Development of a six element high purity germanium detector array for cerebral blood flow studies: the prototype of a 144 element system

A six element, high purity germanium (HPGe) detector array has been designed, constructed and tested as the prototype of a 144 element, multiplanar detector array for local cerebral blood flow measurements in 144 subdivisions of the human brain using 133Xe. The design requirements of the detection system are discussed relative to the brain "block" model, the photon energy range, and other available photon detectors. The characteristics and performance of the prototype array are described as well as the advantages of HPGe detectors for applications in nuclear medicine and large arrays.