Region resolvability versus noise level guidelines for dynamic ECT obtained via joint spatial and kinetic parameter estimation algorithm

For emission computed tomography (ECT) studies of temporally static source distributions, well-known guidelines exist for the number of resolution elements which may be acceptably resolved in a reconstructed image, at a given noise level. Owing to the incomplete angular-temporal sampling in such ECT modalities as rotating camera dynamic single photon ECT (SPECT), the acquired sinogram is not a consistent representation of a Radon transform, and consequently, no analogous bounds on the performance of dynamic reconstruction algorithms may be derived from Radon transform theory. Applying what the author believes to be the first spatiokinetic parameter estimation algorithm able to simultaneously estimate both the geometry and kinetics of multiple dynamic regions directly from inconsistent projections, the author establishes practical guidelines for the number of regions whose boundaries and time-activity curves (TAC's) may be simultaneously estimated to a specified degree of accuracy at a given signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). These results are hoped to represent useful guidelines for study design and the application and development of dynamic reconstruction algorithms.