A New Compton Densitometer for Measuring Pulmonary Edema

Pulmonary edema (P.E.) is the pathological increase of extravascular lung water found most often in patients with congestive heart failure and other critically ill patients who suffer from intravenous fluid overload. The chest x-ray, the standard method for validating the presence of P.E., is neither quantitative nor sensitive. A non-invasive lung density monitor that is accurate, easily portable, safe and inexpensive is needed for clinical use. To deal with the problem of attenuation along the beam paths, previous gamma-ray techniques require simultaneous measurement of transmitted and scattered beams. Since multiple scattering is a strong function of the density of the scattering medium and the mass distribution within the detection geometry, there will be inherent uncertainties in the system calibration unless it is performed on a body structure closely matched to that of each individual patient. Other researchers who have employed Compton scattering techniques generally used systems of extended size and detectors with poor energy resolution. This has resulted in significant systematic biases from multiply-scattered photons and larger errors in counting statistics at a given radiation dose to the patient. We are proposing a patented approach in which only backscattered photons are measured with a high-resolution HPGe detector in a compact system geometry. By proper design and a unique data extraction scheme, effects of the variable chest wall on lung density measurements are minimized.