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Ultra High-Resolution Positron-Emission Tomography Detector--Constellation Technology Corporation, 7887 Bryan Dairy Road, Suite 100, Largo, FL  33777; 727-547-0600

Dr. Raymond DeVito, Principal Investigator

Mr. Charles Settgast, Business Official

DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER82981

Amount:  $98,453

 

Spatial resolution in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is limited by the intrinsic spatial resolution of the detectors.  Conventional scintillators are limited in their ability to provide PET imaging with spatial resolutions of 1 mm or less due to their position read out mechanisms and their lack of distinguishing information for Compton scattered events.  New applications in small animal PET imaging are important for their research and drug development contributions requiring improvements in spatial resolution because of the small size of the animals.  Mercuric Iodide is proposed as a new PET detector material.  Mercuric Iodide is well suited for detection of the 511 keV annihilation photons detected in PET imaging because of its high atomic number and good energy resolution.  A pixilated array formed on a large area monolithic mercuric iodide crystal provides enhanced information for position imaging.  Following the interaction details of each Compton event allows significant improvement in spatial resolution.  We will demonstrate the feasibility of producing a solid state mercuric iodide ultra high-resolution PET detector by fabricating a test detector and measuring key performance parameters.  Timing measurements will be performed on mercuric iodide detectors to establish the timing resolution and methods needed for ultra high-resolution PET imaging.  Simulation calculations will be carried out to investigate the performance of an event-by-event data analysis algorithm that can recapture the primary interaction location for Compton scatter photons.  System performance will be estimated from these inputs.

 

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:  Small animal PET systems are a rapidly growing segment of the medical imaging market.  The addition of ultra high-resolution detectors would enhance their utility for drug development and accelerate use of the technique.  Clinical application, e.g., in localization of smaller tumors in breast cancer patients, is another large market opportunity for ultra high-resolution PET detectors.