A Survey of Crystals for SPECT Imaging

Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is an important nuclear medicine imaging tool for diagnosis and drug research. The gamma-ray detector is the core component of the SPECT system and influences the overall system performance. The detector crystals, which can be divided into scintillation crystals and semiconductor crystals, are among the main determinants of the detector’s performance. The development of these crystal materials plays an important role in improving SPECT imaging. This paper provides a survey of the technological development and applications of several crystals currently used in SPECT detectors. Furthermore, it explores future research directions for the development of detector crystals.