GAMMA CAMERA

GAMMA
CAMERA

a
• Gamma radiation is one of the three types of
natural radioactivity discovered by Becquerel in
1896. Gamma rays were first observed in 1900 by
the French chemist Paul Villard when he was
investigating radiation from radium
 GAMMA
CAMERA
 Developed by Hal Anger at in
Berkeley therefore also called Anger 1957
camera
 An electronic device that detects gamma rays
emitted by radio pharmaceautical (e.g technetium
99m (Tc-99m) that have been introduced into the
body as tracers. The position of the source of the
radioactivity can be plotted and displayed on a TV
monitor or photographic film.
 GAMMA CAMERA

• Gamma camera detects radioactive energy that is emitted from

the patient's body and converts it into an image.
• The gamma camera does not emit any radiation.
• The gamma camera is composed of radiation detectors, called
gamma camera heads, which are encased in metal and plastic and
most often shaped like a box, attached to a round circular donut
shaped gantry.
• The patient lies on the examination table which slides in between
the parallel gamma camera heads which are suspended over the
examination table and located beneath the examination table.
• Sometimes, the gamma camera heads are oriented at a 90 degree
angle and placed over the patient's body.
 WORKING PRINCIPLE

Note: the gamma camera emitted in all direction

COMPONENTS OF GAMMA
CAMERA
Collimator
NaI(Tl) crystal.
Photomultiplier Tubes(PMT)
Pre-amplifier
Position logic circuits
Amplifier
Pulse height analyzer
 Data Analysis Computer
Display (Cathode Ray Tube etc).
Gantry
THE MAIN COMPONENTS
FLOW DIAGRAM OF
GAMMA CAMERA
 COLLIMATOR
 Collimator is made from lead.
 Maintains the quality of image
 Spaces between holes known as septa
 Collimator consisting of a series of holes in a lead plate can
be used to select the direction of the rays falling on the
crystal. There are 4 types of collimator.
◦ Parallel-hole collimator
◦ Pin-hole collimator
◦ Diverging
◦ Converging
 Most collimators in use are parallel hole collimators. A
parallel hole collimator is shown schematically in Figure.
COLLIMATOR(CONT )
SCINTILLATOR (CRYSTAL)
 Sodium iodide with thallium NaI( Tl )
 The main function of crystal is convert gamma ray to
photons of visible light process called scintillation.
 Amount of light proportional to deposited energy.
CRYSTAL (CONT)
PHOTOMULTIPLIER TUBE(PMT)
• The photomultiplier tube (PMT) is an
instrument that converts light to electrical
signals.
• Gamma Camera contains 37 -91 PMT.
• It detects and amplifies the electrons that are
produced by the photocathode. The
photocathode, when stimulated by light
photons, ejects electrons. The PMT is attached
to the back of the crystal.
 PHOTOMULTIPLIER
TUBE(PMT)
Only a very small amount of light is given
off from the scintillation detector. Only one
electron is generated for every 7 to 10
photons incident on the photocathode.This
electron is dynode
absorbs focused on
electrons (usually 6a itto 10).These
that manynew
electrons are focused on the nextmoredynode
and
and the process is repeated over and over
in an array of dynodes.re-
emits
At the base of the PMT is an anode that
attracts the final large cluster of electrons
and converts them into an electrical pulse.
 PRE AMPLIFIER AND
AMPLIFIER
 Preamps attach above the PMT.

 The amount of charge given by

PMT is very small. Even though
we have used a sophisticated
photodetector like a PMT we still
end up with quite a small
electrical signal.

 A very sensitive amplifier is

therefore needed to amplify this
signal. This type of amplifier is
generally called a pre-amplifier.

 Afte that use amlifier to amlify

the signal as need.
 POSITIO CIRCUITARY & PULSE
HEIGHT ANALYSER

Position circuitary receive the electrical impulses from the

tubes in the summing matrix circuit (SMC).

This allows the position circuits to determine where each

scintillation event occurred in the detector crystal

 The amplitude of each electrical pulse from the amplifiers is

measured in the electrical circuits of the pulse-height analyzer

 Peak height analyzer and a computer convert the light into a

useful anatomical image
 PHA

• A pulse-height analyzer (PHA) is an instrument that accepts electronic

pulses of varying heights from particle and event detectors, digitizes the
pulse heights, and saves the number of pulses of each height in registers
or channels, thus recording a pulse-height spectrum or pulse-height
distribution used for later pulse-height analysis. PHAs are used in
nuclear- and elementary-particle physics research. A PHA is a specific
modification to multichannel analyzers.
• A pulse-height analyzer is also integrated into particle counters or used
as a discrete module to calibrate particle counters.
DATA ANALYSIS COMPUTER
Finally, a processing computer is used to deal
with the incoming projection data and processes it
into a readable image of the 3D spatial
distribution of activity within the patient.

The computer may use various methods

to reconstruct an image, such as filtered
back projection or iterative reconstruction.
 GANTRY
A gamma camera system attached with
gantry.
All circuits and motors related to movement
( longitudnal,rotational,up & down)of
gamma camera placed in gantry.

gantry
GAMMA CAMERA
SCAN
The scan of whole body.
APPLICATION OF GAMMA
CAMERA
 GAMMA CAMERA used to locate cancerous tumours,minor
bone fractures,abnormal functioning of organs and other
medical problems .
 Iodine-131 is used to detect thyroid (a gland that absorbs
Iodine) problems.
 Technetium-99 is used to find tumours in the body.
 Gamma camera give structural and functional image of body
organs.
 Bone scan.
 Myocardial Perfusion
 Lungs scan.
 Kidney function.
 Thyroid uptake
 Whole body scan.
THANK YOU