Analysis of a camera based single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system

The accuracy and effects of scatter and attenuation on single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images are analyzed with the aid of Monte Carlo methods. A new correction procedure is proposed and evaluated. The system's energy and spatial transfer characteristics are incorporated by modifying the appropriate distribution functions. Two sets of images are simulated for several different phantoms - the first set with, and the second set without scatter and attenuation. Image quality is measured in terms of resolution, % RMS noise, and image contrast. Results are verified by experimentation where possible. It has been demonstrated that both scatter and attenuation can be accurately and efficiently corrected by the methods described herein. In general, this approach is useful in design and analysis of linear and non-linear systems as well as optimizing data processing software