New approaches in medical imaging using plastic scintillating detectors

Abstract A small animal imaging camera was built in our laboratory, using-fast plastic scintillating detectors ( τ = 2–4 ns) and position sensitive photomultipliers (Hamamatsu) digitized using flash ADCs. Pinhole collimators were used for 125 I imaging to achieve submillimeter resolution with scintillating plates of 28 mm radius and 1.5 mm thickness. A high resolution PET module was constructed with arrays of 1.0 mm diameter plastic scintillating fibers. The feasibility of high resolution imaging was demonstrated by the study of brain blood flow in a rat using 125 I IMP in single photon detection mode and with 64 Cu PTSM by using PET mode. Construction of single photon and positron emission tomographic imaging systems for small animals and subsequently for human imaging is in progress.