Intraoperative Gamma Cameras: A Review of Development in the Last Decade and Future Outlook

Abstract

Portable gamma cameras suitable for intraoperative imaging are in active development and testing. These cameras utilise a range of collimation, detection, and readout architectures, each of which can have significant and interacting impacts on the performance of the system as a whole. In this review, we provide an analysis of intraoperative gamma camera development over the past decade. The designs and performance of 17 imaging systems are compared in depth. We discuss where recent technological developments have had the greatest impact, identify emerging technological and scientific requirements, and predict future research directions. This is a comprehensive review of the current and emerging state-of-the-art as more devices enter clinical practice.

Minimally Invasive Cervical Lymph Node Excision With Ultrasound-guided Tracer Injection and Intraoperative Use of a Portable Gamma Camera: a Case Report

“…Analysis of the previous literature shows very few reports, which are con ned to isolated cases. The progressive generalization of the technique and the reporting of new case series will contribute to better de ning the indications for the technique and optimizing the technical aspects concerning its application [20].…”

“…In pediatric oncology, one of the most frequent procedures is to obtain viable histological tissue for study from a cervical lymph node under suspicion of a lymphoproliferative syndrome. In most cases, this is easily achieved by ultrasound-guided biopsies or ne needle aspiration cytology [1][2][3][4][5], with success rates exceeding 90% [1]. In parallel, the development of speci c algorithms for the management of paediatric lymphadenopathy has contributed to improving these results, de ning the scenarios in which to perform each procedure to optimize diagnostic yields [6-8].…”

Evaluation of Improved Imaging Properties with Tungsten-Based Parallel-Hole Collimators: A Monte Carlo Study

“…This opens new possibilities for more tailored collimator designs that otherwise would be impossible or very expensive to construct by conventional methods such as casting hot lead (micro-cast) or folding lead foils (micro-linear). 17 18 19 20 21 22 W-based collimators with a mass density of 18.56 g/cm 3 and a mean deviation of 35 µm were recently reported for a tungsten parallel-hole collimator with a hole size of 0.525 mm, septal thickness of 0.150 mm, and hole length of 25 mm. 15…”

“…More recently, there have been new developments in collimator production techniques, which make the fabrication of more complex collimator designs possible. 17 These include direct three-dimensional (3D) printing of metals and “cold casting” of W-based composite materials. This opens new possibilities for more tailored collimator designs that otherwise would be impossible or very expensive to construct by conventional methods such as casting hot lead (micro-cast) or folding lead foils (micro-linear).…”

Toward “super-scintillation” with nanomaterials and nanophotonics

“…Nowadays, scintillation underlies a myriad of technologies, spanning diagnostic medical imaging, radiation therapy, security inspection tools, environmental radiation monitoring, high energy astrophysics, and interplanetary space missions. Scintillators play a prominent role in bioimaging and biomedicine [ 6 ]–[ 8 ] including gamma cameras, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), X-ray induced photo dynamic therapy (X-PDT) [ 9 ]–[ 11 ], and intraoperative imaging enabling radioguided surgical procedures [ 12 ]. In gamma cameras, SPECT and PET, scintillators are the major detection unit to record and spatially correlate high energy photons to produce images of the radionuclide distribution.…”