Image reconstruction algorithms for a novel PET system with a half-ring insert

Breast cancer continues to be the most common malignancy of women in the United States. Nuclear imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) have been widely used for the staging of cancer. The primary limitations of PET for breast cancer diagnosis are the lack of a highly specific radiotracer and the limited resolution of imaging systems. The sensitivity for detecting small lesions is very low. Many groups are developing positron emission mammography (PEM) systems dedicated for breast imaging using high resolution detectors. Although image resolution is significantly improved compared to whole-body PET systems, the clinical value of a PEM system is yet to be proven,3.4 Most PET systems have limitations in imaging tissues near the chest walls and lymph nodes. The proposed system addresses the sampling requirements specific to breast imaging and achieves high resolution in PET images of breast and thorax.

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