ULTRA HIGH RESOLUTION POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY

描述（由申请人提供）：在过去的几年里，PET相机的设计和使用受到了特别的重视，例如，通过对转基因动物（如小鼠）进行成像来帮助开发人类基因疗法。尽管这些技术在临床和基础生物医学科学应用方面具有非凡的潜力，但其充分实现受到当今相机中广泛使用的晶体探测器的费用，复杂性和物理限制的严重阻碍。特别是，晶体是昂贵的，很难分割到所需的1毫米水平。此外，在1厘米或更大的晶体深度所需的相互作用误差深度导致离轴分辨率严重退化。该项目旨在通过铅壁吸管（LWS）的新颖方法开发增强的高分辨率PET。在第一阶段，已经证明了这种高能物理分离技术应用的可行性，事实上，已经证明可以大大增强成像特性。研制了一种2mm LWS模块化单元，可产生1.0 mm FWHM轴向空间分辨率。当用于环形阵列时，这种模块将产生小于2ul的重建体空间分辨率，与最好的商用相机相比，这是8倍的改进。此外，轴向敏感视场可以很容易地扩展到20-40厘米，并且可以以适度的成本实现非常高的灵敏度。在第二阶段，将全面实施一个有前途的模块化探测器设计，并开发一个定制的电子读出系统，促进低成本的建设。小型动物PET相机的性能将大大超过目前用于小鼠和其他小型动物成像的商用系统。在第三阶段，这款相机将被开发成商业产品，有望在这一重要的研究领域提供实质性的帮助。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the last few years an extraordinary emphasis has been placed on the design and use of PET cameras for small animal studies, for example, to aid in the development of human gene therapies by imaging transgenic animals such as mice. Although, such techniques have an extraordinary potential for both clinical and basic biomedical science applications, its full realization is severely hampered by the expense, complexity and physical limitation of crystal detectors widely used in today's cameras. In particular, crystals are costly and very difficult to segment to the desired 1 mm level. Furthermore, depth of interaction error in the 1 cm or greater crystal depth required causes severe degradation of off-axis resolution. This project seeks to develop enhanced high resolution PET through the highly novelapproach of the lead walled straw (LWS). In Phase I, feasibility of application of this high energy physics spin off technology has been proven, and in fact it has been demonstrated that considerably enhanced imaging characteristics can be achieved. A 2 mm LWS modular unit has been developed which has produced 1.0 mm FWHM axial spatial resolution. When utilized in ring arrays, such a module will produce a reconstructed volumetric spatial resolution of less than 2 ul, which is a factor of 8 improvements compared to the best commercial camera. Furthermore axial sensitive field of view can be readily extended to as large as 20-40 cm, and very high sensitivity can be achieved at modest cost. In Phase II, a promising modular detector design will be fully implemented and a custom electronics readout system will be developed, facilitating low-cost construction. A small animal PET camera will then be developed with performance that substantially exceeds that of current commercial systems for murine and other small animal imaging. In Phase III, this camera will be developed into a commercial product, which is expected to substantially aid in this important research field.