Noise-Weighted FBP Algorithm for Uniformly Attenuated SPECT Projections

Noise-weighted FBP (filtered backprojection) algorithm and Bayesian FBP algorithm were developed recently for un-attenuated Radon transform, which have applications in x-ray CT (computed tomography). This paper extends the noise-weighted FBP algorithm to the case of uniformly attenuated Radon transform, and this extended FBP algorithm can be applied in uniformly attenuated SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography). Computer simulations and experimental data demonstrate that the proposed FBP algorithm has similar noise control capability as the iterative ML-EM (maximum likelihood expectation maximization) algorithm. In practice, the attenuator is rarely uniform. A stable FBP algorithm must be developed for non-uniform attenuators before the FBP algorithm can be applied in clinics when attenuation correction is required.