Modeling and simulation of PET scanner based on pixelated solid-state detector

Novel conceptual design of Pixel-PET scanner, based on pixelated solid-state detector, is presented. Pixel-PET simply solves most of the intrinsic limitations that are inherited in the current PET scanners, and in particular those that are based on scintillating crystals, such as low detection efficiency, low energy resolution, low spatial resolution, parallax effect, image noise from scattered photons, and non-compatibility with strong magnetic field. The simulation results followed by image reconstruction show, when compared with state-of-the-art PET scanner for head, based on scintillating crystals (LSO/LYSO), the detection efficiency increases by a factor of 2.3 and the scattered photons are reduced from 98% to 3%, thus allowing to resolve the 1.2mm rod in Derenzo-like phantom with peak-to-valley ratio of 3 to 1.