A MODEL OF THE HIGH COUNT RATE PERFORMANCE OF NAI(TL)-BASED PET DETECTORS

A detailed model of the response of large-area NaI(T1) detectors used in PET and their triggering and data acquisition electronics has been developed. This allows us to examine the limitations of the imaging sy stem's performance due to degradation in the detector performance from light pileup and deadtime from triggering and event processing. Compa risons of simulation results to measurements from the HEAD PENN-PET sc anner have been performed to validate the Monte Carlo model. The model was then used to predict improvements in the high count rate performa nce of the HEAD PENN-PET scanner using different signal integration ti mes, light response functions, and detectors.