Home: Research Projects: Electronics and Systems
Electronics and Systems
Project Leader
Lars R. Furenlid, Ph.D.
Project Summary
The overall goals of Core Project II are to develop the read-out electronics and software that operate the detectors developed in Core Project I and to integrate the resulting gamma-ray cameras into complete imaging systems by developing system gantries, apertures, shielded enclosures, positioning stages, calibration methods, and control software and hardware. Important themes include
- Advancing the state of the art in spatial and temporal resolution in gamma-ray imaging through super-listmode front-end processing, in which all available information is recorded for each event and assembled into data packets that are transmitted to one or more back-end event buffers
- Maximum-likelihood processing of event packets with advanced algorithms and hardware, including x86 clusters, cell processors, GPUs, and FPGAs
- Adaptive imaging in which acquisition trajectories and system settings are automatically determined from pre-scans of the subject
- Application-driven system designs that address the needs of the cardiovascular, cancer, and neuroimaging studies in Project V and collaborative research.
Core Project II also strives to translate its electronics and systems concepts into clinical applications, principally through collaborative research. As an example, in an ongoing project with Rush Memorial Hospital, we are providing several copies of our second-generation list-mode acquisition electronics and associated software to be used in a dedicated clinical cardiac SPECT system.
Current Projects
- Imaging aperture
- System design and fabrication
Imaging systems developed at the CGRI
System
|
Application |
Energy Detectors |
Status as of March 2008 |
FastSPECT |
Routine imaging of mice and rats |
24 2 x 2 modular cameras |
In active use, no alterations of the imaging configuration contemplated. |
FastSPECT II |
Versatile animal imager |
16 3 × 3 modular cameras |
In routine use, producing excellent images. Detailed evaluation complete. Multi-pinhole apertures for new applications being designed. |
NanoSPECT (FastSPECT II with 100-µm pinholes) |
Ultrahigh-resolution imaging of implanted tumors Goal: 1 nL resolution |
16 3 × 3 modular cameras |
Aperture complete and installed. Generating very high-resolution images of mouse femurs with neuroblastoma tumors. |
Spot imagers |
Sub-mm planar imaging of small objects; SPECT with animal rotation |
Single 64 × 64 CZT hybrid array, 380-µm pixels, 25 mm × 25 mm field of view
|
Laboratory versions complete. Replication depends on availability of detectors. |
Dual-modality CT/SPECT |
Simultaneous imaging of anatomy and function in mice |
CZT spot imager + CCD X-ray detector |
Complete, nicely packaged, in routine use, producing excellent images. |
SemiSPECT |
Table-top mouse SPECT imager; feasibility demo for multi-hybrid CZT system |
Eight CZT hybrids |
Complete, detailed evaluation performed, initial animal studies completed. Dual-isotope applications being explored. |
Addition of CT to FastSPECT II |
Enhance capability by adding anatomic imaging |
CMOS X-ray detector |
Assembly progressing well. Imaging experiments will commence shortly. |
M3R (multi-module,multi-resolution) |
Versatile, inexpensive table-top animal imager; test bed for synthetic collimator studies |
Four 3 × 3 modular cameras |
Operational, producing excellent images and scientific results on task-based hardware optimization. Very versatile system. |
Adaptive imaging system |
Hardware optimization for individual subjects and imaging tasks |
Single 3 × 3 modular camera |
Complete; first application with single feedback rules carried out. New apertures and more sophisticated rules planned. |
ModPET |
Compact, high-sensitivity PET system for animal imaging |
Two 3 × 3 modular cameras with 25-mm CsI(Na) crystals |
3D MDRF camera calibration and techniques for multi-event estimation developed and applied. Animal and phantom data applied. |
SiliSPECT |
Ultrahigh-resolution (~100 µm) SPECT at low energies (~30 keV) |
1-4 double-sided silicon-strip detectors |
Detectors are operational, and characterization measurements are underway. |
LumiSPECT |
Dual-modality mouse imaging: SPECT and bioluminescence |
Ultrasensitive Roper CCD camera viewing scintillator |
Initial phantom and animal images obtained. Further development in the form of BazookaSPECT. |
Gamma converter |
Conversion of current biolumi- nescence systems to SPECT |
Columnar CsI(Tl) scintillator (plus existing CCD) |
Prototype constructed and tested.
|
SAMCAM (stand-alone modular camera) |
Planar imaging with 12 cm x 12 cm FOV, intraoperative use |
Single 3 × 3 modular camera |
Collaborative projects with University of Iowa, Vanderbilt University, Marquette University. Cameras delivered–systems operational. |
Single-channel BazookaSPECT |
Design studies and preliminary animal studies |
Columnar scintillatos image intensifiers and CCD/CMOS sensors. |
Excellent performance achieved. Diseminated to Lund and Galway |
Gamma-ray microscope |
Ultrahigh-resolution imaging of small object (e.g.,cells in culture |
Single-channel Bazooka plus micro-coded aperture |
|
FastSPECT III |
High resoltion mouse and rat brain imaging |
20 Bazooka detectors |
Design and procurement in progress |
List-Mode Data-Acquisition System
FastSPECT
FastSPECT II,showing gantry and mechanical stage for animal positioning and system calibration
SemiSPECT
Dual-Modality CT/SPECT
CZT Spot Imager
High-magnification pinhole aperture for nanoliter resolution with FastSPECT II
Coronal 99mTc-MDP SPECT images of the distal femur and
knee show expansile and destructive changes secondary to a
neuroblastoma. Voxel size is 100 µm, and axial field of view is 5 mm
M3R: Multi-module multi-resolution system with 4 modular scintillation cameras
SemiSPECT: Mouse imager using 8 CZT hybrid detectors
Conceptual drawings of FastSPECT III, a rodent brain imager with 20 BazookaSPECT detectors
Super-listmode acquisition electronics for MAPMT modules
Left: CGRI super-listmode acquisition system for a 3X3 modular scintillation camera
Right: Front-end processing board array for preliminary studies with the H8500 MAPMT
Left: AEGIS read-out ASIC on a carrier board for testing. Right: AEGIS undergoing testing in the prototype hit processor board.
Front-end listmode processor for CCD/CMOS intensified gamma-ray detectors
Left: CGRI listmode pixel-cluster extractor for Arizona CZT hybrid detectors. Right: FPGA processes flattened data by performing in-line 2D-FIR filter computation to identify and extract pixel neighborhoods associated with events.
Current CGRI listmode event buffer
Home: Research Projects: Electronics and Systems
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Center for
Gamma-Ray Imaging
October 2008 |