Improvement of resolution on the 4-layer DOI detector for a high sensitive PET system

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K12705
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 90130:Medical systems-related
• Research Institution: National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Inadama Naoko 国立研究開発法人量子科学技術研究開発機構, 量子医科学研究所 先進核医学基盤研究部, 主幹研究員 (10415408)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: PET検出器 / 放射線検出器 / 検出位置分解能 / DOI検出器

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The positron-emission-tomography (PET) system is a in vivo imaging device used in the medical field. For a high-performance PET system, we previously developed a Depth-of-interaction (DOI) detector that can provide 3D position information of the PET signal (radiation) detected point in the detector. The DOI detector works well other than peripheral part where resolution performance is degraded. In this study, we tried to improve the degradation and succeeded by the optimized arrangement of the reflectors in the detector that makes more strict optical separation of the peripheral part. The degradation of the resolution at the peripheral part is a general problem for radiation detectors and we proved that our method also improved the resolution of a general simple detector.

Free Research Field

医用システム関連　　PET検出器開発

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

PETは例えば被検者のがん細胞に取り込まれたPET薬剤から発するいくつもの放射線を検出器で捕らえ、飛来方向の特定から体内の薬剤位置（がんの位置）や濃度（活性度）を計算し画像化する。検出器は撮像範囲を囲うようリング状に配置したり2つの2次元配列で撮像範囲を挟んだりするが、本研究による検出器の周縁部の分解能改善により、隣り合う検出器の端どうしが担う空間での放射線検出による画質の劣化が軽減し、より正確な画像が得られることになる。