COMPACT PET SCANNER

1 . A nuclear imaging system comprising:

a PET scanner having a bore sized no larger than necessary to accommodate a human head; and

a wheel-mounted scanner gantry for supporting the PET scanner, the wheel-mounted scanner gantry having a width small enough to fit through a standard doorway.

2 . A method for imaging a patient with a PET scanner, the method comprising:

bringing the PET scanner to a room containing the patient; and

inserting the patient's head in a bore of the PET scanner.

3 . A method for powering a PET scanner, the method comprising connecting the PET scanner to a 110 volt AC power source.

4 . A method of imaging a patient with a PET scanner, the method comprising injecting a radioactive material in the patient, the amount of radioactive material being selected to provide a radiation dose of no greater than 2 mCi.

5 . A method of accumulating PET images in an image library, the method comprising:

deploying a plurality of NeuroPET scanners;

from each NeuroPET scanner

receiving data representative of an image obtained from a patient;

normalizing the data to conform to an image generated by a hypothetical NeuroPET scanner had the hypothetical NeuroPET scanner been used to scan the patient; and

including the normalized data in the library of images.

6 . A method of screening a population for a neurological disorder, the method comprising:

identifying members of the population having a pre-test likelihood for having a condition in excess of a certain value;

performing a PET scan on each of said identified members; and

receiving data indicative of a result of the PET scan.

7 . A method of differentially diagnosing patients suspected of having a specific neurologic disorder, the method comprising:

identifying members of the population having a pre-scan diagnosis of a more general class of neurological disorders of which a specific neurological disorder is a subclass;

performing a PET scan on each of said generally diagnosed individuals; and

as a result of the PET scan, receiving data indicative of a more specific diagnosis in a given patient.

8 . A method of monitoring the response of a neurological condition to a course of treatment, the method comprising:

identifying individuals who will be treated for a neurological condition with at one of a placebo, an active agent, and a technique;

performing a baseline PET scan on each such individual;

treating the neurological condition by one of administering a placebo, administering an active agent, or executing a technique;

performing at least one follow-up PET scan on each individual; and

as a result of the at least one follow-up PET scan, receiving data indicative of the response of a specific biological condition to the treatment.

9 . A method of pre-qualifying potential clinical trial participants, the method comprising:

identifying members of the population who have agreed to participate in a given clinical trial;

performing a PET scan on each of said candidates; and

receiving data as a result of the PET scan, the data being indicative of the likelihood of a specific biological condition being present in a given patient.

10 . A method of identifying candidates for disease preventative treatments, the method comprising:

carrying out longitudinal PET studies of neurological disease onset and progression in initially asymptomatic but at risk individuals;

identifying members of the population who are asymptomatic for a neurological disorder but who are at risk for developing the disorder,

performing a PET scan on each such individual; and

receiving data as a result of the PET scan, the data being indicative of the likelihood that a given patient would benefit from disease-preventative treatment.