Recent advances in BazookaSPECT: Real-time data processing and the development of a gamma-ray microscope

Quantitative single-particle digital autoradiography with α-particle emitters for targeted radionuclide therapy using the iQID camera

PURPOSE

Alpha-emitting radionuclides exhibit a potential advantage for cancer treatments because they release large amounts of ionizing energy over a few cell diameters (50-80 μm), causing localized, irreparable double-strand DNA breaks that lead to cell death. Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) approaches using monoclonal antibodies labeled with α emitters may thus inactivate targeted cells with minimal radiation damage to surrounding tissues. Tools are needed to visualize and quantify the radioactivity distribution and absorbed doses to targeted and nontargeted cells for accurate dosimetry of all treatment regimens utilizing α particles, including RIT and others (e.g., Ra-223), especially for organs and tumors with heterogeneous radionuclide distributions. The aim of this study was to evaluate and characterize a novel single-particle digital autoradiography imager, the ionizing-radiation quantum imaging detector (iQID) camera, for use in α-RIT experiments.

METHODS

The iQID camera is a scintillator-based radiation detection system that images and identifies charged-particle and gamma-ray/x-ray emissions spatially and temporally on an event-by-event basis. It employs CCD-CMOS cameras and high-performance computing hardware for real-time imaging and activity quantification of tissue sections, approaching cellular resolutions. In this work, the authors evaluated its characteristics for α-particle imaging, including measurements of intrinsic detector spatial resolutions and background count rates at various detector configurations and quantification of activity distributions. The technique was assessed for quantitative imaging of astatine-211 ((211)At) activity distributions in cryosections of murine and canine tissue samples.

RESULTS

The highest spatial resolution was measured at ∼20 μm full width at half maximum and the α-particle background was measured at a rate as low as (2.6 ± 0.5) × 10(-4) cpm/cm(2) (40 mm diameter detector area). Simultaneous imaging of multiple tissue sections was performed using a large-area iQID configuration (ø 11.5 cm). Estimation of the (211)At activity distribution was demonstrated at mBq/μg-levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Single-particle digital autoradiography of α emitters has advantages over traditional film-based autoradiographic techniques that use phosphor screens, in terms of spatial resolution, sensitivity, and activity quantification capability. The system features and characterization results presented in this study show that the iQID is a promising technology for microdosimetry, because it provides necessary information for interpreting alpha-RIT outcomes and for predicting the therapeutic efficacy of cell-targeted approaches using α emitters.

Singular value decomposition for photon-processing nuclear imaging systems and applications for reconstruction and computing null functions

Recent advances in technology are enabling a new class of nuclear imaging systems consisting of detectors that use real-time maximum-likelihood (ML) methods to estimate the interaction position, deposited energy, and other attributes of each photon-interaction event and store these attributes in a list format. This class of systems, which we refer to as photon-processing (PP) nuclear imaging systems, can be described by a fundamentally different mathematical imaging operator that allows processing of the continuous-valued photon attributes on a per-photon basis. Unlike conventional photon-counting (PC) systems that bin the data into images, PP systems do not have any binning-related information loss. Mathematically, while PC systems have an infinite-dimensional null space due to dimensionality considerations, PP systems do not necessarily suffer from this issue. Therefore, PP systems have the potential to provide improved performance in comparison to PC systems. To study these advantages, we propose a framework to perform the singular-value decomposition (SVD) of the PP imaging operator. We use this framework to perform the SVD of operators that describe a general two-dimensional (2D) planar linear shift-invariant (LSIV) PP system and a hypothetical continuously rotating 2D single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) PP system. We then discuss two applications of the SVD framework. The first application is to decompose the object being imaged by the PP imaging system into measurement and null components. We compare these components to the measurement and null components obtained with PC systems. In the process, we also present a procedure to compute the null functions for a PC system. The second application is designing analytical reconstruction algorithms for PP systems. The proposed analytical approach exploits the fact that PP systems acquire data in a continuous domain to estimate a continuous object function. The approach is parallelizable and implemented for graphics processing units (GPUs). Further, this approach leverages another important advantage of PP systems, namely the possibility to perform photon-by-photon real-time reconstruction. We demonstrate the application of the approach to perform reconstruction in a simulated 2D SPECT system. The results help to validate and demonstrate the utility of the proposed method and show that PP systems can help overcome the aliasing artifacts that are otherwise intrinsically present in PC systems.

Estimating ROI activity concentration with photon-processing and photon-counting SPECT imaging systems

Recently a new class of imaging systems, referred to as photon-processing (PP) systems, are being developed that uses real-time maximum-likelihood (ML) methods to estimate multiple attributes per detected photon and store these attributes in a list format. PP systems could have a number of potential advantages compared to systems that bin photons based on attributes such as energy, projection angle, and position, referred to as photon-counting (PC) systems. For example, PP systems do not suffer from binning-related information loss and provide the potential to extract information from attributes such as energy deposited by the detected photon. To quantify the effects of this advantage on task performance, objective evaluation studies are required. We performed this study in the context of quantitative 2-dimensional single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging with the end task of estimating the mean activity concentration within a region of interest (ROI). We first theoretically outline the effect of null space on estimating the mean activity concentration, and argue that due to this effect, PP systems could have better estimation performance compared to PC systems with noise-free data. To evaluate the performance of PP and PC systems with noisy data, we developed a singular value decomposition (SVD)-based analytic method to estimate the activity concentration from PP systems. Using simulations, we studied the accuracy and precision of this technique in estimating the activity concentration. We used this framework to objectively compare PP and PC systems on the activity concentration estimation task. We investigated the effects of varying the size of the ROI and varying the number of bins for the attribute corresponding to the angular orientation of the detector in a continuously rotating SPECT system. The results indicate that in several cases, PP systems offer improved estimation performance compared to PC systems.

The iQID camera: An ionizing-radiation quantum imaging detector

We have developed and tested a novel, ionizing-radiation Quantum Imaging Detector (iQID). This scintillation-based detector was originally developed as a high-resolution gamma-ray imager, called BazookaSPECT, for use in single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Recently, we have investigated the detector's response and imaging potential with other forms of ionizing radiation including alpha, neutron, beta, and fission fragment particles. The confirmed response to this broad range of ionizing radiation has prompted its new title. The principle operation of the iQID camera involves coupling a scintillator to an image intensifier. The scintillation light generated by particle interactions is optically amplified by the intensifier and then re-imaged onto a CCD/CMOS camera sensor. The intensifier provides sufficient optical gain that practically any CCD/CMOS camera can be used to image ionizing radiation. The spatial location and energy of individual particles are estimated on an event-by-event basis in real time using image analysis algorithms on high-performance graphics processing hardware. Distinguishing features of the iQID camera include portability, large active areas, excellent detection efficiency for charged particles, and high spatial resolution (tens of microns). Although modest, iQID has energy resolution that is sufficient to discriminate between particles. Additionally, spatial features of individual events can be used for particle discrimination. An important iQID imaging application that has recently been developed is real-time, single-particle digital autoradiography. We present the latest results and discuss potential applications.

Evaluation of a compact, high-resolution SPECT detector based on digital silicon photomultipliers

MicroSPECT is one of the main functional imaging techniques used in the preclinical setting. Even though high-resolution images can be obtained with currently available systems, their sensitivity is often quite low due to the use of multi-pinhole collimation. This results in long acquisition times and hampers dynamic imaging. However, it has already been shown that this limited sensitivity can be overcome using high-resolution detectors. In this article, we therefore investigated the use of a digital photon counter (DPC) in combination with a 2 mm thick monolithic LYSO crystal for SPECT imaging. These light sensors contain arrays of avalanche photodiodes whose signals are directly digitised. The DPCs have the advantage that they are very compact, have a high intrinsic resolution, are MR compatible and allow disabling cells with a high dark count rate. In order to investigate the influence of the temperature dependent dark count rate on the detector performance, we compared it at 3 °C and 18 °C. At 3 °C, we observed an energy resolution of 28.8% and an intrinsic spatial resolution of 0.48 mm. Furthermore, the count rate at 10% loss is 60 kcps. Next, we looked at the event loss at 18 °C caused by the higher dark count rate and found a 5% loss compared to the 3 °C measurements. At this higher temperature the energy resolution becomes 29.2% and the intrinsic spatial resolution decreases to 0.52 mm. Due to the 5% count loss, the count rate at 10% loss increases to 63 kcps. A small degradation of the detector performance is thus observed at 18 °C.These results show the usefulness of this detector for SPECT imaging together with its excellent intrinsic spatial resolution. A drawback of the detector is its low, spatially varying energy resolution. Even though the detection efficiency and intrinsic spatial resolution are better at 3 °C, results are still acceptable at 18 °C.

Molecular Imaging in the College of Optical Sciences - An Overview of Two Decades of Instrumentation Development

During the past two decades, researchers at the University of Arizona's Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging (CGRI) have explored a variety of approaches to gamma-ray detection, including scintillation cameras, solid-state detectors, and hybrids such as the intensified Quantum Imaging Device (iQID) configuration where a scintillator is followed by optical gain and a fast CCD or CMOS camera. We have combined these detectors with a variety of collimation schemes, including single and multiple pinholes, parallel-hole collimators, synthetic apertures, and anamorphic crossed slits, to build a large number of preclinical molecular-imaging systems that perform Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and X-Ray Computed Tomography (CT). In this paper, we discuss the themes and methods we have developed over the years to record and fully use the information content carried by every detected gamma-ray photon.

Microscopic validation of macroscopic in vivo images enabled by same-slide optical and nuclear fusion

It is currently difficult to determine the molecular and cellular basis for radioscintigraphic signals obtained during macroscopic in vivo imaging. The field is in need of technology that helps bridge the macroscopic and microscopic regimes. To solve this problem, we developed a fiducial marker (FM) simultaneously compatible with 2-color near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence (700 and 800 nm), autoradiography, and conventional hematoxylin-eosin (HE) histology.

METHODS

The FM was constructed from an optimized concentration of commercially available human serum albumin, 700- and 800-nm NIR fluorophores, (99m)Tc-pertechnetate, dimethyl sulfoxide, and glutaraldehyde. Lymphangioleiomyomatosis cells coexpressing the sodium iodide symporter and green fluorescent protein were labeled with 700-nm fluorophore and (99m)Tc-pertechnatate and then administered intratracheally into CD-1 mice. After in vivo SPECT imaging and ex vivo SPECT and NIR fluorescence imaging of the lungs, 30-μm frozen sections were prepared and processed for 800-nm NIR fluorophore costaining, autoradiography, and HE staining on the same slide using the FMs to coregister all datasets.

RESULTS

Optimized FMs, composed of 100 μM unlabeled human serum albumin, 1 μM NIR fluorescent human serum albumin, 15% dimethyl sulfoxide, and 3% glutaraldehyde in phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4), were prepared within 15 min, displayed homogeneity and stability, and were visible by all imaging modalities, including HE staining. Using these FMs, tissue displaying high signal by SPECT could be dissected and analyzed on the same slide and at the microscopic level for 700-nm NIR fluorescence, 800-nm NIR fluorescence, autoradiography, and HE histopathologic staining.

CONCLUSION

When multimodal FMs are combined with a new technique for simultaneous same-slide NIR fluorescence imaging, autoradiography, and HE staining, macroscopic in vivo images can now be studied unambiguously at the microscopic level.

A high resolution SPECT detector based on thin continuous LYSO

Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) detectors with improved spatial resolution can be used to build multi-pinhole SPECT systems that have a higher sensitivity or a higher spatial resolution. In order to improve the spatial resolution we investigate the performance of a 2 mm thick continuous Lutetium Yttrium Orthosilicate (LYSO) scintillator and compare it to the performance of a 5 mm thick continuous NaI(Tl) scintillator. The advantages of LYSO are its high stopping power and its non-hygroscopicity. Drawbacks are the lower light output and the intrinsic radioactivity. The hypothesis of this study is that such a thin LYSO scintillator will have a small light spread and, as a consequence, will also have an improved spatial resolution when coupled to a Hamamatsu H8500 position sensitive photomultiplier tube. To optimize the spatial resolution and the useful detector area we used a mean nearest neighbor event-positioning method. Beam source measurements ((99m)Tc, 140 keV) were done to investigate the energy resolution and the spatial resolution of both detectors. The effect of the intrinsic radioactivity of the LYSO scintillator in the energy window was quantified. The mean energy resolution is 9.3% for the NaI(Tl) scintillator and 21.3% for the LYSO scintillator. The LYSO spectrum shows an X-ray escape peak which decreases the detection efficiency with 9.1%. The spatial resolution of the LYSO detector (0.93 mm full width at half maximum (FWHM)) is superior to the spatial resolution of the NaI(Tl) detector (1.37 mm FWHM). The intrinsic radioactivity in the energy window (42% window centered at 140 keV) is low (125.6 cps, 0.024 cps mm(-3)). LYSO is a promising scintillator for small-animal SPECT imaging, where spatial resolution is more important than energy resolution.

High-resolution radioluminescence microscopy of 18F-FDG uptake by reconstructing the β-ionization track

Radioluminescence microscopy is a new method for imaging radionuclide uptake by single live cells with a fluorescence microscope. Here, we report a particle-counting scheme that improves spatial resolution by overcoming the β-range limit.

METHODS

Short frames (10 μs-1 s) were acquired using a high-gain camera coupled to a microscope to capture individual ionization tracks. Optical reconstruction of the β-ionization track (ORBIT) was performed to localize individual β decays, which were aggregated into a composite image. The new approach was evaluated by imaging the uptake of (18)F-FDG in nonconfluent breast cancer cells.

RESULTS

After image reconstruction, ORBIT resulted in better definition of individual cells. This effect was particularly noticeable in small clusters (2-4 cells), which occur naturally even for nonconfluent cell cultures. The annihilation and Bremsstrahlung photon background signal was markedly lower. Single-cell measurements of (18)F-FDG uptake that were computed from ORBIT images more closely matched the uptake of the fluorescent glucose analog (Pearson correlation coefficient, 0.54 vs. 0.44, respectively).

CONCLUSION

ORBIT can image the uptake of a radiotracer in living cells with spatial resolution better than the β range. In principle, ORBIT may also allow for greater quantitative accuracy because the decay rate is measured more directly, with no dependency on the β-particle energy.

The effect of gain variation in micro-channel plates on gamma-ray energy resolution

A Monte Carlo simulation of micro-channel plate (MCP) with particular interest in its effect on energy resolution performance is presented. Important physical processes occurring in MCP channels are described and modeled, including secondary electron (SE) yield, SE emission, and primary electron reflection. The effects causing channel saturation are also introduced. A two dimensional Monte Carlo simulation is implemented under the assumption of unsaturated channel. Simulation results about basic MCP performances and especially gain and energy resolution performances are presented and analyzed. It's found that energy resolution as an intrinsic property of MCP cannot be improved simply by adjusting system parameters; however it can be improved by increasing input signal or number of photoelectrons (PEs) in the context of image intensifier. An initial experiment with BazookaSPECT detector and CsI(Tl) scintillator is performed to validate and correlate with the simulation results and good agreement is achieved.

Cramer-Rao lower bound optimization of an EM-CCD-based scintillation gamma camera

Scintillation gamma cameras based on low-noise electron multiplication (EM-)CCDs can reach high spatial resolutions. For further improvement of these gamma cameras, more insight is needed into how various parameters that characterize these devices influence their performance. Here, we use the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) to investigate the sensitivity of the energy and spatial resolution of an EM-CCD-based gamma camera to several parameters. The gamma camera setup consists of a 3 mm thick CsI(Tl) scintillator optically coupled by a fiber optic plate to the E2V CCD97 EM-CCD. For this setup, the position and energy of incoming gamma photons are determined with a maximum-likelihood detection algorithm. To serve as the basis for the CRLB calculations, accurate models for the depth-dependent scintillation light distribution are derived and combined with a previously validated statistical response model for the EM-CCD. The sensitivity of the lower bounds for energy and spatial resolution to the EM gain and the depth-of-interaction (DOI) are calculated and compared to experimentally obtained values. Furthermore, calculations of the influence of the number of detected optical photons and noise sources in the image area on the energy and spatial resolution are presented. Trends predicted by CRLB calculations agree with experiments, although experimental values for spatial and energy resolution are typically a factor of 1.5 above the calculated lower bounds. Calculations and experiments both show that an intermediate EM gain setting results in the best possible spatial or energy resolution and that the spatial resolution of the gamma camera degrades rapidly as a function of the DOI. Furthermore, calculations suggest that a large improvement in gamma camera performance is achieved by an increase in the number of detected photons or a reduction of noise in the image area. A large noise reduction, as is possible with a new generation of EM-CCD electronics, may improve the energy and spatial resolution by a factor of 1.5.

A Prototype Detector for a Novel High-Resolution PET System: BazookaPET

We have designed and are developing a novel proof-of-concept PET system called BazookaPET. In order to complete the PET configuration, at least two detector elements are required to detect positron-electron annihilation events. Each detector element of the BazookaPET has two independent data acquisition channels. One side of the scintillation crystal is optically coupled to a 4×4 silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array and the other side is a CCD-based gamma camera. Using these two separate channels, we can obtain data with high energy, temporal and spatial resolution data by associating the data outputs via several maximum-likelihood estimation (MLE) steps. In this work, we present the concept of the system and the prototype detector element. We focus on characterizing individual detector channels, and initial experimental calibration results are shown along with preliminary performance-evaluation results. We measured energy resolution and the integrated traces of the slit-beam images from both detector channel outputs. A photo-peak energy resolution of ~5.3% FWHM was obtained from the SiPM and ~48% FWHM from the CCD at 662 keV. We assumed SiPM signals follow Gaussian statistics and estimated the 2D interaction position using MLE. Based on our the calibration experiments, we computed the Cramér-Rao bound (CRB) for the SiPM detector channel and found that the CRB resolution is better than 1 mm in the center of the crystal.

A System Calibration and Fast Iterative Reconstruction Method for Next-Generation SPECT Imagers

Recently, high-resolution gamma cameras have been developed with detectors containing > 10⁵-10⁶ elements. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imagers based on these detectors usually also have a large number of voxel bins and therefore face memory storage issues for the system matrix when performing fast tomographic reconstructions using iterative algorithms. To address these issues, we have developed a method that parameterizes the detector response to a point source and generates the system matrix on the fly during MLEM or OSEM on graphics hardware. The calibration method, interpolation of coefficient data, and reconstruction results are presented in the context of a recently commissioned small-animal SPECT imager, called FastSPECT III.

Advances in preclinical SPECT instrumentation

Preclinical SPECT of rodents is both in demand and very demanding. The need for high spatial resolution in combination with good sensitivity has given rise to considerable innovation in the areas of detectors, collimation, acquisition geometry, and image reconstruction. Some of the developments described herein are beginning to carry over into clinical imaging as well.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell-mediated delivery of the sodium iodide symporter supports radionuclide imaging and treatment of breast cancer

Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) migrate specifically to tumors in vivo, and coupled with their capacity to bypass immune surveillance, are attractive vehicles for tumor-targeted delivery of therapeutic agents. This study aimed to introduce MSC-mediated expression of the sodium iodide symporter (NIS) for imaging and therapy of breast cancer. Tumor bearing animals received an intravenous or intratumoral injection of NIS expressing MSCs (MSC-NIS), followed by (99m) Technetium pertechnetate imaging 3-14 days later using a BazookaSPECT γ-camera. Tissue was harvested for analysis of human NIS (hNIS) expression by relative quantitative-polymerase chain reaction. Therapy animals received an i.p. injection of (131) I or saline 14 days after injection of MSC-NIS, and tumor volume was monitored for 8 weeks. After injection of MSC-NIS, BazookaSPECT imaging revealed an image of animal intestines and chest area at day 3, along with a visible weak tumor image. By day 14, the tumor was visible with a significant reduction in radionuclide accumulation in nontarget tissue observed. hNIS gene expression was detected in the intestines, heart, lungs, and tumors at early time points but later depleted in nontarget tissues and persisted at the tumor site. Based on imaging/biodistribution data, animals received a therapeutic dose of (131) I 14 days after MSC-NIS injection. This resulted in a significant reduction in tumor growth (mean ± SEM, 236 ± 62 mm(3) vs. 665 ± 204 mm(3) in controls). The ability to track MSC migration and transgene expression noninvasively in real time before therapy is a major advantage to this strategy. This promising data supports the feasibility of this approach as a novel therapy for breast cancer.

A System Calibration and Fast Iterative Reconstruction Method for Next-Generation SPECT Imagers

Recently, high-resolution gamma cameras have been developed with detectors containing> 10⁵-10⁶ elements. SPECT imagers based on these detectors usually also have a large number of voxel bins and therefore face memory storage issues for the system matrix when performing fast tomographic reconstructions using iterative algorithms. To address these issues, we have developed a method that parameterizes the detector response to a point source and generates the system matrix on the fly during MLEM or OSEM on graphics hardware. The calibration method, interpolation of coefficient data, and reconstruction results are presented in the context of a recently commissioned small-animal SPECT imager, called FastSPECT III.

SPECT detectors: the Anger Camera and beyond

The development of radiation detectors capable of delivering spatial information about gamma-ray interactions was one of the key enabling technologies for nuclear medicine imaging and, eventually, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The continuous sodium iodide scintillator crystal coupled to an array of photomultiplier tubes, almost universally referred to as the Anger Camera after its inventor, has long been the dominant SPECT detector system. Nevertheless, many alternative materials and configurations have been investigated over the years. Technological advances as well as the emerging importance of specialized applications, such as cardiac and preclinical imaging, have spurred innovation such that alternatives to the Anger Camera are now part of commercial imaging systems. Increased computing power has made it practical to apply advanced signal processing and estimation schemes to make better use of the information contained in the detector signals. In this review we discuss the key performance properties of SPECT detectors and survey developments in both scintillator and semiconductor detectors and their readouts with an eye toward some of the practical issues at least in part responsible for the continuing prevalence of the Anger Camera in the clinic.

System Integration of FastSPECT III, a Dedicated SPECT Rodent-Brain Imager Based on BazookaSPECT Detector Technology

FastSPECT III is a stationary, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imager designed specifically for imaging and studying neurological pathologies in rodent brain, including Alzheimer's and Parkinsons's disease. Twenty independent BazookaSPECT [1] gamma-ray detectors acquire projections of a spherical field of view with pinholes selected for desired resolution and sensitivity. Each BazookaSPECT detector comprises a columnar CsI(Tl) scintillator, image-intensifier, optical lens, and fast-frame-rate CCD camera. Data stream back to processing computers via firewire interfaces, and heavy use of graphics processing units (GPUs) ensures that each frame of data is processed in real time to extract the images of individual gamma-ray events. Details of the system design, imaging aperture fabrication methods, and preliminary projection images are presented.

Progress in BazookaSPECT

Recent progress on a high-resolution, photon-counting gamma-ray and x-ray imager called BazookaSPECT is presented. BazookaSPECT is an example of a new class of scintillation detectors based on integrating detectors such as CCD(charge-coupled device) or CMOS(complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensors. BazookaSPECT is unique in that it makes use of a scintillator in close proximity to a microchannel plate-based image intensifier for up-front optical amplification of scintillation light. We discuss progress made in bringing about compact BazookaSPECT modules and in real-time processing of event data using graphics processing units (GPUs). These advances are being implemented in the design of a high-resolution rodent brain imager called FastSPECT III. A key benefit of up-front optical gain is that any CCD/CMOS sensor can now be utilized for photon counting. We discuss the benefits and feasibility of using CMOS sensors as photon-counting detectors for digital radiography, with application in mammography and computed tomography (CT). We present as an appendix a formal method for comparing various photon-counting integrating detectors using objective statistical criteria.

Maximum-Likelihood Methods for Processing Signals From Gamma-Ray Detectors

In any gamma-ray detector, each event produces electrical signals on one or more circuit elements. From these signals, we may wish to determine the presence of an interaction; whether multiple interactions occurred; the spatial coordinates in two or three dimensions of at least the primary interaction; or the total energy deposited in that interaction. We may also want to compute listmode probabilities for tomographic reconstruction. Maximum-likelihood methods provide a rigorous and in some senses optimal approach to extracting this information, and the associated Fisher information matrix provides a way of quantifying and optimizing the information conveyed by the detector. This paper will review the principles of likelihood methods as applied to gamma-ray detectors and illustrate their power with recent results from the Center for Gamma-ray Imaging.

A CCD based approach to collimated photon counting imaging for micro-SPECT/CT

Analog summation methods of x-ray imaging have nonlinearity in signal readout and dynamic range limitations. To minimize these limitations, a photon counting CCD-based gamma camera imaging system has been developed and evaluated.