Development of CdZnTe gamma camera for radioguided surgery

γ探针已用于黑色素瘤和乳腺癌的前哨淋巴结活检。然而，伽马探头只能提供放射性计数和基于检测到的放射性强度的可变音调音频输出。我们已经开发了一种小型半导体伽马相机（SSGC），可以可视化靶组织的大小，形状和位置。本研究的目的是表征SSGC用于转移性病变的放射导向手术以及用于诊断适用于与该原型成像系统相关的较小格式的其他疾病的性能。方法与设计：探测器头由32 x 32碲化镉半导体阵列和带有钨准直器的专用集成电路（ASIC）组成。整个组件封装在尺寸为152 mm x 166 mm x 65 mm的电极导线外壳中。有效视野为44.8 mm x 44.8 mm。使用两个直径为5 mm的球形Tc-99 m放射源模拟前哨淋巴结和注射部位，放射性分别为0.15 MBq和100 MBq。使用新的探测器和传统的闪烁相机的相对检测能力，这些焦点进行了比较。还在各种临床应用中对患者使用原型进行了探索。结果：SSGC在体模研究中提供了比传统伽马相机控制更好的空间分辨率。两个病灶都可以通过SSGC使用15秒的采集时间清楚地可视化，而在可比条件下使用传统系统无法容易地识别。SSGC的初步临床试验被发现在各种组织中的成像疾病中是成功的，包括唾液腺和甲状腺、颞下颌关节和前哨淋巴结。结论：SSGC在诊断疾病和促进随后的放射导向手术中具有重要的潜力。

Gamma probes have been used for sentinel lymph node biopsy in melanoma and breast cancer. However, gamma probes can only provide radioactivity counts and variable pitch audio output based on the intensity of the detected radioactivity. We have developed a small semiconductor gamma camera (SSGC) that allows the size, shape, and location of the target tissues to be visualized. The purpose of this study is to characterize the performance of the SSGC for radioguided surgery of metastatic lesions and for diagnosing other diseases amenable to the smaller-format associated with this prototype imaging system. Methods ＆ Design : The detector head was comprised of a 32 x 32 Cadmium Telluride semiconductor array and application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with a tungsten collimator. The entire assembly was encased in a lead housing measuring 152 mm x 166 mm x 65 mm. The effective visual field was 44.8 mm x 44.8 mm. Two spherical 5 mm diameter Tc-99 m radioactive sources having activities of 0.15 MBq and 100 MBq were used to simulate sentinel lymph nodes and injection site. The relative detectability of these foci was compared using the new detector and a conventional scintillation camera. Use of the prototype was also explored on patients in a variety of clinical applications. Results : The SSGC provided better spatial resolution on phantom studies than the conventional gamma camera control. Both foci could be visualized clearly by the SSGC using a 15-second acquisition time, whereas they could not be readily identified using the conventional system under comparable conditions. Preliminary clinical tests of the SSGC were found to be successful in imaging diseases in a variety of tissues including salivary and thyroid glands, temporomandibular joints, and sentinel lymph nodes. Conclusion : The SSGC has significant potential for use in diagnosing diseases and for facilitating subsequent radioguided surgery.