HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Karp, J. S. Articles by Muehllehner, G. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Karp, J. S. Articles by Muehllehner, G.

Performance of a Brain PET Camera Based on Anger-Logic Gadolinium Oxyorthosilicate Detectors

¹ Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
² Philips Medical Systems, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A high-sensitivity, high-resolution brain PET scanner ("G-PET") has been developed. This scanner is similar in geometry to a previous brain scanner developed at the University of Pennsylvania, the HEAD Penn-PET, but the detector technology and electronics have been improved to achieve enhanced performance. Methods: This scanner has a detector ring diameter of 42.0 cm with a patient aperture of 30.0 cm and an axial field of view of 25.6 cm. It comprises a continuous light-guide that couples 18,560 (320 x 58 array) 4 x 4 x 10 mm³ gadolinium oxyorthosilicate (GSO) crystals to 288 (36 x 8 array) 39-mm photomultiplier tubes in a hexagonal arrangement. The scanner operates only in 3-dimensional (3D) mode because there are no interplane septa. Performance measurements on the G-PET scanner were made following National Electrical Manufacturers Association NU 2–2001 procedures for most measurements, although NU 2–1994 procedures were used when these were considered more appropriate for a brain scanner (e.g., scatter fraction and counting-rate performance measurements). Results: The transverse and axial resolutions near the center are 4.0 and 5.0 mm, respectively. At a radial offset of 10 cm, these numbers deteriorate by approximately 0.5 mm. The absolute sensitivity of this scanner measured with a 70-cm long line source is 4.79 counts per second (cps)/kBq. The scatter fraction measured with a line source in a 20-cm-diameter x 19-cm-long cylinder is 39% (for a lower energy threshold of 410 keV). For the same cylinder, the peak noise equivalent counting rate is 60 kcps at an activity concentration of 7.4 kBq/mL (0.20 µCi/mL), whereas the peak true coincidence rate is 132 kcps at an activity concentration of 14 kBq/mL (0.38 µCi/mL). Images from the Hoffman brain phantom as well as ¹⁸F-FDG patient scans illustrate the high quality of images acquired on the G-PET scanner. Conclusion: The G-PET scanner attains the goal of high performance for brain imaging through the use of an Anger-logic GSO detector design with continuous optical coupling. This detector design leads to good energy resolution, which is needed in 3D imaging to minimize scatter and random coincidences.

Key Words: PET • brain imaging • gadolinium oxyorthosilicate

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. J. Pichler, H. F. Wehrl, and M. S. Judenhofer Latest Advances in Molecular Imaging Instrumentation J. Nucl. Med., June 1, 2008; 49(Suppl_2): 5S - 23S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				O. T. Hardy, M. Hernandez-Pampaloni, J. R. Saffer, J. S. Scheuermann, L. M. Ernst, R. Freifelder, H. Zhuang, C. MacMullen, S. Becker, N. S. Adzick, et al. Accuracy of [18F]Fluorodopa Positron Emission Tomography for Diagnosing and Localizing Focal Congenital Hyperinsulinism J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., December 1, 2007; 92(12): 4706 - 4711. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Surti, A. Kuhn, M. E. Werner, A. E. Perkins, J. Kolthammer, and J. S. Karp Performance of Philips Gemini TF PET/CT Scanner with Special Consideration for Its Time-of-Flight Imaging Capabilities J. Nucl. Med., March 1, 2007; 48(3): 471 - 480. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. G. Rajendran, D. L. Schwartz, J. O'Sullivan, L. M. Peterson, P. Ng, J. Scharnhorst, J. R. Grierson, and K. A. Krohn Tumor hypoxia imaging with [f-18] fluoromisonidazole positron emission tomography in head and neck cancer. Clin. Cancer Res., September 15, 2006; 12(18): 5435 - 5441. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Surti and J. S. Karp Imaging Characteristics of a 3-Dimensional GSO Whole-Body PET Camera J. Nucl. Med., June 1, 2004; 45(6): 1040 - 1049. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]