Positron source position sensing detector and electronics

Patent · Tue Jul 23 00:00:00 EDT 1985

OSTI ID:6526940

Burnham, C A; Bradshaw, Jr, J F; Brownell, G L; Chesler, D A; Kaufman, D E

A positron source, position sensing device, particularly with medical applications, in which positron induced gamma radiation is detected using a ring of stacked, individual scintillation crystals, a plurality of photodetectors, separated from the scintillation crystals by a light guide, and high resolution position interpolation electronics. Preferably the scintillation crystals are several times more numerous than the photodetectors with each crystal being responsible for a single scintillation event from a received gamma ray. The light guide will disperse the light emitted from gamma ray absorption over several photodetectors. Processing electronics for the output of the photodetectors resolves the location of the scintillation event to a fraction of the dimension of each photodetector. Because each positron absorption results in two 180/sup 0/ oppositely traveling gamma rays, the detection of scintillation in pairs permits location of the positron source in a manner useful for diagnostic purposes. The processing electronics simultaneously responds to the outputs of the photodetectors to locate the scintillations to the source crystal. While it is preferable that the scintillation crystal include a plurality of stacked crystal elements, the resolving power of the processing electronics is also applicable to continuous crystal scintillators.

• Assignee: The Massachusetts General Hospital
• Patent Number(s): US 4531058
• Application Number: TRN: 85-027224
• OSTI ID: 6526940
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 28 Jan 1982; Other Information: PAT-APPL-343558
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
POSITRON CAMERAS
GAMMA RADIATION
SCINTILLATIONS
DESIGN
POSITRON DETECTION
POSITRON SOURCES
ABSORPTION SPECTRA
COORDINATES
CRYSTALS
GAMMA DETECTION
LIGHT TRANSMISSION
PHOTODETECTORS
WAVEGUIDES
CAMERAS
CHARGED PARTICLE DETECTION
DETECTION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GAMMA CAMERAS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
PARTICLE SOURCES
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATION SOURCES
RADIATIONS
SPECTRA
551000* - Physiological Systems
440101 - Radiation Instrumentation- General Detectors or Monitors & Radiometric Instruments