PRESENTATIONS (2)
Student presentation:
“Towards improving signal-to-noise ratio of single photon emission
computed tomography (SPECT) images incorporating scattered photons with
pinhole collimators”
Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a medical imaging
technology that is used to construct three-dimensional images depicting
functions within the body. Radioactive tracers within the patient emit
photons, which travel through the body to be detected by the SPECT system.
As they pass through the tissues, some of these photons can be scattered,
decreasing their energy and changing their direction of travel. Since
these scattered photons decrease image quality when using standard image
reconstruction methods, they are typically rejected during this step.
However, if the scattered photons could be accurately mapped to a source
distribution, they could be included in the total photon count, which
would instead have the effect of improving image quality. The aim of this
project is to use machine learning to incorporate the scattered photons in
projections, specifically in the context of heart imaging.
By Annika Kelly, Carleton University
Supervisor: Dr. Glenn Wells, University of Ottawa Heart Institute
Member presentation:
“Towards motion-free cardiac PET imaging using solid-state ‘digital’
detectors”
Commercial positron emission tomography (PET) systems have recently
migrated to the use of silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) technology replacing
legacy systems that used photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) coupled with
scintillation detectors. These systems have substantially improved imaging
performance including sensitivity, spatial resolution and time-of-flight
resolution, allowing the development of novel data-driven motion
compensation methods and clinical imaging protocols to improve and
standardize image quality. Image reconstruction with traditional and
artificial intelligence post-processing methods are being developed to
remove the degrading effects of cardiac contractile motion, respiratory
motion and patient body motion in quantitative PET studies of myocardial
blood flow.
By Dr. Rob deKemp
Cardiac Imaging, University of Ottawa Heart Institute