GATE, a Geant4-based simulation platform for PET integrating movement and time management

Volume : (3), Issue : 211, April - 2017

Abstract : the Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission, is a simulation platform developed for PET and SPECT. It combines a powerful simulation core (the Geant4 toolkit) and a large range of developments dedicated to nuclear medicine. In particular, it models the passing of time during real acquisitions, allowing to handle dynamic systems such as decaying source distributions or moving detectors. We present several series of results that illustrate the possibilities of this new platform. The simulation of decaying sources is illustrated on a dual-isotope acquisition with multiple time-frames. Count rate curves taking into account random coincidences and dead-time are shown for a dual-crystal set-up and for a small-animal PET scanner configuration. Simulated resolution curves and reconstructed images are shown for rotating PET scanners. Lastly, we present comparisons of simulated point-spread functions and spectra with experimental results obtained from a small-animal gamma camera prototype.

Article: Download PDF Journal DOI : 2364/2018

Cite This Article:

Article No : 1067

Number of Downloads : 100

References :

1.  Buvat and I. Castiglioni, “Monte Carlo simulations in SPET and PET,” Quaterly J. of Nucl. Med. 2002;46:48-61.
2. GEANT4 Collaboration, “GEANT4: A simulation toolkit,” SLAC Report SLAC-PUB-9350, Aug.2002.
3. S. R. Cherry, Y. Shao, R. W. Silverman, K. Meadors, S. Siegel, A. Chatziioannou et al., “MicroPET: a high resolution PET scanner for imaging small animals,” IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci 1997;44:1161-1166 http://stir.irsl.org.
4.  A. F. Chatziioannou, S. R. Cherry, Y. Shao, R. W. Silverman, K. Meadors, T. H. Farquhar et al., “Performance evaluation of microPET: a high-resolution lutetium oxyorthosilicate PET scanne for animal imaging,” J. of Nucl. Med. 1999;40:1164-1175.
5. G. K. Loudos, K. S. Nikita, N. D. Giokaris, E. Styliaris, S. C. Archimandritis, D. Varvarigou et al., “A 3D high-resolution gamma camera for radiopharmaceutical studies with small animals,” to be submitted http://www-iphe.unil.ch/~PET/research/gate/.