Visuo-computational tools for PET physiological imaging

The authors describe some of the tools incorporated into a highly portable UNIX-based software package that was developed to address the special problems presented in the visualization and analysis of PET (positron emission tomography) images. The salient features of this package include: (1) a complete set of image display and analysis routines, (2) biomathematical modeling tools to transform raw PET data to physiological parameters, (3) realignment of PET images with those of CT (computed tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to correlate the functional, parametric display with the underlying anatomy, (4) regional thresholding techniques to limit the analysis to the physiologically relevant tissue as well as to make the definition of regions of interest less dependent on anatomical boundaries, (5) display of regional covariation patterns, (6) pseudo-3-D surface representations of metabolic values, and (7) stereoscopic and animation techniques for enhanced visual impact.<>