鉗子型ミニPETの開発に向けた平行開閉動作可能な鉗子先端機構の開発

抄録

Forceps-type mini-PET detects metastatic lymph nodes by putting them between two scintillators on the tip. This detection can reduce the accuracy easily depending on the distance between the scintillators. In this paper, we developed a tip mechanism using a parallel link mechanism to keep the distance between scintillators at a constant level. We evaluated the motion of the proposed mechanism by measuring the distance under the three conditions. From the results, the maximum difference between the hand side and the tip side was 0.08 [mm]. This result showed the proposed mechanism could move with good precision. However, the measured distances were slightly larger than the calculated values using the mechanical design for all experimental conditions. These results suggested that the rod was inserted in the inclining state. As a next research step, we improve the mechanism and evaluate the detection of the radiation sources in the imitated environment.