Gamma Radiation Imaging System via Variable and Time-Multiplexed Pinhole Arrays
1
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Azrieli College of Engineering, Jerusalem 9103501, Israel
2
Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem 9103102, Israel
3
Faculty of Engineering, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to the research.
Sensors 2020, 20(11), 3013; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20113013
Received: 22 April 2020
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Revised: 20 May 2020
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Accepted: 21 May 2020
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Published: 26 May 2020
(This article belongs to the Section Biomedical Sensors)
Biomedical planar imaging using gamma radiation is a very important screening tool for medical diagnostics. Since lens imaging is not available in gamma imaging, the current methods use lead collimator or pinhole techniques to perform imaging. However, due to ineffective utilization of the gamma radiation emitted from the patient’s body and the radioactive dose limit in patients, poor image signal to noise ratio (SNR) and long image capturing time are evident. Furthermore, the resolution is related to the pinhole diameter, thus there is a tradeoff between SNR and resolution. Our objectives are to reduce the radioactive dose given to the patient and to preserve or improve SNR, resolution and capturing time while incorporating three-dimensional capabilities in existing gamma imaging systems. The proposed imaging system is based on super-resolved time-multiplexing methods using both variable and moving pinhole arrays. Simulations were performed both in MATLAB and GEANT4, and gamma single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) experiments were conducted to support theory and simulations. The proposed method is able to reduce the radioactive dose and image capturing time and to improve SNR and resolution. The results and method enhance the gamma imaging capabilities that exist in current systems, while providing three-dimensional data on the object.
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Keywords:
biomedical imaging; coded aperture imaging; image coding; image resolution; multipinhole collimators; nuclear medicine; pinhole collimators; SPECT
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MDPI and ACS Style
Schwarz, A.; Shemer, A.; Danan, Y.; Bar-Shalom, R.; Avraham, H.; Zlotnik, A.; Zalevsky, Z. Gamma Radiation Imaging System via Variable and Time-Multiplexed Pinhole Arrays. Sensors 2020, 20, 3013. https://doi.org/10.3390/s20113013
AMA Style
Schwarz A, Shemer A, Danan Y, Bar-Shalom R, Avraham H, Zlotnik A, Zalevsky Z. Gamma Radiation Imaging System via Variable and Time-Multiplexed Pinhole Arrays. Sensors. 2020; 20(11):3013. https://doi.org/10.3390/s20113013
Chicago/Turabian StyleSchwarz, Ariel, Amir Shemer, Yossef Danan, Rachel Bar-Shalom, Hemy Avraham, Alex Zlotnik, and Zeev Zalevsky. 2020. "Gamma Radiation Imaging System via Variable and Time-Multiplexed Pinhole Arrays" Sensors 20, no. 11: 3013. https://doi.org/10.3390/s20113013
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