Effect of correction function on image characteristics of Positologica: a positron CT device for the head.

The effects of correction function on image characteristics were studied experimentally for a positron CT device Positologica. Correction functions were obtained by smoothing the Shepp and Logan function by convolution of Gaussian functions. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spatial resolution were measured for phantoms and related to the magnitude of smoothing. The relation between SNR and spatial resolution is also discussed. Some suggestions are made to indicate how to select correction functions for clinical images. A flow of data processing for Positologica is described together with an outline of its hardware.