Position sensitive detectors for medical imaging

Abstract

The application of position sensitive radiation detectors in medical imaging is fundamental to improvements in image quality and quantification that underwrites the search for better diagnosis and treatment. Developments in particle physics, nuclear physics and astronomy could have a profound impact on medical imaging by overcoming the limitations of existing technology. The advent of new scintillators and semi-conductors allied to the enormous advances in micro-electronics and microprocessing should lead to substantial improvements in autoradiography, digital radiography, positron emission tomography, single photon emission tomography and other imaging methods relevant to medicine. In this paper we discuss recent developments which may be relevant to improved medical imaging on a broad front.