Gamma Medica-ideas, Inc.

University of California

Edward J Hoffman

Bradley E Patt

Jan S Iwanczyk

Craig Steven Levin

Farhad Daghighian

John C Mazziotta

An apparatus for intravascular imaging to detect and characterize early stage, unstable coronary arty plaques. The detector works by identifying and localizing plaque-binding beta-emitting radiopharmaceuticals.

Intravascular imaging detector

An apparatus for intravascular imaging to detect and characterize early-stage, unstable coronary arty plaques. The detector works by identifying and localizing plaque-binding beta-emitting radiopharmaceuticals.

A novel high resolution scintillation detector array for use in radiation imaging such as high resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) which comprises one or more parallelepiped crystals with at least one long surface of each crystal being in intimate contact with a semiconductor photodetector such that photons generated within each crystal by gamma radiation passing therethrough is detected by the photodetector paired therewith.

High resolution scintillation detector with semiconductor readout

An intraoperative radiation probe is devised to detect radiolabelled malignant tissues by being selectively sensitive to beta radiation while insensitive to gamma radiation. The probe is comprised of two plastic scintillators optically coupled to corresponding photomultiplier tubes via corresponding light pipes. One of the plastic scintillators is shielded against beta radiation while the other is left to detect both beta and gamma radiation. The gamma radiation sensitivity of the dual probes is empirically established and used as a weighted factor to subtract the outputs of the two probes to leave a signal indicative of the beta radiation emitted by the radiolabelled tissue. Because of the shorter range of beta radiation within tissue, only near radiolabelled tissue is detected by the probe while strongly radiolabelled, more distant tissues exposing the probe to gamma radiation are ignored. The reliably identified near radiolabelled tissues can then be surgically removed. The probe is usable in any application where local beta radiation is to be differentiated from other types and sources of radiation.

Growing community of inventors

Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Edward J Hoffman