Author/Authors :
Sportelli، نويسنده , , G. and Straub، نويسنده , , K. and Aiello، نويسنده , , M. and Attanasi، نويسنده , , F. and Belcari، نويسنده , , N. and Camarlinghi، نويسنده , , N. and Cirrone، نويسنده , , G.A.P. and Cuttone، نويسنده , , G. and Ferretti، نويسنده , , S. and Marino، نويسنده , , N. and Nicolosi، نويسنده , , D. and Romano، نويسنده , , F. and Rosso، نويسنده , , V. and Del Guerra، نويسنده , , A.، نويسنده ,
Abstract :
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a valuable technique to monitor in situ and non-invasively the particle range in ion beam therapy exploiting the beta+ activity produced in nuclear interactions along the beam path within the target volume. Due to the high random rates and dead-time losses induced by the particle spills, as of to date data are usually acquired during beam pauses or after the irradiation. We have developed a new PET prototype with a faster photon discrimination component that reduces the front-end dead time, and a modularized acquisition system that parallelizes the sensitive detector area, so as to enable data acquisition also during therapeutic irradiation (full in-beam measurement). The PET system has been able to sustain the single photon count rates and acquire coincidences during the beam, in conditions of sub-clinical beam currents. A study on the paralyzation conditions and dead time losses under different beam currents is presented and the feasibility of a full in-beam PET scanner is discussed.
