Evaluation of a PET Detector for a Next Generation Preclinical PET/EPRI

We are developing a next generation PET/EPRI hybrid scanner, based on the encouraging animal imaging results produced by PET/EPRI imager. The new PET detector will have ∼10.0 cm axial field-of-view, which is 4 time longer than the present system to provide full body imaging for small animals, and thereby enabling PET and EPRI correlation studies of tumors, particularly relating to hypoxia. In addition to the longer axial FOV, smaller crystals (pitch ∼1.0 mm) will be used to achieve sub-millimeter spatial resolution required for small animal imaging. We devised a new method for SiPM signal readout by combining the conventional resistor network and the strip-line based multiplexing to efficiently handle the increased number of SiPMs in the new PET. A prototype PET detector module was built by adopting the newly devised readout method, its various performance properties were measured. Preliminary results shows that the prototype PET detector is suitable for the next generation PET/EPRI. We present the design of the PET detector, and preliminary results obtained from the performance test.