TY - GEN
T1 - Compact CdZnTe-based gamma camera for prostate cancer imaging
AU - Cui, Yonggang
AU - Lall, Terry
AU - Tsui, Benjamin
AU - Yu, Jianhua
AU - Mahler, George
AU - Bolotnikov, Aleksey
AU - Vaska, Paul
AU - De Geronimo, Gianluigi
AU - O'Connor, Paul
AU - Meinken, George
AU - Joyal, John
AU - Barrettf, John
AU - Camarda, Giuseppe
AU - Hossain, Anwar
AU - Kim, Ki Hyun
AU - Yang, Ge
AU - Pomper, Marty
AU - Cho, Steve
AU - Weisman, Ken
AU - Seo, Youngho
AU - Babich, John
AU - LaFrance, Norman
AU - James, Ralph B.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - In this paper, we discuss the design of a compact gamma camera for high-resolution prostate cancer imaging using Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CdZnTe or CZT) radiation detectors. Prostate cancer is a common disease in men. Nowadays, a blood test measuring the level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) is widely used for screening for the disease in males over 50, followed by (ultrasound) imaging-guided biopsy. However, PSA tests have a high falsepositive rate and ultrasound-guided biopsy has a high likelihood of missing small cancerous tissues. Commercial methods of nuclear medical imaging, e.g. PET and SPECT, can functionally image the organs, and potentially find cancer tissues at early stages, but their applications in diagnosing prostate cancer has been limited by the smallness of the prostate gland and the long working distance between the organ and the detectors comprising these imaging systems. CZT is a semiconductor material with wide band-gap and relatively high electron mobility, and thus can operate at room temperature without additional cooling. CZT detectors are photon-electron direct-conversion devices, thus offering high energy-resolution in detecting gamma rays, enabling energy-resolved imaging, and reducing the background of Compton-scattering events. In addition, CZT material has high stopping power for gamma rays; for medical imaging, a few-mm-thick CZT material provides adequate detection efficiency for many SPECT radiotracers. Because of these advantages, CZT detectors are becoming popular for several SPECT medical-imaging applications. Most recently, we designed a compact gamma camera using CZT detectors coupled to an application-specific-integratedcircuit (ASIC). This camera functions as a trans-rectal probe to image the prostate gland from a distance of only 1-5 cm, thus offering higher detection efficiency and higher spatial resolution. Hence, it potentially can detect prostate cancers at their early stages. The performance tests of this camera have been completed. The results show better than 6-mm resolution at a distance of 1 cm. Details of the test results are discussed in this paper.
AB - In this paper, we discuss the design of a compact gamma camera for high-resolution prostate cancer imaging using Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CdZnTe or CZT) radiation detectors. Prostate cancer is a common disease in men. Nowadays, a blood test measuring the level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) is widely used for screening for the disease in males over 50, followed by (ultrasound) imaging-guided biopsy. However, PSA tests have a high falsepositive rate and ultrasound-guided biopsy has a high likelihood of missing small cancerous tissues. Commercial methods of nuclear medical imaging, e.g. PET and SPECT, can functionally image the organs, and potentially find cancer tissues at early stages, but their applications in diagnosing prostate cancer has been limited by the smallness of the prostate gland and the long working distance between the organ and the detectors comprising these imaging systems. CZT is a semiconductor material with wide band-gap and relatively high electron mobility, and thus can operate at room temperature without additional cooling. CZT detectors are photon-electron direct-conversion devices, thus offering high energy-resolution in detecting gamma rays, enabling energy-resolved imaging, and reducing the background of Compton-scattering events. In addition, CZT material has high stopping power for gamma rays; for medical imaging, a few-mm-thick CZT material provides adequate detection efficiency for many SPECT radiotracers. Because of these advantages, CZT detectors are becoming popular for several SPECT medical-imaging applications. Most recently, we designed a compact gamma camera using CZT detectors coupled to an application-specific-integratedcircuit (ASIC). This camera functions as a trans-rectal probe to image the prostate gland from a distance of only 1-5 cm, thus offering higher detection efficiency and higher spatial resolution. Hence, it potentially can detect prostate cancers at their early stages. The performance tests of this camera have been completed. The results show better than 6-mm resolution at a distance of 1 cm. Details of the test results are discussed in this paper.
KW - CdZnTe
KW - Gamma Camera
KW - Nuclear Medical Imaging
KW - Prostate Cancer
KW - Radiation Detectors
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80052440171&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=80052440171&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1117/12.901078
DO - 10.1117/12.901078
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:80052440171
SN - 9780819488336
T3 - Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
BT - International Symposium on Photoelectronic Detection and Imaging 2011
T2 - International Symposium on Photoelectronic Detection and Imaging 2011: Laser Sensing and Imaging; and Biological and Medical Applications of Photonics Sensing and Imaging
Y2 - 24 May 2011 through 26 May 2011
ER -