Assessment of scintigraphic image quality in Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) using jaszczak phantom

The image quality of scintigraphic images has been improved by applying a MatLab algorithm code and five different filters to an acquired image of the data spectrum (Jaszczak) phantom and the FWHM (resolution) values measured using ImageJ software. The average FWHM value recorded for the acquired image and the Matlab enhanced image were 14.246±0.205 mm and 11.609±1.458 mm respectively. The analyses performed on the acquired image showed improvements in its resolution. Combination of the MatLab algorithm code and the Trous-Wavelet filter gave the best improvement in resolution of the acquired image, with an average FWHM value of 10.261±1.381 mm. This indicates a 27.973% improvement in the FWHM value of the acquired image. The CLAHE filter, Kuwahara filter, Sigma filter Plus and filter rank, improved the resolution of the acquired image by 21.627%, 17.48%, 4.745% and 8.949% respectively. Results from the study indicate that the acquired image was improved in quality by applying the Matlab image enhancement tool and filters. The outcome of this study shows promise in aiding nuclear medicine physicians to make improved diagnostic decisions if applied to clinical cases.(au)