SPECT(单光子发射计算机断层扫描)成像技术广泛应用于核医学中各种疾病或器官功能障碍的诊断。使用带有成像准直器的伽马相机对患者体内注射、吸入或摄入的半衰期放射性药物(放射性示踪剂)的分布进行成像,然后通过组合从不同观察角度拍摄的图像来重构 3D 图。大多数 SPECT 系统使用的是基于闪烁体的相机。这些相机不能提供良好的能量分辨,并且不能有效抑制不需要的信号,例如康普顿散射引起的信号。
本文介绍的这项工作的主要是评估在临床前研究期间使用基于Timepix3芯片的光子计数型探测器用于小动物功能成像-SPECT 成像技术的性能。Timepix3 的优势性能(例如能量和空间分辨率)可显着提高图像质量。初步测量是在特殊制备的塑料体模上进行的,其空腔由放射性同位素填充,然后用活体小鼠样品进行重复实验。
The imaging method of SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) is used in nuclear medicine for diagnostics of various diseases or organs malfunctions. The distribution of medically injected, inhaled, or ingested radionuclides (radiotracers) in the patient body is imaged using gamma-ray sensitive camera with suitable imaging collimator. The 3D image is then calculated by combining many images taken from different observation angles. Most of SPECT systems use scintillator based cameras. These cameras do not provide good energy resolution and do not allow efficient suppression of unwanted signals such as those caused by Compton scattering. The main goal of this work is evaluation of Timepix3 detector properties for SPECT method for functional imaging of small animals during preclinical studies. Advantageous Timepix3 properties such as energy and spatial resolution are exploited for significant image quality improvement. Preliminary measurements were performed on specially prepared plastic phantom with cavities filled by radioisotopes and then repeated with in vivo mouse sample.
文中使用的是来自捷克Advacam公司的光子计数、混合像素X射线探测器(点击了解详情)。