Comparative Performance Analysis of Crystals in Total-Body PET Scanners: Monte-Carlo Simulation Study with Different Materials and Geometry

TL;DR

This study uses Monte Carlo simulations to compare different crystal materials and shapes in total-body PET scanners, revealing how these factors influence sensitivity, timing, and energy resolution for improved scanner design.

Contribution

It provides a detailed simulation-based comparison of crystal materials and geometries, highlighting their effects on PET scanner performance parameters.

Findings

Pyramid-shaped LYSO crystals achieve 42 ps CTR.

GAGG crystals have 6% worse CTR but 25% better energy resolution than LYSO.

Cuboidal LYSO crystals are 37% more sensitive than GAGG.

Abstract

Total-Body PET (TB-PET) scanners represent a significant advancement in medical diagnostics, exemplified by the uEXPLORER, the world's first TB-PET system with an axial span of 194 cm, which exhibits exceptional sensitivity and spatial resolution. This study employs the Monte Carlo simulation toolkit Geant4 to evaluate various configurations and materials of detector crystals. We concentrate on three critical parameters: sensitivity, intrinsic coincidence time resolution (CTR), and energy resolution across three crystal designs: 1)standard LYSO crystals as the baseline; 2)0.1% Mg, 1% Ce doped $Gd_3Al_2Ga_3O_{12}$ (Mg,Ce:GAGG) as an alternative material; and 3)pyramid-shaped LYSO crystals, which maintain the same dimensions as the standard LYSO. The research is grounded in the geometric configuration of the uEXPLORER. Our findings reveal that pyramid-shaped LYSO crystals exhibit superior performance, achieving an impressive CTR of 42 ps. In contrast, PET detectors utilizing doped GAGG crystals demonstrate a 6% reduction in intrinsic CTR compared to LYSO. However, Mg,Ce:GAGG crystals surpass LYSO in energy resolution by 25%, while cuboidal LYSO crystals achieve approximately 37% greater sensitivity than their Mg,Ce:GAGG counterparts. These results underscore the impact of different crystal materials and geometries on PET scanner performance, emphasizing the trade-offs among sensitivity, coincidence time resolution (CTR), and energy resolution. Such insights are pivotal for informing the design of future TB-PET systems.