YAP-PET: first results of a small animal positron emission tomograph based on YAP:Ce finger crystals

The authors have built a small animal Positron Emission Tomograph (YAP-PET) based on four matrices of 400 YAP:Ce finger crystals (2/spl times/2/spl times/30 mm/sup 3/ each) coupled to a Position Sensitive PhotoMultiplier Hamamatsu R2486-06. The system consists of four detectors on a rotating gantry with a variable diameter from 10 and 25 cm. The read-out and data acquisition system are handled by NIM-CAMAC standard electronics. The tomograph has a total Field Of View (FOV) of 4/spl times/4/spl times/4 cm/sup 3/ that is appropriate for mice and rat studies. A spatial resolution /spl les/2 mm over 3/spl times/3/spl times/3 cm/sup 3/ FOV has been measured, with a peak sensitivity for a point source of about 614 cps//spl mu/Ci for a gantry diameter of 15 cm and an energy threshold of 50 keV.

[1]  R. Hichwa,et al.  Are animal scanners really necessary for PET? , 1994, Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine.

[2]  A. Del Guerra,et al.  Sub-millimeter planar imaging with positron emitters: EGS4 code simulation and experimental results , 1996, 1996 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium. Conference Record.

[3]  D. Townsend,et al.  Increased sensitivity and field of view for a rotating positron camera. , 1984, Physics in Medicine and Biology.

[4]  T J Spinks,et al.  The design and physical characteristics of a small animal positron emission tomograph. , 1995, Physics in medicine and biology.

[5]  Alberto Del Guerra,et al.  A 3-D Monte Carlo simulation of a small animal Positron Emission Tomograph with millimeter spatial resolution , 1997 .

[6]  A. Del Guerra,et al.  Sub-millimeter planar imaging with positron emitters: EGS4 code simulation and experimental results , 1996 .

[7]  R Lecomte,et al.  High-resolution PET imaging and quantitation of pharmaceutical biodistributions in a small animal using avalanche photodiode detectors. , 1994, Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine.

[8]  J. Colsher,et al.  Fully-three-dimensional positron emission tomography , 1980, Physics in medicine and biology.

[9]  A. Del Guerra,et al.  High spatial resolution small animal YAP-PET , 1998 .

[10]  M E Phelps,et al.  Design features and performance of a PET system for animal research. , 1992, Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine.

[11]  Roberto Pani,et al.  Use of a YAP:Ce matrix coupled to a position-sensitive photomultiplier for high resolution positron emission tomography , 1995 .