Advancement in Scintillator Driving the Progress of Nuclear Medicine

Abstract

  Scintillators are essential components of gamma cameras and PET scanners, both key imaging systems in nuclear medicine. Following radiopharmaceutical administration, gamma rays emitted from the body first interact with the scintillator, generating photoelectrons that are subsequently processed to produce clinical images. Enhancing scintillator performance can drive advancements in nuclear medicine. While gamma camera imaging, including SPECT, utilizes various radiopharmaceuticals labeled with isotopes such as ¹²³I and ^99mTc, its performance remains insufficient for clinical applications among recent medical advances. In this regard, PET imaging surpasses gamma cameras in resolution and sensitivity, expected to be utilized more extensively. Furthermore, fast-decay scintillators enable time-of-flight gamma-ray measurement, significantly improving spatial resolution and reducing noise. PET holds the greatest promise particularly in neuroscience, given the brain’s complexity and limitations in invasive measurement. Notably, PET remains the only modality capable of quantitative imaging of deep brain regions.