| The field of PET imaging has been continually evolving towards better imaging capabilities, and improved clinical diagnosis. At the intersection of several specialties: physics, mathematics, computer science, and medicine, PET imaging has abilities, bases and limitations distributed abound. In this dissertation, contemporary PET imaging is examined, its limitations are categorized, and approaches for improvements are presented in the form of new techniques and standardized methods. More specifically, the subsections in this dissertation contend with respiratory gating, gate combination, image deconvolution, standardization of PET region of interest definitions, radiation dosimetry, and effects of clinical radiation on FDG PET uptake. The work was carried out with an emphasis on applicability, simplicity, and usability, in the hope that this work may be used to help shape the field of PET of tomorrow. |
