Extra-low-dose 2D PET imaging

Abstract

In this paper, a new approach for the 2D PET data acquisition is introduced, which uses the intersections of lines of response (LORs) for the generation of a larger number of virtual LORs in the cases when the number of coincident events is initially small, i.e, when the amount of injected radiotracer is low. This approach is based on the fact that the statistical properties of the unknown 2D process are preserved in the statistical properties of intersections of LORs. The 2D image is reconstructed from virtual LORs using the well-known Filtered back-projection method, thereby achieving high temporal resolution with a reduced dose of radiotracer injected into the living organisms. Moreover, the larger number of virtual LORs yields the reconstructed 2D image of higher spatial resolution compared with the reconstruction from original LORs.