Detective quantum efficiency (DQE) in PET scanners: A simulation study

The aim of the present study is to introduce the detective quantum efficiency (DQE) for the image quality assessment of positron emission tomography (PET) scanners. For this purpose, a thin layer chromatography (TLC) plane source was simulated using a previously validated, scanner and source geometry, Monte Carlo (MC) model. The model was developed with the Geant4 application for tomographic emission (GATE) MC package and reconstructed images obtained with the software for tomographic image reconstruction (STIR), with cluster computing. The GE Discovery ST PET scanner was simulated by using a previously validated code. A plane source consisting of a TLC plate, was simulated by a layer of silica gel on aluminum (Al) foil substrate, immersed in 18F-FDG bath solution (1MBq). Image quality was assessed in terms of the modulation transfer function (MTF) and the normalized noise power spectrum (NNPS) in order to obtain the detective quantum efficiency (DQE). MTF curves were estimated from transverse reconstructed images of the plane source, whereas the NNPS data were estimated from the corresponding coronal images. Images were reconstructed by the maximum likelihood estimation ordered subsets maximum a posteriori one step late (MLE)-OS-MAP-OSL algorithm, by using various subsets 1–21) and iterations 1–20). MTF values were found to increase up to the 12th iteration whereas remain almost constant thereafter. However, the range of the increase in the MTF is limited as the number of subsets increases. The noise levels were found to increase with the corresponding increase of both the number of iterations and subsets. The maximum NNPS value (0.517mm2) was observed for the 420 MLEM-equivalent iterations reconstructed image at 0cycles/mm. Finally DQE values were found to increase for spatial frequencies up to 0.038cycles/mm and to decrease thereafter with the corresponding increase in both number of iterations and subsets. The maximum DQE value (0.48 at 0.038cycles/mm) was obtained for the 8 MLEM-equivalent iterations image. The simulated PET evaluation method based on the TLC plane source can be useful in the quality control and in the further development of PET and SPECT scanners though GATE simulations. •Introduction of the DQE for the image quality assessment of PET scanners.•A thin layer chromatography source was simulated using GATE Monte Carlo.•MTF was found to increase up to 12 iterations and remain constant thereafter.•Noise was found to increase when the numb