First Wearable PET Scanner
November 1, 2016 | Terry Sharrer
It must be more than a small problem to do a brain scan of a patient with Parkinson’s disease. The image requires that the person remain still, which the tremors don’t allow. Engineers at West Virginia University, however, may have found a solution to making PET images with moving patients. They designed a circular crown-like device with a dozen radiation detectors that is worn on the head. A ceiling cable lightens the weight and sends signals to a computer. Because of a lower dose of radioactive tracers, this kind of imaging per patient could be done more often than once a year. Among other applications this means allows researchers to see brain activity in people who are autistic savants. MORE
Image Credit: West Virginia University