A Modular Scintillation Camera for Use in Nuclear Medicine

A "modular" scintillation camera is discussed as an alternative to using Anger cameras for gamma-ray imaging in nuclear medicine. Each module is an independent gamma camera and consists of a scintillation crystal, light pipe and mask plane, PMT's, and processing electronics. Groups of modules efficiently image radionuclide distributions by effectively utilizing crystal area. Performance of each module is maximized by using Monte-Carlo computer simulations to determine the optical design of the camera, optimizing the signal processing of the PMT signals using maximum-likelihood (ML) estimators, and incorporating digital lookup tables. Each event is completely processed in 2 μsec, and FWHM of the PSF over the crystal area is expected to be 3 mm. Both one-dimensional and two-dimensional prototypes are tested for spatial and energy resolution.