Sensitivity assessment of wide Axial Field of View PET systems via Monte Carlo simulations of NEMA-like measurements

The sensitivity characteristics of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) systems with wide Axial Field of View (AFOV) was studied by MonteCarlo simulations complemented by an approximate analytical model, aiming at full-body human PET systems with AFOV in the order of 200 cm. Simulations were based on the GEANT4 package and followed closely the NEMA NU-2 1994 norm. The sensitivity, dominated by the solid angle, grows strongly with the AFOV and with the axial acceptance angle, while the scatter fraction is almost independent from the geometry.