High Light Output Scintillator Camera for SPECT

描述（由申请人提供）：拟议项目的目标是构建和表征基于碘化锶的闪烁体成像阵列。这种最近发现的闪烁体提供比用于SPECT的任何其他闪烁体高得多的光输出，同时还在与SPECT相关的光子能量下提供高阻止能力。SPECT的最新发展，包括准直方案的创新以及专用心脏和临床前成像系统的构建，已经引起了人们对成像探测器的兴趣，该成像探测器提供比传统的Anger相机更好的性能，Anger相机由耦合到离散光电倍增管阵列的大面积碘化钠晶体组成。由于碘化锶的光输出要高得多，预计碘化锶成像探测器将在能量分辨率上比Anger相机有显著提高。我们预计在140 keV下的能量分辨率优于5%，这比典型的愤怒相机大约好两倍。能量分辨率的改进将允许应用更窄的能量窗口，减少图像中包括的散射光子的数量，从而提供改进的图像对比度和更好的定量准确度。此外，能量分辨率的提高将转化为更好的双同位素SPECT能力。由于光输出也是空间分辨率的重要贡献者，碘化锶也提供了比碘化钠更好的空间分辨率的潜力。我们的策略是构建一个成像探测器组成的单片碘化锶晶体，最大限度地减少对晶体封装的要求。晶体将使用目前最先进的硅光电倍增管阵列读出，该阵列在碘化锶的发射光谱上提供高光子探测效率。我们将测量成像性能的重要属性，包括空间分辨率，能量分辨率，检测效率，计数率能力和均匀性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of the proposed project is to build and characterize a scintillator imaging array based on strontium iodide. This recently discovered scintillator offers much higher light output than any other scintillator that has been used for SPECT, while also offering high stopping power at photon energies relevant for SPECT. Recent developments in SPECT, including innovation in collimation schemes and construction of dedicated cardiac and preclinical imaging systems, have created interest in imaging detectors offering better performance than the conventional Anger Camera, which consists of a large-area sodium iodide crystal coupled to an array of discrete photomultiplier tubes. A strontium iodide imaging detector is expected to offer a significant improvement in energy resolution over the Anger Camera due to the much higher light output of strontium iodide. We anticipate an energy resolution of better than 5% at 140 keV, which is approximately a factor of two better than the typical Anger Camera. Improvements in energy resolution would allow for narrower energy windows to be applied, reducing the number of scattered photons included in the image and thereby providing improved image contrast and better quantitative accuracy. Further, improvements in energy resolution would translate into better dual-isotope SPECT capability. Because light output is an important contributor to spatial resolution as well, strontium iodide also offers the potential for better spatial resolution than sodium iodide. Our strategy is to construct an imaging detector consisting of a monolithic strontium iodide crystal, minimizing the demands on crystal packaging. The crystal will be read out using current state-of-the-art silicon photomultiplier arrays, which offer high photon detection efficiency over strontium iodide's emission spectrum. We will measure properties important to imaging performance, including spatial resolution, energy resolution, detection efficiency, count-rate capability, and uniformity.