Handheld USB-Gamma Camera "CrystalCam"
(Currently not available as a medical device in Europe.)
1. Description
Front
Side
CrystalCam is a portable gamma camera for accurate real-time visualization and localization of radioactive markers. Being small and lightweight it fits in the palm of your hand. So it is directly applicable on the patient before, during and after surgery.
The camera includes an image sensor based on innovative cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) semiconductor technology with a field of view of 40x40mm². This allows highest sensitivity and an excellent energy resolution, while still achieving a low weight of only 800g including the collimator and side shielding.
Characterized by extremely fast imaging capabilities, CrystalCam visualizes the location of sentinel lymph nodes as quickly and accurately as the extension of tumors. And after the surgery CrystalCam allows you to verify the complete removal of the tumor or lymph nodes. Therefore it is perfectly suited to be used in modern medical applications like SLNE, ROLL and SNOLL.
2. Medical applications include:
- Real-time localization of sentinel lymph nodes
- ROLL: Radio-guided occult lesion localisation
- SNOLL: Sentinel node and occult lesion localization
- Research: fast high-resolution planar imaging of Tc-99m labeled tissue
3. Features
- cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) imaging detector (5 mm thickness)
- field of view 40x40mm²
- 256 pixel (16x16) with 2.46 mm pixel pitch
- physical dimensions of the handheld unit 60 x 60 x 160 mm³
- energie range 40 keV to 250 keV
- energie resolution < 7% at 140 keV
- side shielding of 99.97% against undesired gamma radiation (at 140 keV)
- weight < 800g including collimator and integrated side shielding
- real-time visualization using arbitrary acquisition times (starting from 100 milliseconds)
- DICOM compatible image processing
- optional battery operation using a laptop computer
4. Changeable Collimators
| 1 - Open Field | 2 - LEHR | 3 - LEHS | 4 - LEGP (optional) | |
| Material | n/a | Tungsten | Tungsten | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | n/a | 44x44x22,58mm^3 | 44x44x11,15mm^3 | 44x44x11,5mm^3 |
| Hole dimensions | n/a | 2,16x2,16mm^2 | 2,16x2,16mm^2 | 1,5mm |
| Resolution at 35mm | n/a | 5,4mm | 9,2mm | 6,1mm |
| Geometric efficiency | n/a | 5,9*10^-4 | 2,5*10^-3 | 2,4*10^-4 |
5. Flat Field Calibration Phantom
The camera includes our own flat field phantom for comfortable calibration and quality control. It has an adjustable height of 5mm, 30mm and 50mm and fits our camera perfectly.
5. Specimen Platform
For the comfortable probing of small animals. Made of acrylic (PMMA).
Prototype
Courtesy of Drs. P. Knoll, S. Mirzaei
Dpt. of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Wilhelminenspital, Vienna, Austria
6. Screenshots of the Software
Patient view
Snapshot view
Calibration, overview
Calibration, detail
Quality control
Peak deviation, test
Peak deviation, result
