An overview of the Clear-PEM breast imaging scanner

We present an overview of the Clear-PEM breast imaging scanner. Clear-PEM is a unique dual-head Positron Emission Mammography scanner using APD-based detector modules that are capable of measuring depth-of-interaction (DOI) with a resolution of 2 mm in 20 mm long LYSO:Ce crystals. Such capability leads to an image spatial resolution of 1.2 mm and a high efficiency, foreseeing the detection of 3 mm breast lesions in less than 7 minutes exams. The full system comprises 192 detector modules in a total of 6144 LYSO:Ce crystals and 384 32-pixel APD arrays readout by ASICs with 192 input channels that represents an unprecedented level of integration in PET systems. Throughout the project and besides the detector module, we had developed dedicated Frontend and Data Acquisition electronics, the mechanical design and construction of the detector heads and the robotic gantry, as well as all the software that include calibration (energy, time and DOI), normalization and image reconstruction algorithms. In this work we will discuss the developments and present the commissioning results of the detector before the beginning of the clinical trials program, scheduled for the end of the present year.