PET AND SPECT MULTI PHOTON IMAGING WITH SINGLE RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES

摘要

Systems and methods for determining an approximate location of a radionuclide at a time of its radioactive decay are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises introducing into a target region a radionuclide that, at the time of its radioactive decay, emits a positron and a primary photon, detecting the primary photon at a first one of a plurality of photon detectors and detecting at least one secondary photon emitted from an annihilation of the position at least a second one of the plurality of photon detectors, and determining the approximate location of the radionuclide at the time of its radioactive decay based on a location of the first one of the plurality of photon detectors, a location of the second one of the plurality of photon detectors, and a presumed common point of origin of the detected primary photon and the detected at least one secondary photon.