Quantitative PET imaging with MR-PET

The BrainPET detectors installed in our MR-PET scanners deliver high-resolution images. PET images are, however, not only expected to be of high quality, but should also produce quantitative data relating to metabolic functions. To achieve this, the team at the INM4 has developed and implemented methods to quantify PET images acquired simultaneously with MRI. The list-mode data, acquired for example over 50 minutes, are framed into a dynamic series of sinograms. In addition to programs provided by the manufacturer for iterative reconstruction and efficiency; random and scatter correction, procedures for attenuation correction, dead time and decay correction, and calibration have been developed. When patients were examined with the brain PET and the HR+ PET-only scanner (order of scans was counterbalanced) excellent agreement of quantitative PET images were obtained.