Patent · US Expired

Resolution enhancement apparatus and method for dual head gamma camera system capable of coincidence imaging

US5760401A · kind A · utility

14Cited by
7References
25Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 29, 1997
Grant dateJun 2, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 29, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01T1/2985
  • WIPO fieldEnvironmental technology
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus and method for enhancing the resolution of a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) image in a Nuclear Camera System that is configurable to performs both PET and SPECT imaging. The apparatus includes a crystal that interacts with a gamma ray to create a scintillation event within the surface of the crystal. The gamma rays that impinge the crystal have an incident angle that is limited by a field of view of the crystal. Positioned behind the crystal is a detector that responds to the light photons released by the scintillation event and registers a coordinate value of the scintillation event. Coupled to the detector is a resolution enhancer that generates an in-crystal plane displacement correction value for the coordinate value registered by the detector. The in-crystal plane displacement correction value is then combined with the coordinate value to compute the actual entry point of the gamma ray into the crystal.

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