Light guides for a positron emission tomography camera
AssigneeClayton Foundation for Research
InventorWai-Hoi Wong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A positron emission tomography camera having a plurality of scintillation crystal planes positioned side-by-side around a patient area to detect radiation therefrom and forming adjacent rows of crystals transverse to the planes. Each row of each plane has a plurality of crystals and a row of light detectors are positioned adjacent each row of crystals. A row of slanting light guides are positioned between the crystals and the coacting detectors. The light guides are equal in number to the crystals and have a first end adjacent to one crystal and a second end positioned adjacent the detectors. The second ends of the light guides are axially offset in the rows a different amount from each other for providing an identification to the detectors of which crystal detects radiation.
Claims9
A positron emission tomography camera comprising,
- a plurality of scintillation crystals in planes which are positioned side-by-side around a patient area to detect radiation therefrom and forming adjacent rows of crystals transverse to said planes,
- each row of each plane having a plurality of crystals for detecting radiation and
- a row of light detectors positioned adjacent each row of crystals for receiving detected radiation from the adjacent row of crystals, the number of light detectors in each row being greater than the number of planes of crystals,
- a row of light guides positioned between each row of crystals and each row of coacting light detectors, the number of light guides being equal to the number of crystals, said guides having first and second ends with the first end of each light guide being positioned adjacent to one crystal, and the second end of each light guide being positioned adjacent a row of light detectors, and
- the second ends of said light guides being offset longitudinally in the row a different amount from each other for providing an identification to the light detectors of which crystal detects radiation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.