Strategies for Motion Tracking and Correction in PET

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Nuclear Medicine
• Image Processing

Background:

• High-resolution Positron Emission Tomography (PET) systems are susceptible to image blurring caused by patient motion.
• Both voluntary patient movement and involuntary physiological motions (cardiac and respiratory cycles) degrade PET image quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review advanced correction techniques for patient motion in PET imaging.
• To discuss methods for compensating cardiac and respiratory motion in PET scans.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing and emerging motion correction strategies in PET imaging.
• Emphasis on software-based solutions leveraging advanced hardware capabilities.

Main Results:

• Sophisticated software plays a pivotal role in advanced motion correction for PET.
• Current methods focus on utilizing existing hardware more effectively through advanced algorithms.

Conclusions:

• Continuous innovation in software and hardware is essential for improving motion detection, characterization, and compensation in PET.
• The field requires novel approaches to mitigate motion artifacts and enhance PET image resolution.