Development and Characterization of Modular Readout Design for Two-Panel Head-and-Neck Dedicated PET System Based on CZT Detectors

Quantum Entanglement Filtering: A PET feasibility study in imaging dual-positron and prompt gamma emission via Monte Carlo simulation

In this article, we investigate quantum entanglement (QE) filtering to address the challenges in multi-isotope positron emission tomography (PET) or in PET studies utilizing radiotracers with dual- positron and prompt gamma emissions. Via GATE simulation, we demonstrate the efficacy of QE filtering using a one-of-a-kind cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) PET system - establishing its viability as a multimodal scanner and ability to perform QE filtering. We show the high Compton scattering probability in this CZT-based scanner with 44.2% of gammas undergoing a single scatter prior to absorption. Additionally, the overall system sensitivity as a standard PET scanner (11.29%), QE-PET scanner (6.81%), and Compton Camera (11.29%) is quantified. Further, we find a 23% decrease in the double Compton scatter (DCSc) frequency needed for QE filtering for each mm decrease in crystal resolution and an increase in mean absolute error (MAE) of their Δϕs from 6.8° for 1 mm resolution to 9.5° , 12.2° , and 15.3° for 2, 4, and 8 mm resolution, respectively. These results reinforce the potential of CZT detectors to lead next generation PET systems taking full advantage of the QE information of positron annihilation photons.

Performance Investigations of Two Channel Readout Configurations on the Cross-Strip Cadmium Zinc Telluride Detector

In a detector system where the number of channels exceeds the number of channels available on an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), there is a need to configure channels among multiple ASICs to achieve the lowest electronic noise and highest count rate. In this work, two board configurations were designed to experimentally assess which one provides the more favorable performance. In the half-half configuration, contiguous channels from one edge to the center of CZT detector are read by one ASIC, and the other half are read by the other ASIC. In the alternate configuration, the CZT channels are read by alternating ASICs. A lower electronic noise level, better FWHM energy resolution performance (5.35% ± 1.08% compared to 7.84% ± 0.98%), and higher count rate was found for the anode electrode strips with half-half configuration. Cross-talk between ASICs and deadtime play a role in the different performances, and the total count rate of the half-half configuration has a count rate 18.1% higher than that of the alternate configuration.

Combining PET and Compton imaging with edge-on CZT detectors for enhanced diagnostic capabilities

The key metrics for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging devices include the capability to capture the maximum available amount of annihilation photon information while generating high-quality images of the radiation distribution. This capability carries clinical implications by reducing scanning time for imaging, thus reducing radiation exposure for patients. However, imaging quality is degraded by positron range effects and the non-collinearity of positron annihilation photons. Utilizing an edge-on configuration of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detector crystals offers a potential solution to increase PET sensitivity. The high cross-section of CZT and its capacity to detect both 511 keV annihilation gammas and high-energy prompt gammas, along with multiple photon interaction events, contribute to this increased sensitivity. In this study, we propose a dual-panel edge-on CZT detector system comprised of 4 × 4 × 0.5 cm3 CZT detectors, with panel dimensions of 20 × 15 cm2 and a thickness of 4 cm. In this study, we demonstrate the increased sensitivity of our imaging system due to the detection of the Compton kinematics of high-energy gammas originating from prompt-gamma-emitting isotopes. This was achieved using Monte Carlo simulations of a prompt-gamma-emitting isotope,72As, with mean positron ranges >3 mm. Our system's dynamic energy range, capable of detecting gammas up to 1.2 MeV, allows it to operate in a dual-mode fashion as both a Compton camera (CC) and standard PET. By presenting reconstructions of 72As, we highlight the absence of positron range effects in CC reconstructions compared to PET reconstructions. In addition, we evaluate the system's increased sensitivity resulting from its ability to detect high-energy prompt gammas.

The quest for multifunctional and dedicated PET instrumentation with irregular geometries

We focus on reviewing state-of-the-art developments of dedicated PET scanners with irregular geometries and the potential of different aspects of multifunctional PET imaging. First, we discuss advances in non-conventional PET detector geometries. Then, we present innovative designs of organ-specific dedicated PET scanners for breast, brain, prostate, and cardiac imaging. We will also review challenges and possible artifacts by image reconstruction algorithms for PET scanners with irregular geometries, such as non-cylindrical and partial angular coverage geometries and how they can be addressed. Then, we attempt to address some open issues about cost/benefits analysis of dedicated PET scanners, how far are the theoretical conceptual designs from the market/clinic, and strategies to reduce fabrication cost without compromising performance.

Application of quantum entanglement induced polarization for dual-positron and prompt gamma imaging

The intrinsic resolution of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging is bound by positron range effects, wherein the radioactive decay of the imaging tracer occurs at a disjoint location from positron annihilation. Compounding this issue are the variable ranges positrons achieve, depending on tracer species (the energy they are emitted with) and the medium they travel in (bone vs soft tissue, for example) - causing the range to span more than an order of magnitude across various study scenarios (~0.19 mm to ~6.4 mm). Radioisotopes, such as Zr-89, exhibit dual emissions of positron and prompt gammas, offering an opportunity for accurate tracer positioning as prompt gammas originate from the tracer location. These multi-emission radiotracers have historically suffered from increased noise corresponding to the third gamma interfering in annihilation gamma coincidence pairing. Recent advancements, however, have brought to light the unique property of annihilation gammas having scattering kinematics distinct from random gamma pairs. These properties are born from the singular quantum entanglement state available to the gamma pair following para-positronium decay which prescribes linearly orthogonal polarization. Such coherent polarization is not shared by prompt gamma emissions, offering an opportunity for their discrimination. We present an investigation into this technique, comparing the distribution of relevant scattering kinematics of entangled annihilation gammas and corresponding prompt gammas via a Monte Carlo simulation.

Impact of Flexible Circuit Bonding and System Integration on Energy Resolution of Cross-Strip CZT Detectors

Cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors enable high spatial resolution and high detection efficiency and are utilized for many gamma-ray and X-ray spectroscopy applications. In this article, we describe a stable bonding process and report on the characterization of cross-strip CZT detectors before and after bonding to flexible circuit. The bonding process utilizes gold stud bonding and polymer epoxy technique to bond the flexible circuits to two CZT crystals and form a detector module in an anode-cathode-cathode-anode (ACCA) configuration. The readout electronics is optimized in terms of shaper setting and steering electrode voltage. The average full-width half maximum (FWHM) energy resolution at 662 keV of 110 CZT crystals tested individually was 3.5% ± 0.59% and 4.75% ± 0.48% prebonded and post-bonded, respectively. No depth correction was performed in this study. The average FWHM energy resolution at 662 keV of the scaled-up system with 80 CZT crystals was 4.40% ± 0.53%, indicating the scaled-up readout electronics and stacking of the modules does not deteriorate performance. The proper shielding and grounding of the scaled-up system slightly improved the system-wide performance. The FWHM energy resolution at 511 keV of the scaled-up system was 5.85% ± 0.73%.

Parameter Selection for Convex Optimization Time Calibration for a 2-Panel PET System

Coincidence timing calibration is fundamental to PET imaging. The electronics, cable lengths, and detector physics such as charge drift and depth dependence add to the measured time differences in coincidence sorting - increasing random rate, decreasing true rate, and degrading system performance. This work investigates the parameter selection for convex optimization (Ordinary Least Squares) for timing calibration. We test the correlation between commonly selected parameters and the experimentally measured coincidence time difference. Additionally, we test 127 nested models of a parameterized regression equation to identify the those which optimize MSE, BIC, and FWHM, respectively. In each of these models, the FWHM performance improved ~53%, though the value shifted from ~ 304 to 160 ns - far from ~ 10 ns FWHM CZT can achieve. The results point to the lack of a necessary parameter, such as trigger threshold level or temperature, or data which is too variable for the OLS optimization.

Experimental Evaluation of a 3-D CZT Imaging Spectrometer for Potential Use in Compton-Enhanced PET Imaging

We constructed a prototype positron emission tomography (PET) system and experimentally evaluated large-volume 3-D cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detectors for potential use in Compton-enhanced PET imaging. The CZT spectrometer offers sub-0.5-mm spatial resolution, an ultrahigh energy resolution (~1% @ 511 keV), and the capability of detecting multiple gamma-ray interactions that simultaneously occurred. The system consists of four CZT detector panels with a detection area of around 4.4 cm × 4.4 cm. The distance between the front surfaces of the two opposite CZT detector panels is ~80 mm. This system allows us to detect coincident annihilation photons and Compton interactions inside the detectors and then, exploit Compton kinematics to predict the first Compton interaction site and reject chance coincidences. We have developed a numerical integration technique to model the near-field Compton response that incorporates Doppler broadening, detector's finite resolutions, and the distance between the first and second interactions. This method was used to effectively reject random and scattered coincidence events. In the preliminary imaging studies, we have used point sources, line sources, a custom-designed resolution phantom, and a commercial image quality (IQ) phantom to demonstrate an imaging resolution of approximately 0.75 mm in PET images, and Compton-based enhancement.