Quantifying recovery coefficients for partial volume effect correction in pet/ct: an anthropomorphic phantom approach

Аннотация

The partial volume effect (PVE) in positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging leads to inaccurate quantification of radiotracer uptake, particularly in small structures or regions with low activity. This study proposes a method for calculating recovery coefficients (RCs) to correct for the PVE in PET/CT images using a customized anthropomorphic body phantom. The phantom was designed to replicate human body anatomy, including various organs and tissues, with controlled activity distributions. PET/CT scans were acquired at different spatial resolutions, and the RCs were derived by comparing the measured and true activity concentrations. Our findings demonstrate that the RCs vary based on the size and shape of the region of interest (ROI) and the resolution of the PET scan. These recovery coefficients can be applied to improve quantitative accuracy in PET/CT imaging, particularly for small lesions and organs. The results highlight the effectiveness of using a customized anthropomorphic phantom for PVE correction and the potential clinical benefits of this method in diagnostic imaging.