Virtual performance evaluation platform for ARGUS microPET: An economic approach to PET scanner quality assessment

Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to assess the performance of a preclinical micro PET/CT (ARGUS-SEDECAL) via GATE, Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission, a virtual platform for tomographic emission simulation. Methods: By using GATE, we were able to accurately reproduce the physics of a PET scanner, including such as the instrument´s parameters, and the data collecting system of an Argus system. A dual-ring detector with the same parameters as compared to the ARGUS was set up via GATE. A dual-layer scanner with 18 modules, with lutetium - yttrium orthosilicate (LYSO) front layer and gadolinium orthosilicate (GSO) rear layer crystal, geometry of the simulated scanner all represented that of the ARGUS model. Results: The data collected from GATE was used to evaluate the uniformity of our images, by calculating the percentage standard deviation (%STD). The %STD of images from Argus showed comparable results to our own self designed modules. Conclusions: This study has shown that GATE can serve well as a relatively unbiased and practical method to evaluate performances of PET scanners without the need of having true instrumentation and physical testing, which in turns can be a very cost-effective method to PET design and performance evaluation.