Imaging of gamma emitters using scintillation cameras

Since their introduction by Hal Anger in the late 1950s, the gamma cameras have been widely used in the field of nuclear medicine. The original concept is based on the association of a large field of view scintillator optically coupled with an array of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), in order to locate the position of interactions inside the crystal. Using a dedicated accessory, like a parallel hole collimator, to focus the field of view toward a predefined direction, it is possible to built up an image of the radioactive distribution. In terms of imaging performances, three main characteristics are commonly considered: uniformity, spatial resolution and energy resolution. Major improvements were mainly due to progress in terms of industrial process regarding analogical electronic, crystal growing or PMTs manufacturing. Todayʹs gamma camera is highly digital, from the PMTs to the display. All the corrections are applied “on the fly” using up to date signal processing techniques. At the same time some significant progresses have been achieved in the field of collimators. Finally, two new technologies have been implemented, solid detectors like CdTe or CdZnTe, and pixellized scintillators plus photodiodes or position sensitive photomultiplier tubes. These solutions are particularly well adapted to build dedicated gamma camera for breast or intraoperative imaging.