| Description |
Neutron stimulated emission computed tomography (NSECT) is being developed as a new method of imaging elemental distributions in the human body using inelastic scattering of fast neutrons. We have developed a spectroscopic imager that uses collimated neutron beams between 3-8 MeV to image stable isotopes of naturally occurring elements in the body through inelastic-scatter-induced gamma-ray spectroscopy. The imager provides quantitative information about the distribution of the element in the target organ, which can be used to diagnose disorders such as hemochromatosis that exhibit differences in element concentration between normal and diseased tissue. This experimental NSECT prototype uses a Van-de-Graaff accelerator and high-purity germanium gamma-ray detectors to generate 2D quantitative images of several elements in the target including iron, carbon, oxygen and nitrogen in the body. The system has demonstrated excellent accuracy in generating diagnostic quantitative images of bulk and trace elements in phantoms, animals and human tissue through a low-dose non-invasive tomographic scan. In this talk, Dr. Kapadia will describe the development of the NSECT device and discuss its applications in element-based diagnostic-imaging in the human body. |