High resolution brain PET with large detectors. II Performance study

For pt.I see ibid., vol.37, p.842-5, (1990). The ultimate resolution and sensitivity obtainable with a large crystal detector PET (positron emission tomography) are studied, and its performance is compared with other high-resolution systems currently under development that use small (thin) crystal detector arrays. System performance is investigated using Monte Carlo simulation. Results show that uniform high-resolution images can be obtained with the proposed system. Due to its simplicity and expected low cost, it appears that the proposed brain PET could be an ideal candidate for high-resolution brain imaging, aiming for resolution down to 2 to 3 mm full width at half maximum as well as for other high-resolution imaging applications such as animal imaging