Evaluation of the TierPET system

The TierPET system, a high resolution 3D positron emission tomograph, has been developed to perform small animal positron emission tomography (PET) studies. High resolution PET opens the possibility to perform animal trials without the need for vivisection. This reduces the number of animals and the costs for such experiments, for example concerning the development of new radiopharmaceuticals. The scanner uses two orthogonal pairs of detectors consisting of arrays of small individual YAP crystals coupled to position sensitive photomultipliers. The center-detector distance may be varied to improve either sensitivity or spatial resolution. The spatial resolution of the scanner is 2.1 mm.