Radiation diagnosis device with a first detector detecting Cherenkov light and a second detector detecting energy information of radiation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12004887-B2
Application number	US-202117162043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2021
Priority date	Jan 31, 2020
Publication date	Jun 11, 2024
Grant date	Jun 11, 2024

Abstract

A radiation diagnosis device according to an embodiment includes a first detector and a second detector. The first detector detects Cherenkov light generated when a radiation passes. The second detector is provided to face the first detector on a side farther from a source of generating the radiation and detects the energy information of the radiation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A radiation diagnosis device, comprising:
a first detector configured to detect Cherenkov light generated when Tall radiation passes; and
a second detector provided to face the first detector on a side farther from a source of generating the radiation, and configured to detect energy information of the radiation.

2. The radiation diagnosis device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first detector and the second detector are ring-shaped detectors, and
a diameter of the first detector is smaller than a diameter of the second detector.

3. The radiation diagnosis device according to claim 2 , wherein
the radiation is consists of pair-annihilation gamma-rays, and
the radiation diagnosis device further comprises:
first timing information acquisition circuitry configured to acquire first timing information of the pair-annihilation gamma-rays in the first detector; and
second timing information acquisition circuitry configured to acquire second timing information of the on pair-annihilation gamma-rays in the second detector in order to specify an event of the pair-annihilation gamma-rays in which the first timing information is acquired, based on the first timing information.

4. The radiation diagnosis device according to claim 3 , further comprising:
processing circuitry configured to specify that the first timing information and the second timing information are acquired based on the same pair-annihilation gamma-rays when the first timing information and the second timing information are included in a predetermined time window.

5. The radiation diagnosis device according to claim 4 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to estimate a line of response (LOR) of the radiation, based on the first timing information.

6. The radiation diagnosis device according to claim 5 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to estimate the line of response (LOR) of the radiation by correcting, based on a detection result of the first detector, a line of response (LOR) estimated based on a detection result of the second detector.

7. The radiation diagnosis device according to claim 5 , wherein
the second timing information acquisition circuitry is configured to further acquire the energy information of the pair-annihilation gamma-rays in the second detector, and
the processing circuitry is further configured to specify that the first timing information and the second timing information are acquired based on the same pair-annihilation gamma-rays when the energy information is included in a predetermined energy window.

8. The radiation diagnosis device according to claim 2 , wherein
the radiation is consists of pair-annihilation gamma-rays, and
the radiation diagnosis device further comprises processing circuitry configured to
determine coincidence, based on the energy information and timing information of the pair-annihilation gamma-rays detected in the second detector, and
specify the timing information in the first detector corresponding to an event of the gamma-rays detected in the second detector, based on the determined coincidence.

9. The radiation diagnosis device according to claim 2 , wherein a detector column length of the first detector is shorter than a detector column length of the second detector.

10. The radiation diagnosis device according to claim 1 , wherein the first detector includes a light emitter configured to generate the Cherenkov light as the radiation passes,
the second detector includes a scintillator, and
the light emitter of the first detector is thinner than the scintillator of the second detector.

11. The radiation diagnosis device according to claim 10 , wherein a pixel size of the light emitter is smaller than a pixel size of the scintillator.

12. The radiation diagnosis device according to claim 10 , wherein the light emitter comprises a medium that suppresses a scintillation by the radiation.

13. The radiation diagnosis device according to claim 1 , wherein tie first detector and the second detector are arranged so that center lines of a plurality of pixels forming the first detector are displaced from center lines of a plurality of pixels forming the second detector.

14. A radiation diagnosis method to be performed by a radiation diagnosis device, the radiation diagnosis method comprising:
detecting, with a first detector, Cherenkov light that is generated when radiation passes; and
detecting, with a second detector, energy information of the radiation, the second detector being provided to face the first detector on a side farther from a source of generating the radiation.

Assignees

• Canon Medical Systems Corp

Inventors

• Kawata Go
• Nakai Hiroaki

Classifications

• A61B6/482

  involving multiple energy imaging · CPC title

• A61B6/4275

  using a detector unit almost surrounding the patient, e.g. more than 180° · CPC title

• A61B6/4258

  for detecting non x-ray radiation, e.g. gamma radiation (A61B6/037 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01T1/2985

  In depth localisation, e.g. using positron emitters; Tomographic imaging (longitudinal and transverse section imaging; apparatus for radiation diagnosis sequentially in different planes, steroscopic radiation diagnosis); (using external radiation sources A61B6/02) · CPC title

• G01T1/22 Primary

  with Cerenkov detectors · CPC title