DEVELOPMENT OF A MULTI-CRYSTAL BRAIN SPECT SYSTEM

由于最近单光子示踪剂的商业开发 功能性脑成像，诊断某些脑部疾病 临床EGT(发射计算机断层扫描)在许多地方已经成为现实 社区医院。然而，目前可用的单光子 发射计算机断层扫描(SPECT)系统没有足够的 充分利用这些放射性药物的分辨率和灵敏度 预付款。SPECT成像的未来重要性源于其 负担得起的成本及其日益增长的功能成像潜力。 SPECT可以建立在庞大的知识库和许多诊断 由PET研究开发的技术，以造福于普通公众 广泛使用的技术。为了让SPECT承担起这一重要的 角色，实用的成像系统的特点是高性能， 特别是高分辨率，将不得不开发。 提出的研究目标是开发一种新型的高性能 临床脑成像SPECT系统。这种SPECT系统的概念 是基于我们之前报道的单片设计，该设计具有 旋转准直器组件和固定环-探测器系统。这个 目前的方案将我们的SPECT成像技术扩展到三维。 这涉及探测器和准直器系统的重新设计，以 为脑部成像提供全面的轴向覆盖。 使用这两种方法进行了广泛的初步调查 软件模拟和台式实验来建立 新的准直器和探测器配置的可行性。一个 桌面原型系统目前正在构建中，以演示 我们新设计的性能潜力。下一步是构建 一种足够多用途的成像系统，适用于各种 临床应用。 这项建议寻求支持开发和建设一个 临床SPECT系统样机及相关研究 发展。样机系统的成像性能将达到 在调查中进行了特色化和优化。

Due to the recent commercial development of single photon tracers for functional brain imaging, the diagnosis of certain brain disorders with clinical EGT (emission computed tomography) is already a reality in many community hospitals. However, the currently available single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) systems do not have adequate resolution and sensitivity to fully exploit these radiopharmaceutical advances. The future importance of SPECT Imaging derives from its affordable cost and its increasing potential for functional imaging. SPECT can build on the vast knowledge base and the many diagnostic techniques developed by PET research to benefit the general public with widely accessible techniques. In order for SPECT to assume this important role, practical imaging systems characterized by high performance, specifically high resolution, will have to be developed. The goal of the proposed research is to develop a novel high performance SPECT system for clinical brain imaging. The concept of this SPECT system is based on our previously reported single-slice design, which features a rotating collimator assembly and a stationary ring-detector system. The current proposal extends our SPECT imaging technique to the 3rd dimension. This involves a redesign of the detector and the collimator systems to provide full axial coverage for brain imaging. Extensive preliminary investigations have been performed using both software simulations and bench-top experiments to establish the feasibility of the new collimator and detector configurations. A table-top prototype system is currently being constructed to demonstrate the performance potential of our new designs. The next step is to build an imaging system which is sufficiently versatile for a wide variety of clinical applications. This proposal seeks support for the development and construction of a prototype clinical SPECT system and the research which relates to this development. The imaging performances of the prototype system will be characterized and optimized in the investigation.