Technologies

High-Resolution Compact Positron Emission Tomography Camera

Technology description

Application area

• This compact camera is a useful clinical tool for high-quality PET imaging in specific regions of the body. It will allow physicians to use PET in a much broader scope, with imaging possible in the following areas:
• Breast
• Head and neck
• Thyroid
• Organs, such as the heart, liver, lungs, and pancreas
• Limbs, including the hands and feet
• Pediatrics- camera is good for children since the radiation dose can be dropped
• Emergency rooms- camera can be brought to patients' bedsides, so they no longer need to be moved to the scanner
• This same PET system can also provide scientists with a powerful tool for small animal studies. The non-invasive nature of the imaging technique will allow scientists to follow the same animal over an extended period of time without the need for sacrifice.

Advantages

• This compact system overcomes the limitations of conventional PET systems, offering a cost effective alternative with better imaging than whole-body PET, SPECT, or planar gamma-camera imaging. Advantages include:
• Improved image resolution (up to 2.5 mm, allowing visualization of smaller lesions)
• Increased sensitivity (reducing scanning time and patient radiation dose)
• Dramatic reduction in overall system cost relative to whole-body PET
• Larger imaging area, more uniform resolution, and better count rate performance than conventional dedicated breast-imaging cameras