• 대한방사선기술학회지:방사선기술과학
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.5-11
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• 1999

This paper reviews recent major activities on instrumentation and methodology of PET. The performance of the PET instrumentation can be expressed by four physical characteristics, 1) spatial resolution, 2) coincidence resolving time, 3) energy resolution, and 4) detection efficiency. The physical and technical aspects of PET systems are briefly discussed along with these characteristics. Toward high resolution PET the recent trend has been to design multiple rings of densely packed detector arrays with scintillators. In order to satisfy the sampling requirement in reconstruction, continuous detector units has been developed. Iterative image reconstruction algorithms have received considerable attention for improvement of both the sampling requirement and image quality toward the stationary PET. Better resolving time improves the maximum true coincidence rate, which is also increased with more detectors placed in coincidence with each other. It suggests that volume PET is promising for enhancement of detection efficiency. The scattered coincidence event rate may be reduced by using detectors with better energy resolution. The use of interplane septa, however, takes over improvement of energy resolution in 2D PET. Energy resolution becomes an important factor for image quality under the condition of septa removal such as volume PET. Toward full utilization of emitting photons, 3D reconstruction incorporating oblique rays has been studied, and volume reconstruction algorithms have been developed. Practical volume PET systems impose heavy burden not only to detector sets and coincidence circuits, but also to computers in the memory requirements and the data processing. In conclusion, there have been many ingenious methods in development of PET instrumentation, which are based on unique capability of PET. They will be expected to overcome technical limitations, and to approach the fundamental limits.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권4호
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• pp.1532-1537
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• 2024

Time-of-flight (TOF) PET detectors with fast-rise-time scintillators and fast-single photon time resolution silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) have been developed to improve the coincidence timing resolution (CTR) to sub-100 ps. The CTR can be further improved with an optimal bandwidth and minimized electronic noise in the readout circuit and this helps reduce the distortion of the fast signals generated from the TOF-PET detector. The purpose of this study was to develop an ultra-high frequency and fully-differential (UF-FD) readout circuit that minimizes distortion in the fast signals produced using TOF-PET detectors, and suppresses the impact of the electronic noise generated from the detector and front-end readout circuits. The proposed UF-FD readout circuit is composed of two differential amplifiers (time) and a current feedback operational amplifier (energy). The ultra-high frequency differential (7 GHz) amplifiers can reduce the common ground noise in the fully-differential mode and minimize the distortion in the fast signal. The CTR and energy resolution were measured to evaluate the performance of the UF-FD readout circuit. These results were compared with those obtained from a high-frequency and single ended readout circuit. The experiment results indicated that the UF-FD readout circuit proposed in this study could substantially improve the best achievable CTR of TOF-PET detectors.

• 대한핵의학회지
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.65-75
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• 1999

목적: 종양 환자의 평가에 있어서 초고에너지 조준기를 장착하여 511 keV에 적용시킨 감마카메라로 FDG 전신 평면 영상(FDG W/B scan)을 얻어 충분한 정보를 얻을 수 있는지 알아보고 동시에 같은 카메라로 동시계수 회로를 이용한 양전자 방출 단층촬영(FDG CoDe PET)을 실시하여 그 결과를 비교하였다. 대상 및 방법: F-18 FDG를 이용하여 초고에너지 조준기와 동시계수 양전자 방출영상에 대해 각각 팬텀 실험을 실시하였고, 악성종양이 의심되거나 진단된 환자 14명을 대상으로 FDG 전신 평면 영상과 양전자 방출 단층 영상을 얻어 방사선학적 검사, 임상적 추적관찰, 조직학적 검사 등과 비교하였다. 결과: 평면 영상에서는 해상력 13.1 mm, 민감도 2638 cpm/MBq/ml, 동시계수 영상에서는 공간 해상력 7.49 mm, 민감도 5351 cpm/MBq/ml로 측정되었다. FDG CoDe PET에서 14명의 환자 중 8명에서 FDG의 섭취가 있었다. 두 방법 모두에서 FDG 섭취가 없었던 병변은 모두 CT에서 1 cm 이하 였으나 한 예에서 2 cm 크기의 전이성 림프절을 찾지 못하였다. FDG 섭취를 보였던 병변은 모두 CT상 1.5cm 이상이거나 여러 개가 모여 있는 병변이었다. FDG W/B scan은 FDG CoDe PET와 거의 비슷한 결과를 보였으나 위음성과 위양성이 1예씩 더 있었다. FDG CoDe PET에서 보였던 다수의 폐 결절과 간 결절들이 FDG W/B scan에서 한 예를 제외하고는 모두 발견되었다. 결론: 감마카메라에 의한 FDG 영상들은 악성 종양의 감별, 병기 결정, 추적검사 등에 유용하게 쓰일 수 있을 것으로 간주되며, SPECT 카메라가 널리 보급되어 있으므로 FDG 전신 평면영상과 동시계수 양전자 방출영상은 서로 보완적으로 쓰이면서 FDG의 지역 분배 공급을 통해 기존의 PET를 대신하여 FDG를 이용한 더 많은 임상적 이용 및 영상진단을 가능하게 할 것이다.

• 한국의학물리학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국의학물리학회 2002년도 Proceedings
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• pp.311-313
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• 2002

We are under development of a 3D PET scanner with depth of interaction (DOI) capable of high sensitivity and high resolution. In this scanner, a maximum data transfer rate of coincidence pair's event information is 10 Mcps and one event is a 64-bit data format. This maximum data transfer rate corresponds by 10 times a conventional PET scanner. A data acquisition system, which fulfills the specification of this scanner, is considered for parallel collection with banks including several coincidence units. Data transfer rate is improved by optimizing parameters of a message size, and so on.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제53권10호
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• pp.3406-3412
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• 2021

A real-time digital time-stamp sorting algorithm used in the In-Beam positron emission tomography (In-Beam PET) is presented. The algorithm is operated in the field programmable gate array (FPGA) and a small amount of registers, MUX and memory cells are used. It is developed for sorting the data of annihilation event from front-end circuits, so as to identify the coincidence events efficiently in a large amount of data. In the In-Beam PET, each annihilation event is detected by the detector array and digitized by the analog to digital converter (ADC) in Data Acquisition Unit (DAQU), with a resolution of 14 bits and sampling rate of 50 MS/s. Test and preliminary operation have been implemented, it can perform a sorting operation under the event count rate up to 1 MHz per channel, and support four channels in total, count rate up to 4 MHz. The performance of this algorithm has been verified by pulse generator and ²²Na radiation source, which can sort the events with chaotic order into chronological order completely. The application of this algorithm provides not only an efficient solution for selection of coincidence events, but also a design of electronic circuit with a small-scale structure.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• 제47권5호
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• pp.642-649
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• 1999

연구배경: 비소세포폐암의 림프절의 병기 결정은 치료 및 예후 결정에 매우 중요하나 정확한 병기 결정에는 많은 어려움이 있다. 야에 저자들은 최근에 개발된 CoDe PET의 림프절 병기 결정에 대한 유용성을 알아보고자 하였다. 방 법: 1998년 2월부터 1999년 6월까지 아주대학교병원에 내원하여 원발성 비소세포폐암으로 진단되어 치료를 시행하였던 환자 21예를 대상으로 하였다. 수술적 술전 폐암의 병기 결정을 위하여 흉부 전산화단층촬영, 복부 초음파검사, 전신 골주사 촬영, CoDe PET를 시행하였다. 대상 환자들의 수술후 병리학적 병기를 기준으로 하여서 CoDe PET로 결정된 림프절 병기의 민감도, 특이도, 양성 예측도, 음성 예측도, 정확도를 분석하였다. 결 과: 21예의 비소세포폐암중 20예에서 원발 종괴에 $^{18}FDG$가 섭취되었으며 위음성이 1예가 있었다. 림프절 병기에 있어 전체 21예중 13예에서는 병리학적 병기와 일치하였다. 병리학적 N0는 14예이었으며 CoDe PET의 N0에 대한 특이도는 64.3%이었다. N1 림프절에 대한 민감도는 83.3%, 특이도는 73.3%, 양성 예측도는 55.6%, 음성 예측도는 91.7%, 정확도는 76.2%이였다. N2 림프절에 대한 민감도는 60.0%, 특이도는 87.5%, 양성 예측도는 60.0%, 음성 예측도는 87.5%, 정확도는 90.0%이었다. 병리학적으로 그 크기가 측정된 림프절 29개중 암세포의 침윤이 있었던 림프절은 6개이었으며 이중 3개의 림프절은 CoDe PET에 국소 섭취로 나타났다. 위음성으로 나타난 3개의 림프절은 그 크기가 모두 1cm 이하였으며, 양성으로 나타난 림프절의 크기는 각각 1.1cm, 1.0cm, 0.5cm이었다. 크기가 1cm 이상이나 암세포의 침윤이 없었던 12개의 림프절중 1예에서만 위양성으로 나타났다. 5예에서는 위양성 소견을 보였는데 이중 1예는 폐결핵에 의한 육이종을 관찰할 수 있었으며, 1예는 pneumoconiosis, 1예는 anthracosis이었다. 결 론: CoDe PET는 크기가 1.5cm 이상의 림프절에 대한 음성 예측도가 비교적 높기 때문에 N3 림프절의 확대가 있는 비소세포폐암에서 CoDe PET를 시행하여 국소 섭취가 없는 경우에는 수술적 치료를 고려해 볼 수 있으리라 생각된다. 또한 CoDe PET는 아직 개발 단계에 있어서 향후 보다 더 발전된 영상을 얻을 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

• 대한핵의학회지
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• 제35권6호
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• pp.398-400
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• 2001

The authors report a case of unsuspected myocardial ischemia detected during CoDe FDG PET (coincidence detection fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomogram) which was performed for the evaluation of a solitary pulmonary nodule. Camera-based FDG PET without attenuation correction often reveals false defect in the inferior wall of the left ventricle in normals due to excessive attenuation. However, this asymptomatic patient had increased uptake in the inferior wall suggesting ischemic myocardium. The scan finding was confirmed by Tl-201 myocardial SPECT and coronary angiogram. The patient then underwent successful PTCA of mild RCA and right ventricular branch followed by right upper lobectomy for small cell lung cancer.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제56권7호
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• pp.2633-2640
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the reflector, surface treatment, and length of scintillation crystals on the performance of a time-of-flight and depth-of-interaction (TOF-DOI) PET detector with a dual-ended readout and to determine the best reflector and surface treatment. Various types of crystal arrays with three different reflectors (ESR, BaSO₄, and Toray), three different lateral surface treatments (all-polished (AP), all-roughened (AR), and partially roughened (PR, three sides polished, and one side roughened)), and two different lengths (20 and 15 mm) were fabricated. The highest light collection efficiency and best energy resolution were achieved using a crystal with a diffuse reflector (BaSO₄ for AP and Toray for AR). In contrast, the best coincidence timing resolution (CTR) was achieved using an AR crystal with a specular reflector (ESR). The best DOI resolution was achieved using an AR crystal with BaSO₄. Moreover, the results measured with the 20 mm long crystals were similar to those measured with the 15 mm long crystals. Therefore, we concluded that the dual-ended readout PET detector employing the crystal with AR lateral surface treatment and ESR was a good candidate for TOF-DOI PET because it provided excellent CTR and adequate DOI resolution.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제54권7호
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• pp.2592-2598
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• 2022

Research groups in the field of PET instrumentation are studying time-of-flight(TOF) technology to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of PET images. Scintillation light transport and collection plays an important role in improving the coincidence resolving time(CRT) of PET detector based on a pixelated crystal array. Four crystal arrays were designed by the different optical reflection configuration such as external reflectors and surface treatment on the CRT and compared with the light output, energy resolution and CRT. The design proposed in the study was composed of 8 × 8 LYSO crystal array consisted of 3 × 3 × 15 mm³ pixels. The entrance side was roughened while the other five surfaces were polished. Four sides of all crystal pixels were wrapped with ESR-film, and the entrance surface was covered by Teflon-tape. The design provided an excellent timing resolution of 210 ps and improved the CRT by 16% compared to the conventional method using a polishing treatment and ESR-film. This study provided a method for improving the light output and CRT of a pixelated scintillation crystal-based brain TOF PET detector. The proposed configuration might be an attractive detector design for TOF brain PET requiring fast timing performance with high cost-effectiveness.

• 대한핵의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한핵의학회 2000년도 2nd Korea-China Congress of Nuclear Medicine and 39th Annual Spring Meeting if the Korea SOciety Nuclear Medicine
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• pp.66.1-66.1
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• 2000