METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENDOVASCULAR RADIATION DETECTION

摘要

A photostimulable material is introduced in a blood vessel or body cavity, within an animal or human body, where a radioactive agent (comprising for example beta-emitting <32>P atoms) has been locally delivered and where radiation measurements have to be taken in order to control the delivery efficiency. The photostimulable material is exposed to radiation, carrying image information of the beta-emitting source of radiation, and a latent image is stored into the photostimulable material. Then the photostimulable material is exposed to stimulating light, which causes the photostimulable material to emit light in proportion of the amount of energy stored during radiation exposure, hence in proportion of the amount of radioactive agent present in the region of interest. The emitted light is collected by a light collection system and measured by a photoelectric device. Therefore, a two-dimensional image signal, representing the distribution of the radioactive agent in the blood vessel or body cavity, is obtained.