Development and performance evaluation of a novel scintillation-based active shielding gamma probe

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Nuclear Medicine
• Instrumentation

Background:

• Sentinel lymph node biopsy is crucial for cancer staging.
• Current gamma probes require improvements for precise radiotracer localization.
• Novel detector designs are being explored to enhance diagnostic accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a novel gamma probe prototype with active shielding.
• To evaluate the performance of the new probe in terms of sensitivity, resolution, and shielding effectiveness.
• To compare the prototype's capabilities against conventional gamma probes.

Main Methods:

• Development of a gamma probe prototype using a bismuth germanate (BGO) array and silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array.
• Experimental characterization of sensitivity, spatial resolution, and angular resolution.
• Validation of experimental results using GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations.
• Assessment of shielding effectiveness in a scattering environment.

Main Results:

• The prototype demonstrated a sensitivity of $$ cps/MBq at a 30 mm probe-source distance.
• Spatial and angular resolutions (FWHM) were measured at $$ mm and $$ , respectively.
• Shielding effectiveness exceeded 95%, indicating robust radiation protection.
• Performance was found to be comparable to existing gamma probe technologies.

Conclusions:

• The novel active-shielded gamma probe prototype offers a promising alternative for sentinel lymph node detection.
• The integrated BGO-SiPM design provides effective localization capabilities.
• Further development could lead to enhanced diagnostic tools in nuclear medicine.