Simulation of pseudo-clinical conditions and image quality evaluation of PET scanner based on pixelated CdTe detector

A novel conceptual design of PET scanner, known as a Voxel Imaging PET (VIP) [1], based on pixelated solid state detector, has been proposed to overcome the intrinsic limitations of state-of-art PET devices based on scintillating crystals. For this study, the VIP scanner has been simulated in different pseudo-clinical conditions in order to assess its image quality performance. The evaluation of the PET image quality follows the NEMA prescriptions. Results are also presented for both analytic and iterative image reconstruction methods. The preliminary results from simulations show that the image reconstruction performance of the VIP scanner under realistic clinical conditions provides good images with low dose. The VIP scanner is able to detect down to 1 mm in diameter hot regions in small phantoms without background activity and down to 5 mm in diameter hot spheres in big phantoms in the presence of background activity. Moreover, good quality and high contrast images can be obtained with a considerably lower number of coincidences with respect to the usual crystal PETs.