Reconstruction with partially known attenuation information in time of flight positron emission tomography

US9155514B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. · US
• Katholieke Universiteit Leuven of KU Leuven Research & Development · BE
• VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL · BE

Inventors

• Vladimir Y. Panin · Knoxville, US
• Michel Defrise · Brussels, BE
• Johan Nuyts · Heverlee, BE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 28, 2014
• Grant date: Oct 13, 2015
• Expiry date: Jul 28, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06T2207/10084
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Reconstruction in positron emission tomography is performed with partially known attenuation. A PET-CT scanner is used to generate a PET image with time of flight emission information. To limit x-ray dose while providing increased sensitivity at the ends of the CT volume in the PET image, attenuation coefficients for oblique LORs passing outside the CT volume are determined from the time of flight emission information. The attenuation coefficients for LORs within the CT volume are derived from the CT data. An objective function may be maximized for the emission distribution without reconstructing the attenuation distribution.