A dual head nuclear camera system automatically switchable (and optimized) to perform either SPECT imaging or PET imaging that utilizes attenuation correction for nonuniform attenuation in SPECT or PET modes. The dual head detectors contain switchable triggering circuitry so that coincidence detection for PET imaging and non-coincidence detection for SPECT imaging is available. The system uses a variable integration technique with programmable integration interval; variable sized clusters for centroiding, use of dual integrators per PMT channel, the event detection and acquisition circuitry of the camera system is switchable for PET and SPECT imaging. In such a switchable SPECT/Pet dual head camera system, a mechanism and method is shown to perform transmission and emission scanning sessions with two line sources and two detectors wherein two sliding transmission detection windows are employed to differentiate between transmission and emission photons. Transmission and emission data can be collected simultaneously. This system provides that the dual transmission detection windows are each associated with a particular line source and move in synchronization. Further, the two line sources and the two detector windows all move in synchronization in the direction of the long axis of the object being scanned. In this configuration, the system can effectively reduce the amount of cross-talk detected by a detector. <IMAGE>
Multi-head nuclear medicine camera for dual SPECT and PET imaging with nonuniform attenuation correction