Generalized dynamic PET inter-frame and intra-frame motion correction - Phantom and human validation studies

• Published in: 2012 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference Record (NSS/MIC) pp. 3067 - 3078
• Main Authors: Mohy-ud-Din, Hassan, Karakatsanis, Nicolas A., Goddard, James S., Baba, Justin, Wills, William, Tahari, Abdel K., Wong, Dean F., Rahmim, Arman
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01-10-2012
• Subjects: (MLEM)-type deconvolution; correction; inter-frame motion correction; inter-iteration smoothing; intra-frame motion; Karcher's mean; time-weighted averaged attenuation sinogram; transmission-emission mismatch artifacts
• ISBN: 9781467320283; 1467320285
• ISSN: 1082-3654; 2577-0829
• DOI: 10.1109/NSSMIC.2012.6551701

Patient motion can significantly hamper the high-resolution imaging capability of PET scanners. Frame-acquired (dynamic) PET images are degraded by inter-frame and intraframe motion artifacts that can degrade the quantitative and qualitative analysis of acquired PET data. This calls for appropriate motion-correction techniques that can considerably reduce (ideally eliminate) inter-frame and intra-frame motion artifacts in dynamic PET images. We present a novel approach called Generalized Inter-frame and Intra-frame Motion Correction (GIIMC) algorithm [1] that unifies in one framework the inter-frame motion correction capability of Multiple Acquisition Frames and the intra-frame motion correction feature of (MLEM)-type Deconvolution methods. Our method employs a fairly simple but new approach of using time-weighted average of attenuation sinograms to reconstruct individual (dynamic) frames. We also provide a mean-motion threshold for individual frames to construct a framing sequence.