Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42804052›Full record

ArticleEJNMMI physics2026

Evaluation of a lead-loaded plastic scintillator for next-generation positron emission tomography detectors using Geant4 simulation.

Makoto Yamazaki, Masahiro Sato

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EJNMMI physics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Makoto YamazakiGunma Prefectural College of Health Science, 323-1 Kamioki, Maebashi, Gunma, 371- 0052, Japan. m-yamazaki@gchs.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-2129-4014
Masahiro SatoGraduate School of Medicine, Science and Technology, Shinshu University, 3-3-1, Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano, 390-8621, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeLead-loaded plastic scintillators are promising candidates for next-generation positron emission tomography (PET) detectors owing to their short fluorescence decay times, high machinability and low production cost. However, their γ-ray detection performance has not been fully quantified. This study evaluated the detection efficiency and energy-resolution characteristics of a 5 wt% lead-loaded plastic scintillator (EJ-256) and compared its performance with that of a conventional polyvinyltoluene (PVT) scintillator.

methodsMonte Carlo simulations were performed using Geant4. Monoenergetic 511 keV gamma rays (100 000 events) were irradiated onto scintillator blocks with thicknesses varied from 20 mm to 200 mm in 5 mm increments. The resulting absorbed-energy spectra were analysed using ROOT to determine detection efficiency and the simulated full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the 511-keV photopeak. To identify the thickness region at which detection efficiency saturated, a non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test was conducted to consecutive thickness groups to determine the point beyond which differences were no longer statistically significant (p > 0.05).

resultsEJ-256 exhibited a distinct 511 keV photopeak, whereas PVT showed only a broad Compton continuum. The detection efficiency increased from 0.9% at 20 mm to 2.9% at 200 mm and saturated above approximately 135 mm, consistent with the Kruskal-Wallis analysis. The simulated 511-keV photopeak width remained stable at approximately 10% FWHM across all thicknesses.

conclusionThese results indicate that EJ-256 demonstrates photon-absorption performance comparable to that of conventional inorganic PET scintillators, while offering substantially faster temporal response and reduced fabrication cost. This combination suggests strong potential for application in future time-of-flight PET detector modules.

Indexed as

EJ-256Full width at half maximumPositron emission tomographyTime-of-flight

Identifiers

PMID42804052
PMCPMC13620012

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.