Title :
The development of a Compton lung densitometer
Author :
Loo, Billy W. ; Goulding, Fred S. ; Madden, Norm W. ; Simon, Daniel S.
Author_Institution :
Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA, USA
fDate :
2/1/1989 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A field instrument is being developed for the noninvasive determination of absolute lung density using unique Compton backscattering techniques. A system consisting of a monoenergetic gamma-ray beam and a shielded high-resolution, high-purity-germanium (HPGe) detector in a close-coupled geometry is designed to minimize errors due to multiple scattering and uncontrollable attenuation in the chest wall. Results of studies on system performance with phantoms, the optimization of detectors, and the fabrication of a practical gamma-ray source are presented. It is concluded that the compact one-source one-detector system that has been developed has the potential of becoming a clinical instrument for measuring pulmonary edema
Keywords :
biomedical equipment; biomedical measurement; densitometry; gamma-ray applications; Compton backscattering techniques; Ge; absolute lung density; attenuation; clinical instrument; close-coupled geometry; gamma-ray source; monoenergetic gamma-ray beam; multiple scattering; phantoms; pulmonary edema; Attenuation; Backscatter; Gamma ray detection; Gamma ray detectors; Geometry; Imaging phantoms; Instruments; Lungs; Scattering; System performance;
Journal_Title :
Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on
