Combined simulations for evaluation of 2D and 3D wholebody PET imaging protocols

Full characterization or optimization of 2D and 3D PET imaging protocols requires many independent but identically distributed realizations, which can be obtained from simulations of a given scanner. These rely on accurate estimations of single and coincident photon rates, particularly for the fractions of true, scattered and random coincidences recorded. To facilitate such studies, e.g. the combined effect of patient thickness and scan duration on lesion detectability, we propose to combine a photon tracking simulation (SimSET) with a faster analytic projection-based simulation (ASIM). SimSET accurately predicts true, scattered, and random coincidence rates, while ASIM is able to produce the necessary number of realizations with accurate noise properties. We present the simulation modifications and count rate comparisons between real and simulated measurements.