Spatial resolution in SPECT: influence of measurement set-up and reconstruction parameters

The ability of a tomographic system to detect small lesions and to assess them quantitatively is affected by several performance parameters, among them spatial resolution in the transverse slice and in the axial direction. This study was done to determine reconstructed resolution under clinical conditions for various parameters, i.e. radius of rotation, radial position within the transverse field of view, and amount of smoothing in the reconstruction process (various reconstruction filters and a Metz prefilter). The axial resolution is independent of the reconstruction filter but depends on the prefilter, the radius of rotation (ROR), and the source position. The transaxial resolution is dependent on the reconstruction filter, the prefilter, the ROR, and the source position. The reconstructed resolution and the system resolution were compared and differences between both are discussed.