STiC — An ASIC CHIP for Silicon-photomultiplier fast timing discrimination

Abstract Background A gamma probe is a handheld device used for intraoperative interventions following interstitial injection of a radiotracer to locate regional lymph nodes through the external detection of radiation. This work reports on the design and performance evaluation of a novel fully integrated gamma probe (GammaPen), recently developed by our group. Materials and methods GammaPen is an all-in-one pocket gamma probe with low weight and adequate dimensions, consisting of a detector, a control unit and output all together. The detector module consists of a cylindrical Thallium-activated Cesium Iodide [CsI (Tl)] crystal optically coupled to a Silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), shielded using Tungsten housing on side and back faces. The electronics of the probe consists of two small boards to handle signal processing and analog peak detection tasks. A number of parameters, including probe sensitivity in air/water, spatial resolution in air/water, angular resolution in air/water, and side and back shielding effectiveness, were measured to evaluate the performance of the probe based on NEMA NU3-2004 standards. Results The sensitivity of the probe in air at distances of 10, 30, and 50 mm is 18784, 3500, and 1575 cps/MBq. The sensitivity in scattering medium was also measured at distances of 10, 30, and 50 mm as 17,680, 3050, and 1104 cps/MBq. The spatial and angular resolutions in scattering medium were 47 mm and 87 degree at 30 mm distance from the probe, while they were 40 mm and 77 degree in air. The detector shielding effectiveness and leakage sensitivity are 99.91% and 0.09%, respectively. Conclusion The performance characterization showed that GammaPen can be used effectively for sentinel lymph node localization. The probe was successfully used in several surgical interventions by an experienced surgeon confirming its suitability in a clinical setting.

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Comparison between silicon photomultiplier-based and conventional PET/CT in patients with suspected lung cancer—a pilot study

EJNMMI Research ◽

10.1186/s13550-019-0504-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Johan Economou Lundeberg ◽

Jenny Oddstig ◽

Ulrika Bitzén ◽

Elin Trägårdh

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Expectation Maximization ◽

Image Interpretation ◽

Imaging Study ◽

Reconstruction Algorithm ◽

Tnm Staging ◽

Reconstruction Algorithms ◽

Silicon Photomultiplier ◽

Standardized Uptake Values ◽

Pet Ct

Abstract Background Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Early detection and correct staging are fundamental for treatment and prognosis. Positron emission tomography with computed tomography (PET/CT) is recommended clinically. Silicon (Si) photomultiplier (PM)-based PET technology and new reconstruction algorithms are hoped to increase the detection of small lesions and enable earlier detection of pathologies including metastatic spread. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic performance of a SiPM-based PET/CT (including a new block-sequential regularization expectation maximization (BSREM) reconstruction algorithm) with a conventional PM-based PET/CT including a conventional ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) reconstruction algorithm. The focus was patients admitted for 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT for initial diagnosis and staging of suspected lung cancer. Patients were scanned on both a SiPM-based PET/CT (Discovery MI; GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, MI, USA) and a PM-based PET/CT (Discovery 690; GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, MI, USA). Standardized uptake values (SUV) and image interpretation were compared between the two systems. Image interpretations were further compared with histopathology when available. Results Seventeen patients referred for suspected lung cancer were included in our single injection, dual imaging study. No statically significant differences in SUVmax of suspected malignant primary tumours were found between the two PET/CT systems. SUVmax in suspected malignant intrathoracic lymph nodes was 10% higher on the SiPM-based system (p = 0.026). Good consistency (14/17 cases) between the PET/CT systems were found when comparing simplified TNM staging. The available histology results did not find any obvious differences between the systems. Conclusion In a clinical setting, the new SiPM-based PET/CT system with a new BSREM reconstruction algorithm provided a higher SUVmax for suspected lymph node metastases compared to the PM-based system. However, no improvement in lung cancer detection was seen.

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A fast timing verification method based on the independence of units

[1989] The Nineteenth International Symposium on Fault-Tolerant Computing. Digest of Papers ◽

10.1109/ftcs.1989.105556 ◽

2003 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

T. Yoneda ◽

K. Nakade ◽

Y. Tohma

Keyword(s):

Timing Verification ◽

Verification Method ◽

Fast Timing

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Phantom and clinical assessment of small pulmonary nodules using Q.Clear reconstruction on a silicon-photomultiplier-based time-of-flight PET/CT system

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-89725-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zhifang Wu ◽

Binwei Guo ◽

Bin Huang ◽

Xinzhong Hao ◽

Ping Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Time Of Flight ◽

Pulmonary Nodules ◽

Medium Size ◽

Ct Reconstruction ◽

Reconstruction Algorithms ◽

Silicon Photomultiplier ◽

Standardized Uptake Values ◽

Pet Ct ◽

Quantification Accuracy ◽

Small Pulmonary Nodules

AbstractTo evaluate the quantification accuracy of different positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) reconstruction algorithms, we measured the recovery coefficient (RC) and contrast recovery (CR) in phantom studies. The results played a guiding role in the partial-volume-effect correction (PVC) for following clinical evaluations. The PET images were reconstructed with four different methods: ordered subsets expectation maximization (OSEM), OSEM with time-of-flight (TOF), OSEM with TOF and point spread function (PSF), and Bayesian penalized likelihood (BPL, known as Q.Clear in the PET/CT of GE Healthcare). In clinical studies, SUVmax and SUVmean (the maximum and mean of the standardized uptake values, SUVs) of 75 small pulmonary nodules (sub-centimeter group: < 10 mm and medium-size group: 10–25 mm) were measured from 26 patients. Results show that Q.Clear produced higher RC and CR values, which can improve quantification accuracy compared with other methods (P < 0.05), except for the RC of 37 mm sphere (P > 0.05). The SUVs of sub-centimeter fludeoxyglucose (FDG)-avid pulmonary nodules with Q.Clear illustrated highly significant differences from those reconstructed with other algorithms (P < 0.001). After performing the PVC, highly significant differences (P < 0.001) still existed in the SUVmean measured by Q.Clear comparing with those measured by the other algorithms. Our results suggest that the Q.Clear reconstruction algorithm improved the quantification accuracy towards the true uptake, which potentially promotes the diagnostic confidence and treatment response evaluations with PET/CT imaging, especially for the sub-centimeter pulmonary nodules. For small lesions, PVC is essential.

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