Catarina Ortigao

Bio: Catarina Ortigao is an academic researcher from Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particles Physics. The author has contributed to research in topics: Detector & Positron emission mammography. The author has an hindex of 10, co-authored 41 publications receiving 467 citations.

Design and evaluation of the clear-PEM scanner for positron emission mammography

Abstract: The design and evaluation of the imaging system Clear-PEM for positron emission mammography, under development by the PEM Consortium within the framework of the Crystal Clear Collaboration at CERN, is presented. The proposed apparatus is based on fast, segmented, high atomic number radiation sensors with depth-of-interaction measurement capabilities, and state-of-the-art data acquisition techniques. The camera consists of two compact and planar detector heads with dimensions 16.5/spl times/14.5 cm/sup 2/ for breast and axilla imaging. Low-noise integrated electronics provide signal amplification and analog multiplexing based on a new data-driven architecture. The coincidence trigger and data acquisition architecture makes extensive use of pipeline processing structures and multi-event memories for high efficiency up to a data acquisition rate of one million events/s. Experimental validation of the detection techniques, namely the basic properties of the radiation sensors and the ability to measure the depth-of-interaction of the incoming photons, are presented. System performance in terms of detection sensitivity, count-rates and reconstructed image spatial resolution were also evaluated by means of a detailed Monte Carlo simulation and an iterative image reconstruction algorithm.

Geant4 applications and developments for medical physics experiments

Abstract: The GEANT4 Monte Carlo radiation transport toolkit provides the basic services and infrastructure required for the development of flexible simulation frameworks and applications which have found generalized use in high energy physics, nuclear physics, astrophysics and medical physics research. GEANT4 object-oriented design provides the possibility to implement or modify any physics process in GEANT4 without changing other parts of the software. This feature makes GEANT4 open to extension of its physics modeling capabilities and to the implementation of alternative physics models. In this paper, the development a simulation platform for performance studies and detector optimization of the Clear-PEM scanner, a high-performance positron emission mammography prototype, and the implementation of precise low energy bremsstrahlung angular generators for the GEANT4 low energy electromagnetic physics category are described.

Clear-PEM: A PET imaging system dedicated to breast cancer diagnostics

Abstract: The Clear-PEM scanner for positron emission mammography under development is described. The detector is based on pixelized LYSO crystals optically coupled to avalanche photodiodes and readout by a fast low-noise electronic system. A dedicated digital trigger (TGR) and data acquisition (DAQ) system is used for on-line selection of coincidence events with high efficiency, large bandwidth and small dead-time. A specialized gantry allows to perform exams of the breast and of the axilla. In this paper we present results of the measurement of detector modules that integrate the system under construction as well as the imaging performance estimated from Monte Carlo simulated data.

Clear-PEM: A dedicated pet camera for improved breast cancer detection

Abstract: Positron emission mammography (PEM) can offer a non-invasive method for the diagnosis of breast cancer. Metabolic images from PEM using 1 8 F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose, contain unique information not available from conventional morphologic imaging techniques like X-ray radiography. In this work, the concept of Clear-PEM, the system presently developed in the frame of the Crystal Clear Collaboration at CERN, is described. Clear-PEM will be a dedicated scanner, offering better perspectives in terms of position resolution and detection sensitivity.

EndoTOFPET-US: a novel multimodal tool for endoscopy and positron emission tomography

Abstract: The EndoTOFPET-US project aims to develop a multimodal detector to foster the development of new biomarkers for prostate and pancreatic tumors. The detector will consist of two main components: an external plate, and a PET extension to an endoscopic ultrasound probe. The external plate is an array of LYSO crystals read out by silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) coupled to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The internal probe will be an highly integrated and miniaturized detector made of LYSO crystals read out by a fully digital SiPM featuring photosensor elements and digital readout in the same chip. The position and orientation of the two detectors will be tracked with respect to the patient to allow the fusion of the metabolic image from the PET and the anatomic image from the ultrasound probe in the time frame of the medical procedure. The fused information can guide further interventions of the organ, such as biopsy or in vivo confocal microscopy.

Geant4 developments and applications

Abstract: Geant4 is a software toolkit for the simulation of the passage of particles through matter. It is used by a large number of experiments and projects in a variety of application domains, including high energy physics, astrophysics and space science, medical physics and radiation protection. Its functionality and modeling capabilities continue to be extended, while its performance is enhanced. An overview of recent developments in diverse areas of the toolkit is presented. These include performance optimization for complex setups; improvements for the propagation in fields; new options for event biasing; and additions and improvements in geometry, physics processes and interactive capabilities

Development of new scintillators for medical applications

Abstract: For a long time the discovery of new scintillators has been more serendipitous than driven by a deep understanding of the mechanisms at the origin of the scintillation process This situation has dramatically changed since the 1990's with an increased demand for scintillators of better performance for large particle physics experiments as well as for medical imaging It is now possible to design a scintillator for a specific purpose The bandgap can be adjusted, the traps energy levels and their concentration can be finely tuned and their influence can be damped or on the contrary enhanced by specific doping for an optimization of the performance of the scintillator Several examples are given in this paper of such crystal engineering attempts to improve the performance of crystal scintillators used in medical imaging devices An attention is also given to spectacular progress in crystal production technologies, which open new perspectives for large scale and cost effective crystal production with consistent quality

Recent developments in PET detector technology.

Abstract: Positron emission tomography (PET) is a tool for metabolic imaging that has been utilized since the earliest days of nuclear medicine. A key component of such imaging systems is the detector modules—an area of research and development with a long, rich history. Development of detectors for PET has often seen the migration of technologies, originally developed for high energy physics experiments, into prototype PET detectors. Of the many areas explored, some detector designs go on to be incorporated into prototype scanner systems and a few of these may go on to be seen in commercial scanners. There has been a steady, often very diverse development of prototype detectors, and the pace has accelerated with the increased use of PET in clinical studies (currently driven by PET/CT scanners) and the rapid proliferation of pre-clinical PET scanners for academic and commercial research applications. Most of these efforts are focused on scintillator-based detectors, although various alternatives continue to be considered. For example, wire chambers have been investigated many times over the years and more recently various solid-state devices have appeared in PET detector designs for very high spatial resolution applications. But even with scintillators, there have been a wide variety of designs and solutions investigated as developers search for solutions that offer very high spatial resolution, fast timing, high sensitivity and are yet cost effective. In this review, we will explore some of the recent developments in the quest for better PET detector technology.

Multimodality imaging of structure and function.

Abstract: Historically, medical devices to image either anatomical structure or functional processes have developed along somewhat independent paths. The recognition that combining images from different modalities can nevertheless offer significant diagnostic advantages gave rise to sophisticated software techniques to coregister structure and function. Recently, alternatives to retrospective software-based fusion have become available through instrumentation that combines two imaging modalities within a single device, an approach that has since been termed hardware fusion. As a result, following their recent introduction into the clinic, combined PET/CT and SPECT/CT devices are now playing an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and staging of human disease. Recently, although limited to the brain, the first clinical MR scanner with a PET insert, a technically-challenging design, has been undergoing evaluation. This review will follow the development of multimodality instrumentation for clinical use from conception to present-day technology and assess the status and future potential for such devices.