KEYWORDS: Point spread functions, Positron emission tomography, Sensors, Scanners, 3D modeling, Monte Carlo methods, Animal model studies, Reconstruction algorithms, Manufacturing, Data modeling
We previously designed a component based 3-D PSF model to obtain a compact yet accurate system matrix for a
dedicated human brain PET scanner. In this work, we adapted the model to a small animal PET scanner. Based on the
model, we derived the system matrix for back-to-back gamma source in air, fluorine-18 and iodine-124 source in water
by Monte Carlo simulation. The characteristics of the PSF model were evaluated and the performance of the newly
derived system matrix was assessed by comparing its reconstructed images with the established reconstruction program
provided on the animal PET scanner. The new system matrix showed strong PSF dependency on the line-of-response
(LOR) incident angle and LOR depth. This confirmed the validity of the two components selected for the model. The
effect of positron range on the system matrix was observed by comparing the PSFs of different isotopes. A simulated
and an experimental hot-rod phantom study showed that the reconstruction with the proposed system matrix achieved
better resolution recovery as compared to the algorithm provided by the manufacturer. Quantitative evaluation also
showed better convergence to the expected contrast value at similar noise level. In conclusion, it has been shown that the
system matrix derivation method is applicable to the animal PET system studied, suggesting that the method may be
used for other PET systems and different isotope applications.
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