A prototype compton camera for in-vivo dosimetry of ion beam cancer irradiation

Three-dimensional in-vivo dose monitoring of ion beam cancer irradiation can improve the quality of treatment. For this purpose we investigate the feasibility of imaging the single photon emissions due to nuclear reactions of projectiles with target nuclei (in-beam SPECT). A suitable imaging technique in the energy range of the emitted gamma rays is the Compton camera. A prototype based on prior simulations is currently under construction. Te system comprises two CdZnTe cross-strip detectors with steering grid and depth-of-interaction capability and one segmented LSO scintillator crystal with modified Anger light readout. We present the concept of the system including the front-end and DAQ electronics as well as first measurements. (authors)