The Tumor Resection Camera (TReCam), a multipixel imaging probe for radio-guided surgery

Using the POCI camera, we recently demonstrated the clinical impact of per-operative imaging techniques thanks to a successful clinical trial. Taking advantage of both the POCI experience and the availability of new pixelated detectors, we are developing a new hand held gamma camera TReCam (tumor resection camera). The first prototype offers a 49 × 49 mm² field of view. It combines a 15 mm thick parallel hole collimator (with an efficiency of 5.10^-4 and a spatial resolution of 7.5 mm at 50 mm), a 5 mm thick LaBr₃:Ce crystal optically coupled to a Hamamatsu H9500 flat panel multianode photomultiplier tube (MAPMT). The read-out of the MAPMT is ensured thanks to a new specific integrated circuit called HARDROC2 (hadronic Rpc detector readout chip). This chip was initially designed for the digital hadronic calorimeter (DHCAL) of the linear collider. The TReCam presents an intrinsic spatial resolution of 0.65 mm (FWHM) and an energetic resolution of 17.4% at 122 keV. The new read-out by the HARDROC2 chip is currently being implemented and using this new device energetic resolution is expected to be better.