Automatic Data Processing for Digital Autofluoroscope Scintillation Camera

Abstract

The Digital Autofluoroscope has been designed with an internal special-purpose data processor to provide the operator with automatic computation of the accumulated detector data. This computer gives the doctor the ability to optimize the data display without destroying the stored information. The computer will automatically do background subtraction, data averaging, and section integration. The accumulated data is permanently stored on a magnetic tape so that there can be further processing of the digital data on the Autofluoroscope console or on an offline digital computer. The off-line computer can be programmed to generate new magnetic tapes that can be played back into the Digital Autofluoroscope console. These new tapes can be the result of sophisticated computer analysis. In addition to the display of static and dynamic isotope distributions on the cathode ray tube, dynamic data can be recorded on a strip chart recorder. Stop frame operation, where data can be repetitively accumulated and then stored on magnetic tape, permits the data reduction and observation of radioisotope clearance through body organs. With the use of a "light pen" selector on the cathode ray tube selected areas of the display can be integrated, extracted, and recorded as a function of time. Three independently selected areas are available for recording in this manner. The Autofluoroscope has two means of data storage. The coincidence current core magnetic memory storage is used to collect the crystal scintillation data rapidly. The core memory contains one frame of data.