Physics, Techniques and Procedures

Gamma camera

imaging device used in nuclear scanning. By far the most widely used gamma camera was invented by H. Anger in the 1960s and thus is also frequently called the Anger camera. The Anger camera principle is also used in one type of PET camera (see PET imaging), either using six crystals arranged in a hexagon configuration or retrofitting a dual head gamma camera with an electronic coincidence detection circuitry. With this arrangement, the lead collimator is not needed because of the electronic collimation provided by the PET detection process.

Digital gamma cameras are currently under development which use arrays of small crystals digitally interfaced to a computer. It is too early to say how they will compare with the Anger camera principle in clinical practice.

GvS