Method for improving the position resolution of a positron source during positron emission tomography

Abstract

The investigated object containing a source of positrons is placed into a system of n position and energy-sensitive gamma radiation detectors (D), each having detection elements (D), where one of a pair of annihilation photons interacts in the detection element (D) and the other interacts in another detection element (D). The detectors store the coordinates of simultaneously affected detector elements, the time of interactions and the energies Eand Eof the annihilation photons. The recorded events in the detection elements (D) and (D) leads to recognition of individual pairs of annihilation photons. An analysis is performed of the registration of the photons by the detection elements (D) and (D) with energies in the interval from 507 keV to 513 keV to obtain an approximate spatial depiction of positions of positron annihilation and, registration of the photons from the positron annihilation with significantly Doppler shifted energies outside of that interval.