Development of a PET Scanner for Simultaneously Imaging Small Animals with MRI and PET

Sensors

Christopher J Thompson⁵  Andrew L Goertzen³  Jonathan D Thiessen⁷  Daryl Bishop⁶  Greg Stortz¹  Piotr Kozlowski²  Fabrice Retière⁶  Xuezhu Zhang⁴ 

[1] Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, B3711 Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada; E-Mails:;Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, B3711 Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada; E-Mail:;Department of Radiology, University of Manitoba, 807L-715 McDermot Ave. Winnipeg, MB R3E 3P4, Canada; E-Mail:;Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3P4, Canada; E-Mail:;Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, 11870 Lavigne, Montreal, QC H4J1X8, Canada;Detector Development Group, TRIUMF, 4004 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2A3, Canada; E-Mails:;Imaging Program, Lawson Health Research Institute, 800 Commissioners Road East, London, ON N6A 5W9, Canada; E-Mail:

关键词: positron emission tomography (PET);    magnetic resonance imaging (MRI);    silicon photo-multipliers (SiPMs);    block crystal arrays;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s140814654

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Recently, positron emission tomography (PET) is playing an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and staging of cancer. Combined PET and X-ray computed tomography (PET-CT) scanners are now the modality of choice in cancer treatment planning. More recently, the combination of PET and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is being explored in many sites. Combining PET and MRI has presented many challenges since the photo-multiplier tubes (PMT) in PET do not function in high magnetic fields, and conventional PET detectors distort MRI images. Solid state light sensors like avalanche photo-diodes (APDs) and more recently silicon photo-multipliers (SiPMs) are much less sensitive to magnetic fields thus easing the compatibility issues. This paper presents the results of a group of Canadian scientists who are developing a PET detector ring which fits inside a high field small animal MRI scanner with the goal of providing simultaneous PET and MRI images of small rodents used in pre-clinical medical research. We discuss the evolution of both the crystal blocks (which detect annihilation photons from positron decay) and the SiPM array performance in the last four years which together combine to deliver significant system performance in terms of speed, energy and timing resolution.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland