<title>Heavy-Ion Imaging Applied To Medicine</title>

Abstract

Heavy particle radiography is a newly developed noninvasive low dose imaging procedure with increased resolution of minute density differences in soft t sues of the body. The method utilizes accelerated high energy ions, primarily carbon and neon, at the BEVALAC accelerator at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. The research'program applied to medicine utilizes heavy-ion radiography for low dose mammography, for treatment planning for cancer patients, and for imaging and accurate densitometry of skeletal structures and brain and spinal neoplasms. The presentation will be illustrated with clinical cases under study. Discussion will include the potential of heavy-ion imaging, and particularly reconstruction tomography, as an adjunct to existing diagnostic imaging procedures in medicine, both for the applications to the diagnosis, management and treatment of eli nical cancer 1n man, but also for the early detection of small soft tissue tumors at low radiation dose.

Proton computed tomography using a 1D silicon diode array

“…A detector developed in the 1970s at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory was based on plastic nuclear track detectors. 14,15 However, the requirement of a wet chemistry developing process prevented the application of such a detector in modern clinics. Another integrating-type system was developed based on the CCD camera and scintillator.…”