UPHS Research

EVAL3DPET

Programs for the Evaluation of 3D PET Reconstruction Algorithms

Medical Image Processing Group, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania

EVAL3DPET is a set of programs designed to statistically evaluate 3D PET reconstruction algorithms. The software comprises of tools for 3D phantom and projection data generation, evaluation and statistical comparison, and it includes some fully 3D reconstruction algorithms.

The EVAL3DPET programming system is designed to be capable of:

  1. Generating phantom and projection data based on a realistic 3D PET scanner model. The phantoms are random samples from a statistically described ensemble of 3D images with 69 ellipsoid features (cold, normal and hot) ranging from small (4 mm) to large (40 mm). The projection data generation takes into account detector field-of-view blurring and a realistic 3D PET noise model.
  2. Evaluating for structural accuracy, hot spot detectability and cold spot detectability.
  3. The evaluation program also calculates a training figure-of-merit, that can be used for optimizing reconstruction techniques. Statistically comparing the efficacy of a pair of reconstruction techniques using the t-test.

Included, as examples, are the ART and EM reconstruction techniques, both implemented using traditional voxels and also using the so-called "blob" basis functions. Our implementations of ART use a special data-access ordering (of projection rays) to achieve fast convergence. The EM algorithms support both attenuated and non-attenuated projection data.

EVAL3DPET will be made available (on a CD ROM) to all who request it at the cost of reproduction and mailing of the C source code, manual and example data files. The programs were developed using the C language (K&R), under a UNIX operating system, and they have been tested on SPARCstations (SUN) and Silicon Graphics machines. There is a charge of US$150.00 (checks only) for providing this service. (For overseas mailing add another US$50.00 if air mail delivery is required.) Please make the check payable (in US currency drawn on a US bank) to RADIOLOGY ASSOCIATES and send it with your order to:

Ms. Mary Blue
Medical Image Processing Group
Dept. of Radiology - Univ. of Pennsylvania
Blockley Hall, 4th Floor
418 Service Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6021
U.S.A.

Tel: +1-215-662-6780
Fax: +1-215-349-8426
email: mary@mipg.upenn.edu

By purchasing the EVAL3DPET software, the recipient agrees to abide by the following terms:
  1. EVAL3DPET shall not be redistributed in any way.
  2. EVAL3DPET is not a patient-care tool and it is not approved by the United States Federal Drug Administration.
  3. While every effort has been made to correct all known bugs, EVAL3DPET is provided "as is" with no warranty whatsoever. As such, the recipient agrees not to hold the authors responsible for any problems they may encounter with the software.
  4. The recipient agrees to purchase EVAL3DPET with the explicit knowledge that the authors do not offer technical support.

Medical Image Processing Group, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Health System

Copyright, University of Pennsylvania
Health System