Image reconstruction strategy for an axial PET

Traditional Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner are limited by the relationship existing between the spatial resolution and the sensitivity. An axial PET, in which the crystals are oriented along the axial direction (z-axis), allows to limit this correlation resulting in a high resolution with a good sensitivity. This high resolution is made possible by a fine Depth of Interaction (DOI) measurement as well as a continuous axial position measurement. To preserve these information a list-mode reconstruction algorithm has been implemented and tested by using a simulation workflow developed to overcome the axial PET simulation limitation.