Abstract: A device for the detection of gamma rays presents a high resolution in the three-dimensional position of the impact of the gamma ray within one or more scintillation crystal blocks coupled to an array of photosensors, for the determination of the impact energy of said gamma ray, the determination of the instant in time when said impact occurred, the interaction depth and the determination of the time-of-flight. Advantageously, in said device, the scintillation crystal detection blocks are optically isolated, in such a way that the scintillation light can only exit said blocks via the output region; and the scintillation crystal detection blocks and the array of photosensors are disposed in direct optical coupling.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for the detection of gamma rays with the capacity to determine multiple interactions and the corresponding time sequence thereof. The method utilizes a device having: one or more detection means for detecting the energy load qi deposited on the coordinates (x, y, z) of a detecting element and the time instant ti corresponding to the detection of said deposition; electronic data reading and acquisition means connected to the detection means of the device, said electronic means being configured for capturing, digitizing, and transmitting the detection signals of the device; and at least one processing unit connected to the electronic means, configured with software and/or hardware means for recording and/or processing data generated by the electronic data reading and acquisition means.

Abstract: A positron emission tomography (PET) assembly includes an annular housing and an annular scintillator disposed within the annular housing. The annular scintillator includes an annular, substantially continuous crystal scintillator tube configured to absorb ionizing radiation and to emit light energy. A plurality of photo detectors are annularly disposed around the annular scintillator within the annular housing and configured to detect the emitted light energy.

Abstract: A PET imaging device for observing a brain includes a hollow three-dimensional structure with a shape capable of housing a head. The PET imaging device comprising multiple independent gamma ray detection modules that together form a structure capable of surrounding the head, said detection modules comprise continuous scintillation crystal blocks, wherein “continuous” means that the crystal blocks can be continuous in one or in two directions, each of the continuous scintillation crystal blocks has a polygonal main cross-section, and said structure is an elongated structure having a major axis in a direction corresponding to the front-nape direction and a shorter axis in a direction corresponding to a straight line joining ears on the head. The continuous scintillation crystal blocks are positioned adjacent to fit laterally in an exact manner with each other throughout their entire thickness, building a mosaic, without gaps between adjacent crystal blocks and without overlapping each other.

Abstract: A read network topology for a matrix output device with a number of outputs determined by cross-joining “m” rows and “n” columns comprises a basic filtering block replicated for all the outputs and separately assigned to each of the outputs; each filtering block contains two filtering circuits that have a common input connection to the assigned matrix output and that provide two separate symmetrical and filtered outputs; all the row outputs (i) from the same row “i” but from different columns are interconnected to an input of an amplifier linked to row “i”, and all the column outputs (j) from the same column “j” but from different rows are connected together to an input of an amplifier linked to column “j”, the complete topology appearing when “i” and “j” are expanded in the respective intervals thereof.

Abstract: A PET imaging device for observing a brain includes a hollow three-dimensional structure with a shape capable of housing a head. The PET imaging device comprising multiple independent gamma ray detection modules that together form a structure capable of surrounding the head, said detection modules comprise continuous scintillation crystal blocks, wherein “continuous” means that the crystal blocks can be continuous in one or in two directions, each of the continuous scintillation crystal blocks has a polygonal main cross-section, and said structure is an elongated structure having a major axis in a direction corresponding to the front-nape direction and a shorter axis in a direction corresponding to a straight line joining ears on the head. The continuous scintillation crystal blocks are positioned adjacent to fit laterally in an exact manner with each other throughout their entire thickness, building a mosaic, without gaps between adjacent crystal blocks and without overlapping each other.

Abstract: The invention relates to a PET imaging device for observing the brain, characterised by comprising a structure with a shape that is capable of accommodating a human head, having independent gamma-ray detection modules, said detection modules having continuous scintillation crystals with a polygonal main section, wherein all together the detection modules form a hollow three-dimensional structure that can surround the head, and with said three-dimensional structure being elongated and having a main axis in the direction corresponding to the forehead-nape direction and a shorter axis in the direction corresponding to the straight line joining the ears, and with the adjacent scintillation crystals fitting together laterally in a precise manner along their entire thickness, forming a mosaic-like structure, i.e. without leaving gaps and without overlapping with one another.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a method to reduce the number of signals to be read out in a detector characterized in that it comprises using a lower photosensor granularity at least at the center obtaining a granularity degree at the photosensor that is edge dependent, wherein the granularity at the detector corners can be higher than at any other detector zone or wherein the granularity at the detector edges can be higher than at any other detector zone, and wherein the number of signals to be read out is reduced by joining signals in at least the center zone of the detector, or is reduced by using different photosensor elements at the center of the photosensor with regard to the remaining photosensor zones, and its use in nuclear medicine imaging techniques.

Abstract: A gamma ray Compton TOF camera system includes multiple detector modules, each comprising a gamma radiation sensitive material and arranged in layers formed by one or more detector modules. The layers are placed such that they interfere an incoming gamma ray in order to completely or partially absorb it after one or more Compton interactions and are spatially separated in order to allow for the determination of the temporal order of each gamma ray interaction inside the camera system. The camera system also includes read out electronics and a Data Acquisition System where signals from the detector modules will be readout, digitized and sent to a processing unit, which is capable to obtain the 3D position, energy and temporal sequential order of the individual interactions produced by a single incident gamma ray.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an imaging radiation detection module with novel configuration of the scintillator sensor allowing for simultaneous optimization of the two key parameters: detection efficiency and spatial resolution, that typically cannot be achieved. The disclosed device is also improving response uniformity across the whole detector module, and especially in the edge regions. This is achieved by constructing the scintillation modules as hybrid structures with continuous (also referred to as monolithic) scintillator plate(s) and pixelated scintillator array(s) that are optically coupled to each other and to the photodetector.

Abstract: The invention relates to a PET imaging device for observing the brain, characterised by comprising a structure with a shape that is capable of accommodating a human head, having independent gamma-ray detection modules, said detection modules having continuous scintillation crystals with a polygonal main section, wherein all together the detection modules form a hollow three-dimensional structure that can surround the head, and with said three-dimensional structure being elongated and having a main axis in the direction corresponding to the forehead-nape direction and a shorter axis in the direction corresponding to the straight line joining the ears, and with the adjacent scintillation crystals fitting together laterally in a precise manner along their entire thickness, forming a mosaic-like structure, i.e. without leaving gaps and without overlapping with one another.

Abstract: The invention relates to a hybrid medical PET-SPECT/MR imaging device comprising at least one scintillating crystal and at least one module for detecting radiation which contains at least one matrix of photodetectors and an electronics section, such that said module has a mechanical structure, the external, internal or both surfaces of which are divided into at least two sections, of which at least one is coated in graphene, and the rest in non-ferromagnetic conductive material, or all the sections are coated in graphene, and such that the coating forms a Faraday cage. The invention also relates to a shielding against radiofrequency for a medical imaging device, comprising a graphene coating, which is continuous or in bands, on all the faces of the mechanical structure of the detection module of the device, or a graphene coating, continuous or in bands, on at least one face, combined with a coating of non-ferromagnetic conductive materials on the remaining faces, and said shielding forming a Faraday cage.

Abstract: A read network topology for a matrix output device with a number of outputs determined by cross-joining “m” rows and “n” columns comprises a basic filtering block replicated for all the outputs and separately assigned to each of the outputs; each filtering block contains two filtering circuits that have a common input connection to the assigned matrix output and that provide two separate symmetrical and filtered outputs; all the row outputs (i) from the same row “i” but from different columns are interconnected to an input of an amplifier linked to row “i”, and all the column outputs (j) from the same column “j” but from different rows are connected together to an input of an amplifier linked to column “j”, the complete topology appearing when “i” and “j” are expanded in the respective intervals thereof.

Abstract: A gamma ray Compton TOF camera system includes multiple detector modules, each comprising a gamma radiation sensitive material, and arranged in layers formed by one or more detector modules, said layers are placed such that they interfere an incoming gamma ray, in order to completely or partially absorb it after one or more Compton interactions, and are spatially separated in order to allow for the determination of the temporal order of each gamma ray interaction inside the camera system; read out electronics; and a Data Acquisition System where signals from the detector modules will be readout, digitized and sent to a processing unit, and capable to obtain the 3D position, energy and temporal sequential order of the individual interactions—Compton and photoelectric—produced by a single incident gamma ray, allowing the determination of the full timing sequence of all gamma ray interactions inside the gamma ray detector volume.

Abstract: An apparatus to detect gamma rays, comprising a scintillator, a position sensitive photo sensor and a scintillation-light-incidence-angle-constraining, SLIAC, element, the scintillator has faces and the position sensitive photo sensor detects scintillation photons exiting a scintillation photons transparent face of the scintillator, and a portion of a scintillator face is covered with an absorbing layer, which absorbs scintillation photons created by scintillation events due to the interaction of incoming gamma rays with the scintillator, and the SLIAC element is optically coupled between a scintillation photons transparent face of the scintillator and the position sensitive photo sensor and the SLIAC element guides the scintillation photons exiting the scintillator towards the position sensitive photo sensor, and the SLIAC element restricts the maximum allowed half light acceptance angle for the scintillation light hitting the position sensitive photo sensor to less than 45°.

Abstract: The invention relates to a hybrid medical PET-SPECT/MR imaging device comprising at least one scintillating crystal and at least one module for detecting radiation which contains at least one matrix of photodetectors and an electronics section, such that said module has a mechanical structure, the external, internal or both surfaces of which are divided into at least two sections, of which at least one is coated in graphene, and the rest in non-ferromagnetic conductive material, or all the sections are coated in graphene, and such that the coating forms a Faraday cage. The invention also relates to a shielding against radiofrequency for a medical imaging device, comprising a graphene coating, which is continuous or in bands, on all the faces of the mechanical structure of the detection module of the device, or a graphene coating, continuous or in bands, on at least one face, combined with a coating of non-ferromagnetic conductive materials on the remaining faces, and said shielding forming a Faraday cage.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an imaging radiation detection module with novel configuration of the scintillator sensor allowing for simultaneous optimization of the two key parameters: detection efficiency and spatial resolution, that typically cannot be achieved. The disclosed device is also improving response uniformity across the whole detector module, and especially in the edge regions. This is achieved by constructing the scintillation modules as hybrid structures with continuous (also referred to as monolithic) scintillator plate(s) and pixellated scintillator array(s) that are optically coupled to each other and to the photodetector.

Abstract: An apparatus to detect gamma rays, comprising a scintillator, a position sensitive photo sensor and a scintillation-light-incidence-angle-constraining, SLIAC, element, the scintillator has faces and the position sensitive photo sensor detects scintillation photons exiting a scintillation photons transparent face of the scintillator, and a portion of a scintillator face is covered with an absorbing layer, which absorbs scintillation photons created by scintillation events due to the interaction of incoming gamma rays with the scintillator, and the SLIAC element is optically coupled between a scintillation photons transparent face of the scintillator and the position sensitive photo sensor and the SLIAC element guides the scintillation photons exiting the scintillator towards the position sensitive photo sensor, and the SLIAC element restricts the maximum allowed half light acceptance angle for the scintillation light hitting the position sensitive photo sensor to less than 45°.