Nuclear Medicine Instrumentation: The Gamma Camera

These flashcards cover key concepts related to Nuclear Medicine Instrumentation and the workings of the Gamma Camera.

Rectilinear Scanner

An imaging distribution device from 1949 that forms images by moving over the field of interest.

Benedict Cassen

A pioneer in nuclear medicine, known for developing the first scintillation counter mounted on a moving carriage.

Anger Gamma Camera

Developed in 1958 by Hal Anger, this camera eliminated the need for detector movement and used a sodium iodide crystal.

Collimator

A slab of lead with holes that defines the field of view and reduces scattered radiation from entering the NaI crystal.

Sensitivity

The ability of a gamma camera to use available gamma rays, measured in counts per source activity.

Resolution

The ability of a camera to distinguish between adjacent points in an image; higher resolution means closer points can be distinguished.

Scintillation Crystal

A sodium iodide (NaI) crystal that provides excellent light output and energy resolution but is sensitive to humidity and physical damage.

Photomultiplier Tubes (PMT)

Devices that capture light from the NaI crystal, convert it to an electrical signal, and determine the energy of the incident photon.

Positional Logic

The process of spatially localizing each pulse of scintillation light to determine the origin of the photon.

Digital Image Display and Storage

A system that creates an image matrix in computer memory and assigns counts to pixels based on scintillation events.