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Positron source position sensing detector and electronics

Patent ·
OSTI ID:6526940
; ; ; ;
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
OSTI ID:
6526940
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

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