Patent · US Expired

Multi-head nuclear medicine camera for dual SPECT and PET imaging

US5585637A · kind A · utility

81Cited by
2References
49Claims
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Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 9, 1995
Grant dateDec 17, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 9, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B6/037
  • WIPO fieldEnvironmental technology
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A multi-detector head nuclear camera system automatically switchable (and optimized) to perform either SPECT imaging or PET imaging. The camera system employs, in one embodiment, multi-detector configuration having dual head scintillation detectors but can be implemented with more than two detector heads. The detectors contain switchable triggering circuitry so that coincidence detection for PET imaging and non-coincidence detection for SPECT imaging is available. Using a variable integration technique with programmable integration interval, the event detection and acquisition circuitry of the camera system is switchable to detect events of different energy distribution and count rate which are optimized for PET and SPECT imaging. The system also includes dual integrators on each scintillation detector channel for collecting more than one event per detector at a time for PET or SPECT mode. In PET or SPECT mode, the system also employs variable PMT cluster sizing having smaller cluster sizes for PET imaging and relatively larger cluster sizes for SPECT. In PET or SPECT mode, the system also employs variable centroid shape and zonal triggering. Utilizing the above programmable settin…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.