Maximum likelihood activity and attenuation estimation using both emission and transmission data with application to utilization of Lu-176 background radiation in TOF PET.
Lu-176 background radiation
attenuation correction
joint activity and attenuation estimation
time-of-flight (TOF) positron emission tomography (PET)
Journal
Medical physics
ISSN: 2473-4209
Titre abrégé: Med Phys
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 0425746
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Mar 2020
Mar 2020
Historique:
received:
27
06
2019
revised:
30
10
2019
accepted:
09
12
2019
pubmed:
28
12
2019
medline:
30
12
2020
entrez:
28
12
2019
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
We present a new method for joint reconstruction of activity and attenuation images using both emission and transmission data and demonstrate its advantage over the standard maximum likelihood activity and attenuation (MLAA) reconstruction using emission data alone. We define a joint likelihood function including both time-of-flight (TOF) emission data and transmission data. The latter can be obtained from an external source or from Lu-176 background radiation. Activity and attenuation images are estimated jointly by maximizing the likelihood function. The proposed method solves the undetermined scale problem in the conventional MLAA. A monotonically convergent algorithm was derived to optimize the objective function. Furthermore, we present a theoretical analysis of the noise propagation in the joint reconstruction. Simulations and phantom experiments were conducted to validate the feasibility of the proposed method. Quantitatively correct and less noisy images were reconstructed with the proposed method. Artifacts in the attenuation map reconstructed from the standard MLAA were removed by incorporating transmission data. Noise analysis was validated with different transmission sources and transmission count levels. The theoretical prediction indicated that noise of activity map would not change in a large range of transmission count level and a very low transmission count level could result in good estimation. The results demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining quantitatively correct images in TOF PET by using both emission and (weak) transmission data. The noise analysis also provides guidance for choosing a proper transmission source configuration to reduce noise propagation.
Substances chimiques
Lutetium-176
0
Radioisotopes
0
Lutetium
5H0DOZ21UJ
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
1067-1082Subventions
Organisme : National Natural Science Foundation of China
ID : 11375096
Organisme : National Natural Science Foundation of China
ID : 81727807
Informations de copyright
© 2019 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
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