49 results about "Positron emission tomography scanner" patented technology

In one aspect, systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which a dispensing station dispenses a large quantity of a radiotracer to one or more positron emission tomography imaging stations. In some aspects a quality control unit verifies the quality of the radiotracer. In some embodiments, components of the system are coupled by a local area network. In some aspects, each positron emission tomography imaging station includes an injector system, a physiological monitoring device, and a positron emission tomography scanner. All of the devices can be controlled by a computer system.

A method for calibrating a positron emission tomography scanner of a radiation therapy device is provided. The method includes applying at least one defined radiation dose in a sample body; measuring the activity generated by the radiation dose using the positron emission tomography scanner; and calibrating the positron emission tomography scanner based on the measured activity.

A method of serially transferring annihilation information in a compact positron emission tomography (PET) scanner includes generating a time signal for an event, generating an address signal representing a detecting channel, generating a detector channel signal including the time and address signals, and generating a composite signal including the channel signal and similarly generated signals. The composite signal includes events from detectors in a block and is serially output. An apparatus that serially transfers annihilation information from a block includes time signal generators for detectors in a block and an address and channel signal generator. The PET scanner includes a ring tomograph that mounts onto a portion of an animal, which includes opposing block pairs. Each of the blocks in a block pair includes a scintillator layer, detection array, front-end array, and a serial encoder. The serial encoder includes time signal generators and an address signal and channel signal generator.

A method and apparatus for increasing the resolution of a Positron Emission Tomography scanner. The method and apparatus comprise elements and acts for centering a region of interest of an object at a point between first and second detector arrays at least about ten percent closer to the first detector array than to the second detector array.

A light receiver for detecting incident time is installed on the side of a radiation source of a scintillator (including a Cherenkov radiation emitter), and information (energy, incident time, an incident position, etc.) on radiation made incident into the scintillator is obtained by the output of the light receiver. It is, thereby, possible to identify an incident position and others of radiation into the scintillator at high accuracy.

The invention discloses a cooling system of a positron emission tomography scanner. The positron emission tomography scanner comprises a peripheral electronics plate, a detector module and a bottom electronics plate; the cooling system comprises a cooling device, a peripheral cooling air channel, an inner chamber cooling air channel and a bottom cooling air channel; the inner chamber cooling air channel is a chamber body and comprises an air inlet channel and an air return channel; the peripheral electronics plate is located in the peripheral cooling air channel; the detector module is located between the air inlet channel and the air return channel; the bottom electronics plate is located in the bottom cooling air channel; the cooling device is used for conveying cooled air flow to the peripheral cooling air channel, the inner chamber cooling air channel and the bottom cooling air channel so as to cool the peripheral electronics plate, the detector module and the bottom electronics plate. According to the cooling system of the positron emission tomography scanner, ventilation cooling is performed on the peripheral electronics plate and the bottom electronics plate, the low-temperature and stable inner chamber cooling air channel is provided for the detector module, and accordingly the stability and the imaging quality of the system are improved.

Detector crystals in a positron emission tomography (PET) apparatus gantry are cooled by directing cooling gas flow into a cooling duct bounded by the crystals and a cover defining the patient scanning field within the gantry. The cooling gas cools the crystals. Cooling gas may also be directed radially outwardly from the cooling duct into spatial gaps defined between detector enclosures that include the crystals, further isolating heat generated by other components within gantry from the detector crystals. Cooling gas is provided by a cooling system that may be incorporated within the gantry, external the gantry or a combination of both. Cooling gas can be provided by directing air within the gantry in contact with internal gantry cooling tubes and routing cooled air directly into the cooling duct with a powered fan.

The method calculates a scatter estimate for scatter correction of detection data from a subject in a positron emission tomographic scanner. The detection data represent the scattered events and unscattered events of annihilation photons emitted in the subject. The method uses the following steps:determine an estimate of the unscattered events;determine a simulation of the scattered events;determine a value of a scaling factor by fitting the sum of the estimate of the unscattered events and a product of the scaling factor and the simulation of the scattered events to the detection data; anddetermine the scatter estimate as the product of the scaling factor having said value and the simulation of the scattered events.

A positron emission tomography (PET) scanner is provided which uses information on the time-of-flight difference (TOF) between annihilation radiations for image reconstruction. The scanner has detection time correction information (memory) corresponding to information on coordinates in a radiation detection element (e.g., scintillator crystal), in the depth and lateral directions, at which an interaction has occurred between an annihilation radiation and the crystal. Reference is made to the detection time correction information, thereby providing information on time-of-flight difference with improved accuracy. As such, an improved signal to noise ratio and spatial resolution are provided for image reconstruction using time-of-flight (TOF) difference.