A Macintosh-based multi-energy data acquisition system for gamma cameras

A multienergy data acquisition system based on the Macintosh II computer and a commercial ADC (analog-to-digital converter) subsystem has been developed to allow the application of sophisticated Compton-scatter correction procedures. The system has been interfaced with a GE 400AT SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) camera system, and preliminary testing has shown that the system will perform well enough to allow evaluation of various Compton-scatter correction methods in SPECT imaging. The system digitizes position and energy signals from the camera to 12 b, bins the data into images, and transfers the data via an Ethernet interface to an extensive computer network for reconstruction and analysis. The system provides gantry control signals for tomographic acquisition. Although the present count rate capability is rather limited, it is nevertheless a flexible, inexpensive acquisition platform capable of acquiring the multienergy data required to develop improved scatter correction methods.<>