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The ECAT III has a unique data collection system in which all events are collected under the control of a 125 MHz clock. On each bank of 32 detectors (16 banks of 32 per ring) events are time encoded relative to the master clock and also encoded as to whether or not they are single events, nearest neighbor, triple or more than triple events. The ECAT III was designed primarily with a view towards imaging the heart. The gantry both rotates about the vertical axis and tilts about the horizontal axis to allow the optimum imaging angle of the heart. The patient opening is 65 cm in diameter to allow these motions. The initial experience with the ECAT III in imaging phantoms, animals, and man is described.
Hoffman et al. (Wed,) studied this question.