title: Collimator design for single photon emission tomography.
abstract: We discuss recent trends in collimator design and technology, with emphasis on theoretical and practical issues of importance for single photon emission tomography (SPET). The well-known imaging performance parameters of parallel-hole collimators are compared with those of fan-beam collimators, which have enjoyed considerable success in recent years, particularly for brain SPET. We review a simplistic approach to the collimator optimization problem, as well as more sophisticated "task-dependent" treatments and important considerations for SPET collimator design. Practical guidance is offered for understanding trade-offs that must be considered for clinical imaging. Finally, selective comparisons among different SPET systems and collimators are presented for illustrative purposes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, MA 01609.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kouris
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cullum
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D015902:Gamma Cameras; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D013679:Technology, Radiologic / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000295:instrumentation*