COMPACT CdZnTe-BASED GAMMA CAMERA FOR PROSTATE CANCER IMAGING
In this paper, we discuss the design of a compact gamma camera for high-resolution prostate cancer imaging using Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CdZnTe or CZT) radiation detectors. Prostate cancer is a common disease in men. Nowadays, a blood test measuring the level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) is widely used for screening for the disease in males over 50, followed by (ultrasound) imaging-guided biopsy. However, PSA tests have a high false-positive rate and ultrasound-guided biopsy has a high likelihood of missing small cancerous tissues. Commercial methods of nuclear medical imaging, e.g. PET and SPECT, can functionally image the organs, and potentially find cancer tissues at early stages, but their applications in diagnosing prostate cancer has been limited by the smallness of the prostate gland and the long working distance between the organ and the detectors comprising these imaging systems. CZT is a semiconductor material with wide band-gap and relatively high electron mobility, and thus can operate at room temperature without additional cooling. CZT detectors are photon-electron direct-conversion devices, thus offering high energy-resolution in detecting gamma rays, enabling energy-resolved imaging, and reducing the background of Compton-scattering events. In addition, CZT material has high stopping power for gamma rays; for medical imaging, a few-mm-thick CZT material provides adequate detection efficiency for many SPECT radiotracers. Because of these advantages, CZT detectors are becoming popular for several SPECT medical-imaging applications. Most recently, we designed a compact gamma camera using CZT detectors coupled to an application-specific-integrated-circuit (ASIC). This camera functions as a trans-rectal probe to image the prostate gland from a distance of only 1-5 cm, thus offering higher detection efficiency and higher spatial resolution. Hence, it potentially can detect prostate cancers at their early stages. The performance tests of this camera have been completed. The results show better than 6-mm resolution at a distance of 1 cm. Details of the test results are discussed in this paper.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Facility
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE - OFFICE OF SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-98CH10886
- OSTI ID:
- 1029248
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-96182-2011-CP; R&D Project: 87092; 87092; 650201010and600301020; TRN: US1105706
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2011 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference (2011 NSS/MIC); Valencia, Spain; 20111023 through 20111029
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
BIOPSY
CADMIUM TELLURIDES
CAMERAS
COMPTON EFFECT
DETECTION
DIAGNOSIS
DISEASES
ELECTRON MOBILITY
ENERGY RESOLUTION
GAMMA CAMERAS
NEOPLASMS
MEN
ORGANS
PROSTATE
RADIATION DETECTORS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SINGLE PHOTON EMISSION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY
SPATIAL RESOLUTION
ZINC TELLURIDES
CdZnTe
PROSTATE CANCER
NUCLEAR MEDICAL IMAGING
GAMMA CAMERA
positron emission tomography (PET) facility