A versatile and economic whole-body counter based on liquid scintillation detector modules

Area of Science:

• Nuclear instrumentation
• Medical physics
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Accurate measurement of total body potassium (TBK) is crucial for assessing nutritional status and health.
• Existing whole-body counters can be expensive and lack flexibility in measurement configurations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel, cost-effective whole-body counter system.
• To demonstrate its capability for high-sensitivity static and scan counting.
• To present its application in total body potassium and gastro-intestinal absorption measurements.

Main Methods:

• Utilizes rectangular liquid scintillator detector modules with economical photomultiplier use.
• Incorporates local shielding to reduce overall system cost.
• Features a modular design with a moving bed for versatile static and scan counting modes.

Main Results:

• Achieves a statistical counting error of 2.2% for estimating total body potassium (140 g K) in 1000 seconds.
• Demonstrates high sensitivity for both static and scan counting configurations.
• Validates the system for gastro-intestinal absorption studies.

Conclusions:

• The described whole-body counter offers a versatile, cost-effective solution for radionuclide measurements.
• It provides accurate and sensitive quantification of total body potassium and facilitates gastro-intestinal absorption studies.
• The modular design enhances adaptability for various research and clinical applications.