Picker International, Inc.

Mark H Heller

Frank P DiFilippo

Robert L Zahn

An imaging apparatus includes a pair radiation sensitive detector heads disposed on opposite sides of the patient. The detectors and patient are moved relative to each other in an axial direction while the relative angular orientation of the detectors and the patient is held constant. Positron annihilation events occurring within the anatomy of a patient are detected and used to reconstruct an image. According to one reconstruction technique, a focal plane method is used. The intersections of the lines of coincidence and a plurality of image planes is determined, and a series of images indicative of the intersections is generated.

Whole body scan coincidence imaging

A camera for use in coincidence imaging includes detectors (10a, 10b) disposed about an examination region (12). Coincidence logic (14) determines whether gamma rays are detected by each of the detectors (10a, 10b) occur within a specified time interval. If so, the energy and positions of the detected events are determined. Energy discrimination circuitry (20a, 20b) associated with each detector (10a, 10b) determines if the detected events fall within a specified energy window. A list mode processor (22) generates a list of coincidence events. A rebinning processor (24) rebins the events, and a weight processor (26) weights each coincidence event based on the energy of the detected gamma rays.

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Garfield Heights, OH, United States of America

Mark H Heller