A High Performance PET and CT Tomograph

描述(由申请人提供)： 回溯解决Fusion软件遇到的困难 对身体其他区域的解剖和功能图像进行联合配准 而不是大脑，我们最近采取了更面向硬件的方法 直接融合CT和PET技术。这一结合的PET/CT原型 在250多名癌症患者的研究中显示了重要的优势 常规进行联合注册的解剖和功能成像。这个 对原型的研究促进了联合动力汽车的商业发展 PET/CT扫描仪和至少两种构成临床CT扫描仪的设计 与临床PET扫描仪串联放置的产品现已面市。而当 目前可用的PET技术已显示出广泛的适用性 诊断癌症成像，在空间和时间分辨率方面的限制 限制了它在癌症研究中的应用。这些限制还具有 影响了PET临床应用的敏感性。到目前为止，少校 正电子发射计算机断层扫描在肿瘤学上的成功在于它能够识别肿瘤 相对较高的[18F]氟代脱氧葡萄糖(18FDG)摄取率 正常组织。然而，越来越多的特定PET应用是 需要超越当前技术的成像能力的新兴技术。 研究和临床领域对改进的需求都在不断增长 PET扫描仪的灵敏度，并识别和准确定位较低的水平 在越来越小的结构中异常摄取示踪剂。因此，我们 正在提议通过设计和建造一个高性能的 采用集成CT技术的高性能PET扫描仪，采用新的 闪烁体氧基硅酸(LSO)。PET探测器的基础是 一种新型的大面积面板设计，将扩大轴向覆盖范围并实现 计数率性能大大超过目前的PET扫描仪。 四个排列成六角形的探测器面板将留出空间 比以前更紧密地集成CT组件 在最初的原型和商业设计中都是可能的。一本小说 该设备的特点是CT组件还将使用LSO作为 探测器材料和覆盖的轴向和横轴视场比 目前的CT扫描仪。因此，通过实现PET和CT的更紧密结合， 扩展了轴向视场，显著提高了成像性能， 这种新型的PET/CT组合扫描仪将为成像和 癌症的治疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): To address the difficulties encountered by fusion software in retrospectively co-registering anatomical and functional images for regions of the body other than the brain, we have recently taken a more hardware-oriented approach by directly fusing the technologies of CT and PET. This combined PET/CT prototype has demonstrated in over 250 cancer patient studies the important advantages of routinely performing co-registered anatomical and functional imaging. The studies with the prototype have stimulated commercial development of combined PET/CT scanners and at least two designs that comprise a clinical CT scanner placed in tandem with a clinical PET scanner are now available. While currently available PET technology has demonstrated broad applicability in diagnostic cancer imaging, limitations in spatial and temporal resolution have restricted its utility in cancer research. These limitations have also affected the sensitivity of clinical applications of PET. To date, the major success of PET in oncology has been its ability to identify tumors with relatively high levels of [18F]fluoro-deoxyglucose (18FDG) uptake compared to normal tissues. However, an increasing number of specific PET applications are emerging that require imaging capabilities beyond the current technology. There is a growing demand from both the research and clinical arena to improve PET scanner sensitivity and to identify and accurately localize lower levels of abnormal tracer uptake in increasingly smaller structures. Therefore, we are proposing to address these demands by designing and building a high performance PET scanner with integrated CT technology using the new scintillator lutetium oxy-orthosilicate (LSO). The PET detectors are based on a novel large area panel design that will extend axial coverage and achieve count rate performance significantly exceeding that of current PET scanners. Four detector panels arranged in a hexagonal configuration will allow space for a closer integration of the CT components than has previously been possible with both the initial prototype and the commercial designs. A novel feature of this device is that the CT components will also use LSO as the detector material and cover a larger axial and transaxial field-of-view than current CT scanners. Thus, by achieving a closer integration of PET and CT, an extended axial field-of-view and significantly improved imaging performance, this novel combined PET/CT scanner will open up new areas for the imaging and treatment of cancer.