Development of a small animal PET imaging device with resolution approaching 1 mm

Abstract

This paper describes progress in the design and construction of a single-plane PET tomograph having a spatial resolution approaching 1 mm. The system consists of a 12-cm diameter ring with 360 LSO (Lu/sub 2/SiO/sub 5/) detectors viewed by 30 photomultiplier tubes. Thin (5-mm) crystals and a low energy threshold are used. Crystals are identified using both position arithmetic and energy criteria. To date, the system construction has been completed, system tuning has been carried out and imaging studies have begun.