Virtual pixelated detector for pet and/or spect

#A. Field of Invention

#This invention generally relates to detectors for positron emission tomography (PET), and/or single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

#B. Description of the Related Art

#The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, embodiments of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:

#FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a slab scintillation crystal of an embodiment;

#FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a slab scintillation crystal of an embodiment including pixelation grooves;

#According to some embodiments, a PET/SPECT tomographic imaging system comprises at least a single continuous slab scintillation crystal having planar upper and lower faces. A face of the crystal is in optical communication with a plurality of high-speed photoconverters, which are adapted to synchronously detect scintillation events in the crystal. Suitable photoconverters can include, without limitation, a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array, or an array of avalanche photodiodes. Alternatively, in some embodiments the slab crystal can include one major surface having a curved 501 geometry and defining a lens. According to such embodiments, the crystal can comprise one or more of a focusing lens or a collimating lens.

#Particularly, the plurality of photoconverters is adapted to synchronously obtain a time series of digital samples of a wave front in real time, the time series comprising a decimation in time sampling. According to some embodiments of the invention, one or more algorithms are applied to the digital pulse data, which can enhance temporal resolution up to about 4 picoseconds. Subsequently, one or more other algorithms are then applied to the resulting high temporal resolution data using a Pulse Wave Front digital processor to achieve high precision calculations of pulse energy, pulse time, scintillation event position, annihilation x-y position, gamma photon time-of-flight (TOF), and gamma photon depth-of-interaction (DOI) with the scintillation crystal. Some embodiments optionally include a continuous digital pulse pileup correction algorithm for deconvoluting multiple event signals occurring on a single-slab scintillation crystal.

#According to some embodiments suitable scintillation crystals can comprise one or more of cerium doped lutetium yttrium orthosilicate (LYSO), sodium doped cesium iodide (Na:CsI), bismuth germinate (BGO), cerium doped gadolinium orthosilicate (GSO), thallium doped sodium iodide (Tl:NaI), barium fluoride (BaF2), cerium doped yttrium aluminate (YAlO3, i.e. YAP), cerium doped lutetium oxyorthosilicate (Ce:Lu2Si05, i.e. LSO), lanthanum bromide (LaBr3), cerium doped lanthanum bromide, or any combination thereof.