HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Budinger, T. F. Articles by Huesman, R. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Budinger, T. F. Articles by Huesman, R. H.

Quantitative Potentials of Dynamic Emission Computed Tomography

University of California, Berkeley, California

Correspondence: For reprints contact: Thomas F. Budinger, Donner Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.

ABSTRACT

Statistical uncertainties in emission computed tomography were simulated in 60 computer studies involving various numbers of events and distributions of activity. Previous studies have shown that for a uniform disc of activity the rms percentage of uncertainty per resolution cell is: 120 x (number of resolution cells) x (number of events per resolution cell)^–.

In this work we examined the more general situation where one or two regions of uniform activity are surrounded by a uniform background, and found that for an equal number of recorded events the uncertainties were reduced when the activity was concentrated in a portion of the field. The empirical relation

rms % uncertainty in n_t = 120(N)(n_t)^–,

where n_t is the number of events in an average target (organ) resolution cell and N is the total number of events recorded, satisfactorily described the relationships between uncertainties, contrast, total number of detected events, and number of resolution cells for all 60 computer studies.

By means of this relation, we show the theoretical possibility of gated cardiac imaging with 20% uncertainty in 1 cm x 1 cm regions, and of 1-sec cerebral blood-flow images with 20% uncertainty in 2 cm x 2 cm regions.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Treppo, S. M. Mijailovich, and J. G. Venegas Contributions of pulmonary perfusion and ventilation to heterogeneity in VA/Q measured by PET J Appl Physiol, April 1, 1997; 82(4): 1163 - 1176. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. L. Brownell, T. F. Budinger, P. C. Lauterbur, and P. L. MCGeer Positron Tomography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging Science, February 5, 1982; 215(4533): 619 - 626. [Abstract] [PDF]