Gamma camera
The two collimators are in position for a myocardial scintigraphy .
The gamma camera (also called the Anger camera , after its inventor Hal Anger ; rarely also called a scintigraph ) is a diagnostic device in nuclear medicine .
With the help of this long-term camera, distribution patterns of γ-emitting radionuclides (e.g. 131 iodine or 99m Tc ) can be displayed in the patient, which can give the doctor information about pathological changes. The gamma camera has an array- like arrangement of scintillation counters , so that ultimately a spatially resolving structure is created because the isotopic accumulations in the human body are displayed. (Marker) gamma cameras consist of a collimator aperture , scintillation crystal , light guide and photomultiplier . The collimator apertures are selected depending on the energy of the radionuclide used and the desired image resolution.
The image that is created with a gamma camera is called a scintigram or scintigraphy (see there for specific applications).
The forerunner of the gamma camera was the scanner used in the 1960s , the original imaging device in nuclear medicine: a so-called scanner head - consisting of (exchangeable) lead collimator, scintillator (encapsulated Tl-doped NaI crystal), light guide (e.g. silicone grease) , Photomultiplier and preamplifier - moved in lines over the organ to be examined and registered the regional radiation intensity. This was converted into a corresponding electrical pulse density in the photomultiplier and finally (possibly also color-coded) put on paper as a more or less dense line pattern.
literature
- SP Povoski et al: A comprehensive overview of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology. In: World Journal of Surgical Oncology 7, 2009, 11 doi : 10.1186 / 1477-7819-7-11 (review article in Open Access )
