Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc.

Larry Byars

Christian J Michel

Ronald Grazioso

A Andrew Carey

Maurizio Conti

Charles C Watson

Peter Carl Cohen

Piotr Szupryczynski

Harold E Rothfuss

Mark W Lenox

Danny F Newport

Merence Sibomana

Apparatuses, computer-readable mediums, and methods are provided. In one embodiment, a positron emission tomography ('PET') detector array is provided which includes a plurality of crystal elements arranged in a two-dimensional checkerboard configuration. In addition, there are empty spaces in the checkerboard configuration. In various embodiments, the empty spaces are filled with passive shielding, transmission source assemblies, biopsy instruments, surgical instruments, and/or electromagnetic sensors. In various embodiments, the crystal elements and the transmission source assemblies simultaneously perform emission/transmission acquisitions.

PET scanner with emission and transmission structures in a checkerboard configuration

In positron emission tomography (PET), a detector's response to scattered radiation may be different from its response to unscattered (true coincidence) photons. This difference should be accounted for during normalization and scatter correction. The disclosure shows that only a knowledge of the ratio of the scatter to trues efficiencies is necessary, however. A system and method are disclosed for measuring the scatter/trues detection efficiency ratio, as well as for applying this compensation during the scatter correction of PET emission data. PET detector efficiencies are measured in two steps, the first using a plane radiation source, and the second using a plane radiation source in combination with a scattering medium. A ratio of the scatter and trues detection efficiency is obtained from this data for each detector/crystal, and is applied as a correction factor to PET data obtained during medical imaging processes.

System and method for scatter normalization of PET images

Emission contamination data are collected in a shifted mock scan simultaneous with the collection of transmission data during a transmission scan of a patient with a collimated gamma point source, the transmission data are corrected with the emission contamination data, and the corrected transmission data are used for attenuation correction of emission data for reconstruction of an emission image of the patient. In a preferred implementation, when the point source is at a particular axial location and illuminates an axial beamwidth of 'Fz' over the gamma detector, emission contamination data are collected from the gamma detector over an axial separated region 'Fz'' having about the same axial extent but axially displaced by about half of the axial field of view (FOV).

Shifted transmission mock for nuclear medical imaging

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Knoxville, TN, United States of America

Larry Byars