Integrated Preclinical PET-OT employing Monolithic Modules Comounted with Plenoptic Detectors

Motivated by promising applications in the fields of pharmacokinetics, preclinical oncology research and tomographic optical imaging, the medical imaging community formerly took on the task of developing a multimodal detector system that would allow for simultaneous nuclear and optical imaging. These efforts began more than a decade ago but were not able to result in an applicable concept. This study reassesses the task and proposes a new approach to the challenge by presenting the blueprint for an integrated preclinical bi-modal system that fully merges PET imaging with optical tomography. Said blueprint is demonstrated through the investigation of a pilot system consisting of 10 detector modules (yielding an 83 mm inner-detector diameter), each combining a 25 x 25 x 25 mm monolithic scintillating LYSO crystal, read out by two 25 x 25 mm SiPM arrays coupled to perpendicular faces of the crystal, with a plenoptic detector mounted on the front face of the crystal. The feasibility of this detector concept was evaluated by studying both PET and optical imaging components through dedicated Monte Carlo simulation, followed by synergistic image reconstruction. Initial results are shown for two point sources, each 1 mm in diameter, separated centre-to-centre by 2 mm and placed at the centre of the field of view.