Patent ID: 6449331
Filing Date: 2002-09-10
Classification: A61B,G01T

Abstract:
A detector for sensing radiation emitted from a positron emission tomography source (PET source) and from a computed tomography source (CT source), said detector comprising:a scintillator crystal responsive to radiation emitted from a PET source and responsive to radiation emitted from a CT source; a photodetector in optical communication with said scintillator crystal, said photodetector responsive to said scintillator crystal; a first discrete event circuit for PET scanning including a charge amplifier connected to said photodetector, said charge amplifier having an output corresponding to a gamma ray energy level, and a fast amplifier connected to said photodetector, said fast amplifier having an output corresponding to a detection time; and a second discrete event circuit for CT scanning, said second discrete event circuit including said fast amplifier connected to said photodetector, an energy discriminator connected to said fast amplifier, and a counter/timer responsive to said energy discriminator and having an output proportional to a count rate corresponding to a plurality of x-rays detected from the CT source within a specified energy level range sensed over a preset time period.