The first plastic scintillator-based positron emission tomography (PET) scanner was developed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Traditional PET scanners used in medical imaging typically employ inorganic scintillator materials such as lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) or bismuth germanate (BGO). However, plastic scintillators offer some advantages over inorganic scintillators, such as improved spatial resolution and timing characteristics.
One notable early example of a plastic scintillator-based PET scanner was the ClearPET scanner, developed by the Crystal Clear Collaboration. The Crystal Clear Collaboration was a consortium of European institutions and companies dedicated to developing advanced PET imaging technologies. The ClearPET scanner utilized plastic scintillators, specifically lutetium-based plastic scintillators, coupled with position-sensitive photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) for detecting gamma ray signals.
The use of plastic scintillators in PET scanners offered several benefits. Plastic scintillators have higher light output and faster response times compared to traditional inorganic scintillators. This allowed for better timing resolution and more precise localization of the gamma ray interactions within the detector, leading to improved spatial resolution in the reconstructed PET images. Additionally, plastic scintillators are typically less expensive and easier to manufacture than inorganic scintillators, which can contribute to lower overall system costs.
Since the development of the ClearPET scanner, plastic scintillator-based PET scanners have continued to be researched and developed. Various advancements in plastic scintillator materials, photodetectors, and readout electronics have been made to enhance the performance of these scanners. Plastic scintillator-based PET scanners are particularly well-suited for applications that require high spatial resolution and fast timing, such as small animal imaging and certain research studies.
It’s worth noting that PET technology has continued to evolve, and there have been subsequent advancements beyond plastic scintillators, such as the use of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) and digital photon counting detectors. These newer technologies offer improved performance and capabilities in PET imaging.