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The main performance parameters in positron camera system design are sensitivity and spatial resolution. This paper concerns sensitivity, which is a function of the scintillation material, the solid angle subtended by the detector array, and the scintillator packing fraction. The solid angle can be increased by extending the axial extent of cylindrical detector systems. Most commercial positron camera systems are based on rings of detector blocks with lutetium oxyorthosilicate, LSO:Ce or LYSO:Ce, as the scintillator of choice. By adding more rings, the solid angle and thus the absolute sensitivity increases while the singles detection efficiency remains fairly constant assuming the same crystal thickness. It has been shown that Ca co-doping of LSO:Ce reduces the scintillation decay time to \sim30 ns with a light output over 30000 ph/MeV. This improvement may give a time-of-flight (TOF) advantage with time resolution of 500 ps or less. If the count rate sensitivity of a large axial field-of-view (AFOV) system is combined with the TOF sensitivity increase, we have the means to create examination times in the sub-minute range with no compromise in image quality. In the present study we have compared the existing Siemens molecular CT (mCT) systems to future 6, 8, 12, 20 and higher block ring systems with and without TOF. The mCT 4 block ring system has been used as a reference. The time for acceptable image quality with this system is then extrapolated to other systems based on planar sensitivity. However, the planar sensitivity is related to the solid angle, and reaches saturation for large AFOVs. This implies that there is an upper count rate sensitivity limit. A 20 block ring system may cover a 70 cm examination range at a certain planar count rate and could provide acceptable quality images in approximately 10 seconds by combining the high planar sensitivity count rate provided by the multi-ring feature, the high stopping power of LSO and the TOF gain due to the improved timing resolution. The increased sensitivity may be used to reduce patient dose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have explored methods for optimizing the timing resolution of an LSO-based detector module for a single-ring, "demonstration" time-of-flight PET camera. By maximizing the area that couples the scintillator to the PMT and minimizing the average path length that the scintillation photons travel, a single detector timing resolution of 218 ps fwhm is measured, which is considerably better than the ~385 ps fwhm obtained by commercial LSO or LYSO TOF detector modules. We explored different surface treatments (saw-cut, mechanically polished, and chemically etched) and reflector materials (Teflon tape, ESR, Lumirror, Melinex, white epoxy, and white paint), and found that for our geometry, a chemically etched surface had 5% better timing resolution than the saw-cut or mechanically polished surfaces, and while there was little dependence on the timing resolution between the various reflectors, white paint and white epoxy were a few percent better. Adding co-dopants to LSO shortened the decay time from 40 ns to ~30 but maintained the same or higher total light output. This increased the initial photoelectron rate and so improved the timing resolution by 15%. Using photomultiplier tubes with higher quantum efficiency (blue sensitivity index of 13.5 rather than 12) improved the timing resolution by an additional 5%. By choosing the optimum surface treatment (chemically etched), reflector (white paint), LSO composition (co-doped), and PMT (13.5 blue sensitivity index), the coincidence timing resolution of our detector module was reduced from 309 ps to 220 ps fwhm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares the light yield as a function of gamma-ray energy for several Lu- and Y-based silicate and aluminate scintillators. These comparisons illustrate the effects of crystal matrix, growth atmosphere, activator concentration, and co-doping on proportionality. The radioisotopic sources used in this study produce gamma-rays and X-rays from 22 keV to 1.3 MeV. The samples investigated are 10 x 10 x 10 mm in size and have the following single-phase compositions: LSO:Ce; LSO:Ce, Ca; LPS:Ce; LuAG:Pr; YSO:Ce; and YSO:Ce, Ca. The light yield vs. gamma-ray energy response is similar for scintillators with similar crystal structures, despite significant variations in growth atmosphere and activator concentration. Additionally, sample-to-sample variation is significantly reduced in the Ce-doped oxyorthosilicates when calcium is added as a co-dopant. Overall, the silicates measured in this study exhibit similar non-proportional responses, and in general are less proportional in the lower energy range compared to LuAG and other aluminates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial resolution in positron emission tomography (PET) can be improved by the addition of depth-of-interaction (DOI) information. This can be achieved by using the phoswich approach in which depth identification relies on differences in scintillation decay time and pulse shape discrimination techniques. In this paper we have looked at a special phoswich combination LuAP/LSO or LuYAP/LSO. This combination of scintillators is especially interesting since LuAP and LuYAP have emission in the excitation band of LSO, which may have an impact on the timing resolution of the detector. As will be shown in this paper, the phoswich concept based on these two scintillators can be utilized, however, with some limitations. This paper is an extension of our previous phoswich investigation refid="ref3"/ . [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]