Image reconstruction for a novel Compton scatter tomograph

Abstract

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is a widespread medical imaging technology which provides images of metabolic tracer distributions within the body by detecting gamma-ray emissions from decaying radioactive isotopes in the tracer The Compton single photon emission tomograph (C-SPECT) is a new imaging technology which promises significantly higher sensitivity than standard mechanically collimated SPECT scanners due its use of fully 3D electronic collimation of Compton scattered gamma-rays. Since the C-SPECT scanner generates extremely large data sets, and since the gamma-ray emission and detection processes are governed by the statistical physics of nuclear interactions, the theory of large scale statistical signal and image processing must play a significant role in the development of this new technology. In this paper we summarize results on the application of estimation theoretic lower bounds and image reconstruction to a C-SPECT system.