Publication
Title
Physics process level discrimination of detections for GATE : assessment of contamination in SPECT and spurious activity in PET
Author
Abstract
The GEANT4 application for tomographic emission (GATE) is one of the most detailed Monte Carlo simulation tools for SPECT and PET. It allows for realistic phantoms, complex decay schemes, and a large variety of detector geometries. However, only a fraction of the information in each particle history is available for postprocessing. In order to extend the analysis capabilities of GATE, a flexible framework was developed. This framework allows all detected events to be subdivided according to their type: In PET, true coincidences from others, and in SPECT, geometrically collimated photons from others. The framework of the authors can be applied to any isotope, phantom, and detector geometry available in GATE. It is designed to enhance the usability of GATE for the study of contamination and for the investigation of the properties of current and future prototype detectors. The authors apply the framework to a case study of Bexxar, first assuming labeling with 124I, then with 131I. It is shown that with 124I PET, results with an optimized window improve upon those with the standard window but achieve less than half of the ideal improvement. Nevertheless, 124I PET shows improved resolution compared to 131I SPECT with triple-energy-window scatter correction.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Medical physics. - New York, N.Y.
Publication
New York, N.Y. : 2009
ISSN
0094-2405 [print]
2473-4209 [online]
DOI
10.1118/1.3078045
Volume/pages
36 :4 (2009) , p. 1053-1060
ISI
000264733800003
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Publication type
Subject
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 15.11.2011
Last edited 17.03.2023
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