An Evaluation of Semiconductor Detectors for Positron Tomography

Positron tomography utilizing conventional detector technology realizes images with a spatial resolution that is from 5 to 15 times worse than the spatial resolution achieved in x-ray computerized tomography (CT). The inherently high contrast of radionuclide images (when compared to CT) is then lost, especially when small lesions are sought. A preliminary evaluation indicates that semiconductor detectors offer the potential to yield high sensitivity, high spatial resolution, fast devices capable of imaging over clinically significant areas.