Spatial resolution of the HRRT PET scanner using 3D-OSEM PSF reconstruction

In this paper, the resolution of the Siemens high resolution research tomograph (HRRT) was centrally (r < 60 mm) homogenous with a FWHM of 1.4 mm for ¹⁸F-FDG in air. This was where the main part of the brain is located if the patient has been positioned correctly. The 1.4 mm resolution was obtained using the newly develop 3D-OSEM PSF reconstruction algorithm, which was a significant improvement over 3D-OSEM reconstruction without PSF. The algorithm uses a simple PSF model that was the same for all the pixels in the FOV and does not regulate for the circular/octagonal scanner geometry. This supports that the FWHM of the radial axis is increasing with the distance from the center for r > 60mm.