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Title: Comparison of scintillators for positron emission mammography (PEM) systems

Journal Article · · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science

Positron emission mammography (PEM) has promise as an effective method for the detection of breast lesions. Perhaps the most significant design feature of a PEM system is the choice of scintillator material. In this investigation we compared three scintillators for use in PEM: NaI(Tl), gadolinium oxyorthosilicate (GSO), and lutetium-gadolinium oxyorthosilicate (LGSO). The PEM systems consisted of two 30/spl times/30 arrays of pixelated scintillators (3/spl times/3/spl times/10 mm/sup 3/ for GSO and LGSO and 3/spl times/3/spl times/19 mm/sup 3/ for NaI(Tl)) coupled to arrays of square position-sensitive photomultiplier tubes. The Compton scatter fraction, system energy resolution, spatial resolution, spatial resolution uniformity, and detection sensitivity were compared. Compton scatter fractions for the systems were comparable, between 8% and 9%. The NaI(Tl) system produced the best system energy resolution (18.2%), the GSO system had the worst system energy resolution (28.7%).

Research Organization:
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Research (ER) (US)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84ER40150
OSTI ID:
834837
Report Number(s):
JLAB-PHY-03-56; DOE/ER/40150-3001; IETNAE; TRN: US0407349
Journal Information:
IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Vol. 50, Issue 1; Other Information: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Volume 50, Issue 1, Page(s) 42 - 49; PBD: 1 Feb 2003; ISSN 0018-9499
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English