Gamma camera using rotating scintillation bar detector and method for tomographic imaging using the same

A gamma camera, comprising:

• a plurality of bar detector strips made of scintillating material;
• at least one photodetector coupled to an end of each of said bar detector strips;
• and
• a slat collimator including a plurality of elongated slats, for collimating each of said plurality of bar detector strips to receive gamma photons in only a single dimension.

A method of obtaining tomographic images of an object, comprising the steps of:

• obtaining a plurality of sets of planar integral scintillation event data from said object at a plurality of azimuth angles of a rotating scintillation bar detector for each of a plurality of gantry angles of a gamma camera, said scintillation bar detector including
• a plurality of bar detector strips made of scintillating material;
• at least one photodetector coupled to an end of each of said bar detector strips;
• and
• a slat collimator including a plurality of elongated slats, for collimating each of said plurality of bar detector strips to receive gamma photons in only a single dimension;
• and
• reconstructing said plurality of sets of planar integral scintillation event data to form a tomographic image of said object.