The HIRESPET Collaboration is developing a new concept of a gamma camera with sub-millimiterspatialresolution. The first prototype consists of a small field size gamma camera based on a Position Sensitive Photo-Multiplier Tube (PSPMT) coupled to a novel scintillation crystal. The intrinsic spatialresolution of the PSPMT is better than 0.3 mm. The scintillation crystal consists of yttrium aluminium perovskit (YAP:Ce). It has a light efficiency of about 40% relative to NaI, a good gamma radiation absorption (Z = 39) and a high density (5.37 g/cm3). It is inert and not hygroscopic. To match the PSPMT characteristics, a special crystal assembly has been made consisting of a bundle of YAP pillars, where a single crystal has the transversal dimension of 0.6 × 0.6 mm2 and a thickness ranging between 1 mm and 28 mm. Each scintillation pillar is optically separated from the other by a reflective layer of 5 μm thick. The preliminary results obtained from the gamma camera prototype (YAP camera) show spatialresolution values ranging between 0.6 mm and 1 mm and an intrinsic detection efficiency comparable with a standard Anger camera.
Toward a nuclear medicine with sub-millimiter spatial resolution
DEL GUERRA, Alberto;DI DOMENICO, Giovanni;GIGANTI, Melchiore;PIFFANELLI, Adriano;
1995
Abstract
The HIRESPET Collaboration is developing a new concept of a gamma camera with sub-millimiterspatialresolution. The first prototype consists of a small field size gamma camera based on a Position Sensitive Photo-Multiplier Tube (PSPMT) coupled to a novel scintillation crystal. The intrinsic spatialresolution of the PSPMT is better than 0.3 mm. The scintillation crystal consists of yttrium aluminium perovskit (YAP:Ce). It has a light efficiency of about 40% relative to NaI, a good gamma radiation absorption (Z = 39) and a high density (5.37 g/cm3). It is inert and not hygroscopic. To match the PSPMT characteristics, a special crystal assembly has been made consisting of a bundle of YAP pillars, where a single crystal has the transversal dimension of 0.6 × 0.6 mm2 and a thickness ranging between 1 mm and 28 mm. Each scintillation pillar is optically separated from the other by a reflective layer of 5 μm thick. The preliminary results obtained from the gamma camera prototype (YAP camera) show spatialresolution values ranging between 0.6 mm and 1 mm and an intrinsic detection efficiency comparable with a standard Anger camera.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
