Patent ID: 7381958

Claim:
A PET scanning system comprising: a PET scanner comprising a cavity for accepting a patient and a plurality of PET detector modules arranged about said cavity, each PET detector including a LaBr 3 or LaCl 3 scintillator comprising a plurality of LaBr 3 or LaCl 3 crystals, respectively, and said scintillator having a decay time constant τ≦35 ns and a light output at least equal to the light output of NaI(T1), and a plurality of photomultiplier tubes arranged with respect to said plurality of scintillator crystals wherein each photomultiplier tube receives light output from several of said scintillator crystals and wherein said scintillator crystals and said photomultiplier tubes are arranged respectively peripherally around said cavity; a time stamp circuit that records the time of receipt of gamma rays by respective PET detectors and provides timing data outputs; and a processor that receives said timing data outputs, calculates time-of-flight (TOF) of gamma rays through a patient in the cavity, and uses said TOF of gamma rays in the reconstruction of images of the patient.