| Abstract: |
The underlying principles of Nuclear Medicine imaging involve the use of unsealed sources of radioactivity in the form of radiopharmaceuticals. The ionizing radiations which accompany the decay of the administered radioactivity can be quantitatively detected, measured, and imaged in vivo with instruments such as gamma cameras. Radiation detectors used in Nuclear Medicine are generally characterized as either scintillation or ionization detectors. In scintillation detectors, visible light is produced as radiation excites atoms of a crystal and is converted to an electronic signal, or pulse, and amplified by a photomultiplier tube (PMT). In ionization detectors, free electrons produced when radiation ionizes a stopping material are collected to produce a small electronic signal. This paper reviews the design and operating principles as well as the capabilities and limitations of instruments used clinically for in vivo radionuclide imaging. These include gamma cameras, single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanners, and positron emission tomography (PET) scanners. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013. All rights are reserved. |
