Calibration Methodology of an Edgeless PET System Prototype.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Nuclear Instrumentation
• Biophysics

Background:

• Small animal Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging requires advanced instrumentation for enhanced timing, spatial resolution, and sensitivity.
• Conventional PET scanners with detector gaps suffer from reduced sensitivity and degraded edge spatial resolution.
• An edgeless PET system design can mitigate these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a calibration method for a novel edgeless pre-clinical PET system.
• To address undesirable effects in light distributions caused by the unique annulus design at module joints.
• To ensure accurate retrieval of energy and 3D photon impact positions.

Main Methods:

• Designed and validated an edgeless pre-clinical PET system using a single LYSO annulus.
• Employed Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) for scintillation light readout.
• Developed a specific calibration procedure to correct for light distribution anomalies.

Main Results:

• The developed calibration method successfully addressed light distribution issues at module joints.
• The calibrated system accurately retrieves energy information.
• The system precisely determines 3D photon impact positions.

Conclusions:

• The calibration method is effective for the novel edgeless PET system.
• Accurate energy and spatial information retrieval is achievable.
• This advancement contributes to improved pre-clinical PET imaging capabilities.