PET Imaging With Partially Radiation-Transparent Probes-Inserts

A mobile imaging system comprising:

• a bed for accommodating a patient;
• an open rotating gantry mounted around said bed and mobile with respect to said bed;
• a positron emission tomography imager having at least one mechanically separate positron emission tomography detector head secured to said rotating gantry above said bed and optionally at least one separate positron emission tomography detector head secured to said rotating gantry below said bed, wherein each of said detector heads are capable of angular rotation with respect to said bed to provide full angular projective sampling of a target organ of a patient lying on said bed;
• a probe comprising a housing having an external shell and an interior space, and a positron emission tomography sensor located within said interior space of said housing, wherein said probe is partially transmissive to a substantial fraction of 511 keV annihilation gamma rays;
• an electronic sensor positioning system located either on said exterior of said housing of said probe or within said interior of said housing and on or within each of said positron emission tomography detector heads such that said electronic sensor positioning system is in communication with said positron emission detector heads and said positron emission tomography sensor of said probe for spatially co-registering said probe to each detector head and for controlling an absolute and relative positioning of said probe, said positron emission tomography imager, and a target organ of a patient;
• and
• a high speed data acquisition computer system for collecting data from said positron emission sensor of said probe and said positron emission tomography imager.

A method for evaluating a target organ of a patient comprising:

• injecting a patient with an imaging agent;
• providing a mobile imaging system comprising:
• a bed for accommodating a patient, an open rotating gantry mounted around said bed and mobile with respect to said bed, a positron emission tomography imager having at least one mechanically separate positron emission tomography detector head secured to said rotating gantry above said bed and optionally at least one separate positron emission tomography detector head secured to said rotating gantry below said bed, wherein each of said detector heads are capable of angular rotation with respect to said bed to provide full angular projective sampling of a target organ of a patient lying on said bed, a probe comprising a housing having an external shell and an interior space, and a positron emission tomography sensor located within said housing, wherein said probe is partially transmissive to a substantial fraction of 511 keV annihilation gamma rays, and an electronic sensor positioning system located either on said exterior of said housing of said probe or within said interior of said housing and on or within each of said positron emission tomography detector heads such that said electronic sensor positioning system is in communication with said positron emission detector heads and said positron emission tomography sensor of said probe for spatially co-registering said probe to each detector head and for controlling an absolute and relative positioning of said probe, said positron emission tomography imager, and a target organ of a patient, and a high speed data acquisition computer system for collecting data simultaneously from said positron emission sensor of said probe and said positron emission tomography image;
• positioning said patient on said bed of said imaging system;
• and
• operating said imaging system such that said imaging system is positioned to scan a target organ of said patient.