A Dedicated PET Scanner for Axillary Node Imaging

Abstract

A key prognostic factor in breast cancer is the involvement of the axillary lymph nodes. This is currently determined by axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), a low yield surgical procedure associated with significant cost and morbidity. Positron emission tomography (PET), using F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) tracer is a sensitive and non-invasive test for lymph node involvement and can be a cost-effective alternative to ALND. In this grant, we are developing a low cost, high performance dedicated PET camera for imaging the axillary nodes. This report summarizes the proposed design for the PET camera based on extensive simulation and benchtop detector measurements. The system will consist of two rectangular gamma-ray detectors operated in coincidence, using the new scintillator LSO and is projected to have significantly improved resolution and sensitivity compared with regular clinical PET scanners.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1997
Accession Number
ADA335985

Entities

People

  • Simon Cherry

Organizations

  • University of California, Los Angeles

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Breast Cancer
  • Data Acquisition
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Health Services
  • Lymph Nodes
  • Lymphatic System
  • Measurement
  • Medical Personnel
  • Neoplasms
  • Optical Fibers
  • Scintillation Counters
  • Simulations
  • Surgery
  • Thorax
  • Tomography
  • X-Ray Computed Tomography

Fields of Study

  • Medicine
  • Physics

Readers

  • Medical Imaging.