Monte Carlo simulations in emission tomography and GATE: An overview

Monte Carlo simulations are nowadays an essential tool in emission tomography (Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography-SPECT and Positron Emission Tomography-PET), for assisting system design and optimizing imaging and processing protocols. Several Monte Carlo simulation software are currently available for modeling SPECT and PET configurations. This paper presents an overview of current trends concerning Monte Carlo simulations in SPECT and PET. The evolution of the place of Monte Carlo simulations in SPECT and PET since 1995 is studied, together with the evolution of the codes used for Monte Carlo simulations. New features present in current codes are described, and new applications of Monte Carlo simulations in SPECT and PET are reviewed. Finally, upcoming developments in the field of Monte Carlo simulations in SPECT or PET are discussed. In this paper, a particular emphasis is given to the GATE code, as it is the most recent and publicly available code for Monte Carlo simulations appropriate for both SPECT and PET applications