Patent ID: 6608310
Filing Date: 2003-08-19
Classification: A61B,G01T

Abstract:
A modular high spatial resolution scintigraphic device with multiple independent photomultipliers and with extensible visualisation area, comprising in succession from an open end of a container coated with a shielding cladding starting from the source of the event to be measured:at least a collimator (1) made of a material with high atomic number, internally having a multiplicity of equal conduits of determined length, identified and separated by septa of thickness suited to the photons energy to be detected; a scintillation crystal structure (2; 20) able to convert the radiation from the source under examination into light radiation; a plurality of crossed anodes or wires photomultipliers (3 . . . ) receiving the light radiation emitted by the scintillation crystal structure and generating electrical signals proportional to their intensity and identifying the single event position co-ordinates (XY); electronic circuits (12 . . . ) able to execute the amplification and integration of the signals generated by the photomultiplier for the determination of the event position co-ordinates (XY) and the related energy, according to a resistive chain configuration or according to a sum/weighted sum configuration, for their subsequent transfer to a conversion device and thence to a personal computer that processes them and visualises them on a monitor in the form of an image, characterised in that it comprises: a plurality of photomultipliers (31, 32, 33, 3n), positioned mutually adjacent, each provided with its own independent electronic circuits (121, 122, 123, 12n), for determining the position co-ordinates (X, Y) and the energy of the event detected by the respective photomultiplier, forming detection modules and generating respective synchronism signals (S1, S2, S. . ., Sn); a circuit (13) for interrogating said respective synchronism signals drawn from the respective said electronic circuits (12 . . . ) determining the signal indicating the photomultiplier (3 . . . ) that detected the event; an OR circuit for recognising the signal indicating the photomultiplier (3 . . . ) that detected the event transmitted by the circuit (13) and enabling only a corresponding analogue switch (14) to transfer the signals carrying the position co-ordinates and the energy of the event from the enabled electronic components (12 . . . ) to an activated analog to digital converter (A/D); a PC-BUS (16) for transferring the digital signals to a personal computer (9) to be displayed in the form of images by means of a specific software; a system reset circuit (17) that resets both the interrogation circuit (13) and the (OR) circuit at the completion of the conversion operation to make them available and ready to recognise a subsequent event.