Novel PET imaging

这项工作有可能显著提高正电子发射断层成像(PET)的质量。在PET成像中，患者被注射含有放射性原子的糖，通常是氟原子。当这个原子衰变时，会发出两个光子，它们背靠背地从相反的方向出来。通过探测这些双光子事件中的许多事件，可以重建源的图像。PET成像被用于许多重要的临床诊断，如识别癌症组织和诊断脑血管畸形。这将使我们能够看到更小的临床特征，从而能够更早和更可靠地诊断疾病和疾病进展。我们开发了一种新技术，将提高PET图像的清晰度和对比度。这种方法将带来显著的成本效益。更好的成像将带来更合适的治疗，从而减少无效的手术干预，并改善肿瘤注册医生应用日益昂贵的化疗方案的治疗选择。除了肿瘤学应用，PET成像在阿尔茨海默病等神经退行性疾病中的应用也越来越多我们将与临床医生和PET物理学家密切合作，在我们位于爱丁堡皇家医院的新临床研究成像中心(CRIC)工作。我们的新技术是STFC资助的基础核物理研究的副产品。

The work has the potential to produce significant improvements in the quality of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. In PET imaging a patient is injected with sugar containing a radioactive atom, usually a flourine atom. When this atom decays 2 photons are emitted which come out in opposite directions back-to-back. By detecting many of these 2 photon events an image of the source can be reconstucted. PET imaging is used for many important clinical diagnoses such as identifying cancerous tissue and diagnosing alzheimers.This would allow smaller clinical features to be seen, permit earlier and more reliable diagnosis of disease and disease progression.We have developed a new technique which will improve the sharpness and contrast of the PET image. There will be significant costs benefits to this approach. Better imaging will lead to more appropriate treatment, resulting in fewer futile surgical interventions and improved therapy choices of the increasingly expensive chemotherapies applied by oncologists.Apart from Oncology applications, there is an increasing use of PET imaging in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's diseaseWe will work closely with Clinicians and PET physicists in our new Clinical Research Imaging Centre (CRIC) situated at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Our new technique is a spin off from STFC funded research for fundamental nuclear physics.