Compton camera detector systems for novel integrated compton-Pet and CT-compton-Pet radiation imaging
AssigneeMinnesota Imaging and Engineering LLC
InventorsRobert Sigurd Nelson, William Bert Nelson
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Abstract
The invention provides novel Compton camera detector designs and systems for enhanced radiographic imaging with integrated detector systems which incorporate Compton and nuclear medicine imaging, PET imaging and x-ray CT imaging capabilities. Compton camera detector designs employ one or more layers of detector modules comprised of edge-on or face-on detectors or a combination of edge-on and face-on detectors which may employ gas, scintillator, semiconductor, low temperature (such as Ge and superconductor) and structured detectors. Detectors may implement tracking capabilities and may operate in a non-coincidence or coincidence detection mode.
Claims49
A Compton camera detector system for integrated radiation imaging, wherein the radiation detector is comprised of:
- One or more detector layers comprised of detector modules,
- High speed electronics for tracking interactions and analyzing the readout signals using energy integration or photon counting or energy resolution techniques, and
- An electronic communications link to a computer for data post-processing, storage, and display.
An improved CT-PET detector imaging system, wherein either one or both of the conventional CT and PET detector systems is replaced by a novel edge-on CT detector system or a novel PET detector or Compton-PET detector system.
An enhanced integrated non-coincidence or coincidence CT-Compton-PET detector imaging system, an enhanced limited integrated CT-Compton-PET detector imaging system and an enhanced CT-PET detector system, wherein multiple x-ray tubes or x-ray sources are employed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.