Performance Characteristics of the NeuroEXPLORER, a Next-Generation Human Brain PET/CT Imager.

The collaboration of Yale, the University of California, Davis, and United Imaging Healthcare has successfully developed the NeuroEXPLORER, a dedicated human brain PET imager with high spatial resolution, high sensitivity, and a built-in 3-dimensional camera for markerless continuous motion tracking. It has high depth-of-interaction and time-of-flight resolutions, along with a 52.4-cm transverse field of view (FOV) and an extended axial FOV (49.5 cm) to enhance sensitivity. Here, we present the physical characterization, performance evaluation, and first human images of the NeuroEXPLORER. Methods: Measurements of spatial resolution, sensitivity, count rate performance, energy and timing resolution, and image quality were performed adhering to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) NU 2-2018 standard. The system's performance was demonstrated through imaging studies of the Hoffman 3-dimensional brain phantom and the mini-Derenzo phantom. Initial 18F-FDG images from a healthy volunteer are presented. Results: With filtered backprojection reconstruction, the radial and tangential spatial resolutions (full width at half maximum) averaged 1.64, 2.06, and 2.51 mm, with axial resolutions of 2.73, 2.89, and 2.93 mm for radial offsets of 1, 10, and 20 cm, respectively. The average time-of-flight resolution was 236 ps, and the energy resolution was 10.5%. NEMA sensitivities were 46.0 and 47.6 kcps/MBq at the center and 10-cm offset, respectively. A sensitivity of 11.8% was achieved at the FOV center. The peak noise-equivalent count rate was 1.31 Mcps at 58.0 kBq/mL, and the scatter fraction at 5.3 kBq/mL was 36.5%. The maximum count rate error at the peak noise-equivalent count rate was less than 5%. At 3 iterations, the NEMA image-quality contrast recovery coefficients varied from 74.5% (10-mm sphere) to 92.6% (37-mm sphere), and background variability ranged from 3.1% to 1.4% at a contrast of 4.0:1. An example human brain 18F-FDG image exhibited very high resolution, capturing intricate details in the cortex and subcortical structures. Conclusion: The NeuroEXPLORER offers high sensitivity and high spatial resolution. With its long axial length, it also enables high-quality spinal cord imaging and image-derived input functions from the carotid arteries. These performance enhancements will substantially broaden the range of human brain PET paradigms, protocols, and thereby clinical research applications.

[Analyse Output Specurum in Miniature Transmission X-Ray Tube of Aluminum Window and Silver Target by MC Simulation].

The miniature transmission X-ray tube is widely used in energy dispersive X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (EDXRFA). The miniature transmission X-ray tube with a small, low power consumption, X-ray emission efficiency that can be made the excitation source of handheld X-ray energy dispersive fluorescence analyzer. Beryllium (Be) is the most commonly used X-ray window material. But beryllium is expensive and toxic. At the same time set filtering window by aluminum (Al) to reducing low-energy scattering rays. This paper be adopted Al for exit window material of miniature transmission X-ray tube, achieve high-energy rays transmission and low-energy scattered radiation shielding, at the same time reduce production cost and difficulty. The present paper simulate the X-ray tube output spectrum of silver (Ag) target and aluminum window with different thickness by MCNP5. We consider the X-ray of low energy part is completely shielded when aluminum windows thickness is greater than 1.5 mm. We can conclude that 2 µm and 0.8 mm are the best combination of target thickness and aluminum windows through comparative analysis of existing research results. Then we can get flux of high energy part is big and low energy part is small when the target is 2 µm thick Ag and the window is 0.8 mm thick Al.