Position sensitive radiation detector

Apparatus for detecting and locating the origin of a radiation in a medical diagnostic imaging system, including:

• an array of optical fibers which includes a plurality of layers which are located in parallel planes that are adjacent one to the next, where (a) each layer includes a plurality of substantially parallel optical fibers that from angle between 60.degree.-90.degree. with the fibers in the layer immediately above and to the fibers in the layer immediately below, (b) each fiber has a core surrounded by cladding, (c) the fibers in at least one layer have scintillating cores and at least one waveshifter incorporated in their cladding, (d) the cladding of each fiber is in optical contact with the cladding of at least one fiber in an adjacent layer, and (e) the array of fibers is positioned to receive radiation from a radiation source;
• a plurality of position sensitive photomultipliers coupled to the fibers in the array for detecting light generated in the fibers;
• and
• means for collecting and processing data from the position sensitive photomultipliers to locate the origin of the radiation.

A method for detecting and locating the origin of radiation in a patient as part of a medical diagnostic imaging system, including the steps of:

• emitting radiation from a radiation source in a patient's body;
• ejecting an electron in the scintillating core of a primary optical fiber as a result of an interaction between the radiation and the scintillating core of the fiber, thereby causing the emission of light quanta in the primary fiber;
• transferring a portion of the light quanta from the primary fiber to a secondary optical fiber which intersects the primary fiber at a non-zero angle and is in optical contact with the primary fiber, by means of re-emission of the light quanta when they interact with cladding that surrounds the primary fiber, the cladding surrounding the primary fiber incorporating at least one waveshifter, resulting in waveshifting of the light when it is re-emitted;
• detecting the light quanta from the primary fiber and the secondary fiber;
• and p1 determining the location of the interaction between the radiation and the primary fiber by identifying the location of the contact between the primary fiber and the secondary fiber.

A method for detecting and locating the origin of radiation in a patient as part of a medical diagnostic imaging system, including the steps of:

• (a) emitting radiation from a radiation source in a patient's body;
• (b) ejecting an electron in the scintillating core of a primary optical fiber, which is part of a layer of substantially parallel primary optical fibers located in a first plane, as a result of an interaction between the radiation and the scintillating core of the primary fiber, thereby causing the emission of light quanta in the primary fiber;
• (c) transferring a portion of the light quanta from the primary fiber to a secondary optical fiber, which is in optical contact with the primary fiber, and which is part of a layer of substantially parallel secondary optical fibers that from a nonzero angle with the primary fibers and are located in a second plane that is parallel to the first plane, by means for re-emission of the light quanta when they interact with cladding that surrounds the primary fiber, the cladding surrounding the primary fiber incorporating at least one waveshifter, resulting in waveshifting of the light when it is re-emitted.
• (d) detecting which fibers in the layer of primary fibers and which fibers in the layer of secondary fibers propagate light quanta at substantially the same time;
• and
• (e) determining the location of the interaction between the radiation and the primary fiber by identifying the location of the contact between the primary fiber which propagated light and the secondary fiber which propagated light at substantially the same time.