Transaxial radionuclide emission camera apparatus and method

摘要

A transaxial radionuclide emission camera apparatus and method for image reconstruction using data collected by the apparatus are disclosed. A significant feature of the camera apparatus is a detector means which is arcuately shaped. For example, a suitable detector means can be formed from an optically continuous, arcuately shaped strip of scintillation material and an array of photodetectors optically coupled to said scintillation material. These photodetectors sense light emitted by the scintillation material in response to absorbed radiation. Collimating means which converge to the center of an arc defined by the detector means are another significant feature. The transaxial camera apparatus and the method disclosed are useful in reconstructing images of the distribution of a source of penetrating radiation contained within a body. A particular example is the three-dimensional reconstruction of the distribution of a radiopharmaceutical in a human brain which is helpful in diagnosing and locating lesions or tumors of the brain. The apparatus can also be used in two-dimensional imaging.