Time-of-flight PET

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-2998(98)80031-7Get rights and content

Time-of-Flight (TOF) positron emission tomographs (PET) were developed during the 1980s and early 1990s. Initial investigations into the potential improvements in signal-to-nolse ratios if TOF information was utilized were published in 1980. By 1982, two groups (Washington University and Commissariat á l'Energie Atomique-Laboratorie d'Electronique et de L'Informatique [CEA-LETI]) were designing and building the first TOF tomographs. A third group at the University of Texas also designed and built a TOF system. These systems were optimized for high count-rate imaging of short-lived radiotracers for applications such as cardiac blood flow. The first system put into operation for patient scans was the Super PETT I built at Washington University by Michel Ter-Pogossian and his colleagues. The Washington University group went on to design two additional versions of TOF systems and the CEA-LETI group developed two basic tomograph designs. As Bismuth Germanate (BGO)-based scanners were refined, it became clear that the TOF systems could not provide the same high spatial resolution as offered by the newer systems. The use of the fast scintillators required for TOF systems also resulted in lower intrinsic sensitivity that was only partially compensated for by the effective gain In sensitivity offered by TOF image reconstruction techniques. Further development of TOF systems was suspended in the early 1990s. With the development of new scintillators that provide more light output and are denser than those available in the 1980s and considerably faster than BGO, there is new interest in the application of TOF techniques for future tomograph designs.

References (49)

  • Ter-PogossianMM et al.

    Photon time-of-flight-assisted positron emission tomography

    J Comput Assist Tomog

    (1981)
  • Ter-PogossianMM et al.

    Design Characteristics and Preliminary Testing of Super PETT I, A Positron Emission Tomography Utilizing Photon Time-of-Flight Information (TOF PET)

  • Ter-PogossianMM et al.

    Super PETTI I: A positron emission tomograph utilizing photon time-of-flight information

    IEEE Trans Med Imag MI

    (1982)
  • FickeDC et al.

    TOF Acquisition: System Design and Experimental Results

  • FickeDC et al.

    Recent Developments in Image Reconstruction Using A Time-of-Flight-Assisted Positron Emission Tomography: Super PETT

    IEEE Trans Nuc Sci NS

    (1984)
  • HolmesTJ et al.

    A Dedicated Hardware Architecture for Data Acquisition and Processing in a Time-of-Flight Emission Tomography System (Super-PETT)

    (1982)
  • HolmesTJ et al.

    Implications of Event Rate and Study Parameters of System Architecture

  • HolmesTJ et al.

    Maximum-Likelihood Estimation Applied to Some Calibration Problems in Time-of-Flight Emission Tomography Systems

  • HolmesTJ et al.

    Modeling of Accidental Coincidences in Both Conventional and Time-of-Flight Positron-Emission Tomography

    IEEE Trans Nuc Sci NS

    (1984)
  • HolmesTJ et al.

    The Effect of Accidental Coincidences in Time-of-Flight Positron Emission Tomography

    IEEE Trans Med Imag MI

    (1984)
  • SnyderDL

    What Performance Gain Does an Emission Tomography System Having Time-of-Flight Measurements Offter>

    (1981)
  • SnyderDL et al.

    Image reconstruction from list-mode data in an emission tomography system having time-of-flight measurements

    IEEE Trans Nuc Sci NS

    (1983)
  • SnyderDL

    Preimage selection in time-time-of-flight emission tomography

    Washington University School of Medicine Monograph Number

    (1982)
  • SnyderDL et al.

    A mathematical model for positron-emission tomography systems having time-of-flight measurements

    IEEE Trans Nuc Sci NS

    (1981)
  • YamamotoM et al.

    Experimental Assessment of the Gain Achieved by the Utilization of Time-of-Flight Information in a Positron Emission Tomograph (Super PETT I)

    IEEE Trans Med Imag MI

    (1982)
  • AllemandR et al.

    Potential Advantages of a Cesium Fluoride Scintillator for a Time-of-Flight Positron Camera

    J Nucl Med

    (1980)
  • BendriemB et al.

    A technique for the correction of scattered radiation in a PET system using TOF information

    J Comput Assist Tomogr

    (1986)
  • GarderetP et al.

    Image Reconstruction Using Time of Flight Information in the LETI Positron Tomography System

  • SoussalineF et al.

    New Developments in Positron Emission Tomography Instrumentation Using the Time-of-Flight Information

  • SoussalineF et al.

    Physical Characterization and Preliminary Results of a PET System Using Time-of-flight for Quantitative Studies

  • VacherJ et al.

    New Development of Detection and Fast Timing on the Time-of-Flight LETI Device

  • MazoyerB et al.

    Physical Characteristics of TTV03, a New High Spatial Resolution Time-of-Flight Positron Tomograph

    IEEE Trans Nucl Sci

    (1990)
  • TrebossenR et al.

    Countrate Performance of TTV03. The CEA-LETI Time-of-Flight Positron Emission Tomograph

  • GariodR et al.

    The “LETI” Positron Tomograph Architecture and Time of Flight improvements

  • Cited by (120)

    • Improved light yield and growth of large-volume ultrafast single crystal scintillators Cs<inf>2</inf>ZnCl<inf>4</inf> and Cs<inf>3</inf>ZnCl<inf>5</inf>

      2022, Optical Materials
      Citation Excerpt :

      The timing resolution of the system is limited by the decay time of the scintillator; therefore, fast scintillators are essential to achieve the desired performance (timing resolution on the order of ten to several hundred picoseconds). First generation TOF-PET scanners developed in the 1980's and 1990's were constructed with BaF2 and CsF crystals [8,9], which drew substantial interest due to their unprecedented decay times during this period (∼0.6 ns and 2.5 ns–5 ns, respectively) [9–11]. Unfortunately, the drawbacks of these two materials outweighed their benefits, so widespread use was not implemented.

    • Positron emission tomography in ischemic heart disease

      2019, Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia
      Citation Excerpt :

      The recent shift in the management of IHD from an anatomical to a functional gold standard has highlighted the importance of functional imaging techniques. Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine imaging technique that uses radiotracers to produce images of radionuclide distribution with an exterior detector system.2 These tracers can provide information on a wide range of biological pathways by non-invasive methods, using physiological substrates labeled with positron-emitting radionuclides.

    • PET/MRI Hybrid Systems

      2018, Seminars in Nuclear Medicine
    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text