Design and implementation of continuous bed motion (CBM) in Xtrim preclinical PET scanner for whole-body Imaging: MC simulation and experimental measurements

•CBM mode optimizes small-animal PET scanning, reducing acquisition time.•Optimal CBM parameters achieved through Monte Carlo simulation.•CBM mode significantly reduces scan time compared to S&S.•CBM improves image uniformity and sensitivity in PET scans.•CBM enables efficient, versatile whole-body imaging protocols. Preclinical PET scanners often have limited axial field-of-view for whole-body (WB) scanning of the small-animal. Step-and-shoot(S&S) acquisition mode requires multiple bed positions (BPs) to cover the scan length. Alternatively, in Continuous Bed Motion(CBM) mode, data acquisition is performed while the bed is continuously moving. In this study, to reduce acquisition time and enhance image quality, the CBM acquisition protocol was optimized and implemented on the Xtrim-PET preclinical scanner for WB imaging. The over-scan percentage(OS%) in CBM mode was optimized by Monte Carlo simulation. Bed movement speed was optimized considering ranges from 0.1 to 2.0 mm s−1, and absolute system sensitivities with the optimal OS% were calculated. The performance of the scanner in CBM mode was measured, and compared with S&S mode based on the NEMA-NU4 standard. The optimal trade-off between absolute sensitivity and uniformity of sensitivity profile was achieved at OS-50 %. In comparison to S&S mode with maximum ring differences (MRD) of 9 and 23, the calculated equivalent speeds in CBM(OS-50 %) mode were 0.3 and 0.14 mm s−1, respectively. In terms of data acquisition with equal sensitivity in both CBM(OS-50 %) and S&S(MRD-9) modes, the total scan time in CBM mode decreased by 25.9 %, 47.7 %, 54.7 %, and 58.2 % for scan lengths of 1 to 4 BPs, respectively. The CBM mode enhances WB PET scans for small-animals, offering rapid data acquisition, high system sensitivity, and uniform axial sensitivity, leading to improved image quality. Its efficiency and customizable scan length and bed speed make it a superior alternative.