotspot” artifact was produced when a high activity source was imaged at the edges of the field of view. This artifact can take on different shapes, sizes, and locations and can be very misleading to the unaware clinician. Our discovery was made during a patient procedure and was not detected with routine quality assurance checks.