[en] A small, portable and low-cost gamma camera for medical applications has been developed and clinically tested. This camera, based on a scintillator crystal and a Position Sensitive Photo-Multiplier Tube, has a useful field of view of 4.6 cm diameter and provides 2.2 mm of intrinsic spatial resolution. Its mobility and light weight allow to reach the patient from any desired direction. This camera images small organs with high efficiency and so addresses the demand for devices of specific clinical applications. In this paper, we present the camera and briefly describe the procedures that have led us to choose its configuration and the image reconstruction method. The clinical tests and diagnostic capability are also presented and discussed

[en] A new Positron Emission Tomography detector setup with depth of interaction facility, using a segmented crystal of cerium doped lutetium oxyorthosilicate as scintcillator and a wave length shifting fibre readout has been investigated. This detector configuration has been chosen in order to reduce the number of photo-multipliers and electronic channels, simultaneously minimising the cost of the device. For this purpose a 4 x 4 cross plate anode position sensitive photo-multiplier tube has been tested as readout device for wave length shifting fibres. The spatial resolution as function of the number of photoelectrons and position at the x-y-plane have been studied using light emitting diodes. In addition we estimated the average number of photons reaching the photo-cathode of the photo-multiplier tube by Monte Carlo simulation, when a segmented crystal setup with wave length shifting fibre readout is used

[en] We have developed a mini gamma camera based on the new 'flat-panel'-type multianode PSPMT (H8500) from Hamamatsu Photonics. The gamma camera is intended for intra-surgical use. The dimensions of the camera are 14 cmx7 cmx7 cm, with a useful field of view of 44 mm, and a weight of 1.2 kg. Its intrinsic resolution is better than 1.5 mm and its energy resolution is about 13%, when using a CsI(Na) scintillating crystal. We present here the most important performance features of the camera and the image reconstruction process followed. Several clinical tests, on breast cancer and melanoma patients, were performed and compared with conventional cameras, to check the quality of the camera. For an administered dose of 3 mCi of ^99mTc around the tumour, 1 h before the lymphscintigraphy, we take high-quality images of the nodes in about 30 s using a pinhole collimator

[en] A portable gamma camera based on the multianode technology has been built and tested. The camera consists in optically coupling four 'Flat Panel' H8500 PSPMTs to a 100x100x4 mm³ CsI(Na) continuous scintillation crystal. The dimensions of the camera are 17x12x12 cm³ including the pinhole collimator and it weighs a total of 2 kg. Its average spatial resolution is 2 mm, its energy resolution is about 15%, and it shows a field of view of 95 mm. Because of its portability, its FOV and its cost, it is a convenient choice for osteological, renal, mammary, and endocrine (thyroid, parathyroid and suprarenal) scintigraphies, as well as other important applications such as intraoperatory detection of lymph nodes and surgical oncology. We describe the simulations performed which explain the crystal choice, the mechanical design of the camera and the method of calibration and algorithms used for position, energy and uniformity correction. We present images taken from phantoms. We plan to increase the camera sensitivity by using a four-holes collimator in combination with the MLEM algorithm, in order to decrease the exploration time and to reduce the dose given to the patient

[en] We have assembled a new device which consists of a small gamma camera combined with a surgical navigator. We call this new instrument the 'gamma functional navigator'. The small gamma camera has been built by our group and has an spatial resolution of about 2 mm. We use this gamma camera to visualize small organs. The position of the gamma camera is determined by the navigator through infrared emitters, which also localize the surgical instruments. A software program combines the images obtained by the gamma camera at different places to form at least an stereoscopic image of an organ. We have tested the gamma functional navigator with different phantoms and with a few clinical cases for sentinel gland detection and surgery

[en] The final configuration of our small gamma-camera for medical applications is presented. Emphasis has been put on low cost and portability. The camera, based on a scintillator crystal and a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube, has a useful field of view of 4.6 cm diameter and provides around 2 mm of intrinsic spatial resolution. In its final configuration, the camera weights less than 2 kg and the collimator is of the pinhole type. The camera is only connected through a single USB cable to a portable PC. It images small organs with high efficiency as proven with patients at the hospital

[en] Design optimization, manufacturing, and tests, both laboratory and clinical, of a portable gamma camera for medical applications are presented. This camera, based on a continuous scintillation crystal and a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube, has an intrinsic spatial resolution of ≅2 mm, an energy resolution of 13% at 140 keV, and linearities of 0.28 mm (absolute) and 0.15 mm (differential), with a useful field of view of 4.6 cm diameter. Our camera can image small organs with high efficiency and so it can address the demand for devices of specific clinical applications like thyroid and sentinel node scintigraphy as well as scintimammography and radio-guided surgery. The main advantages of the gamma camera with respect to those previously reported in the literature are high portability, low cost, and weight (2 kg), with no significant loss of sensitivity and spatial resolution. All the electronic components are packed inside the minigamma camera, and no external electronic devices are required. The camera is only connected through the universal serial bus port to a portable personal computer (PC), where a specific software allows to control both the camera parameters and the measuring process, by displaying on the PC the acquired image on 'real time'. In this article, we present the camera and describe the procedures that have led us to choose its configuration. Laboratory and clinical tests are presented together with diagnostic capabilities of the gamma camera