Fast implementation of 3D PET reconstruction using vector and parallel programming techniques

The authors discuss methods for reducing the computation time for 3-D PET (positron emission tomography) reconstruction through the use of fast computer hardware, vector and parallel programming techniques, and algorithm optimization. The strengths and weaknesses of i860 microprocessor based workstation accelerator boards are investigated in implementations of 3-D PET reconstruction. One key issue in achieving speed on the SuperCard 2 has been minimizing memory accesses, and eliminating redundant calculations through approximations and look-up tables. This has allowed the calculation time to decrease from 20 minutes on the MicroVax 3200 to 146 seconds on a dual i860 system.<
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