MR-based PET motion correction procedure for simultaneous MR-PET neuroimaging of human brain

PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e48149. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048149. Epub 2012 Nov 12.

Abstract

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) images are prone to motion artefacts due to the long acquisition time of PET measurements. Recently, simultaneous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and PET have become available in the first generation of Hybrid MR-PET scanners. In this work, the elimination of artefacts due to head motion in PET neuroimages is achieved by a new approach utilising MR-based motion tracking in combination with PET list mode data motion correction for simultaneous MR-PET acquisitions. The method comprises accurate MR-based motion measurements, an intra-frame motion minimising and reconstruction time reducing temporal framing algorithm, and a list mode based PET reconstruction which utilises the Ordinary Poisson Algorithm and avoids axial and transaxial compression. Compared to images uncorrected for motion, an increased image quality is shown in phantom as well as in vivo images. In vivo motion corrected images show an evident increase of contrast at the basal ganglia and a good visibility of uptake in tiny structures such as superior colliculi.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Brain / anatomy & histology
  • Brain / diagnostic imaging
  • Brain / physiology*
  • Functional Neuroimaging*
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging*
  • Motion
  • Positron-Emission Tomography*
  • Reproducibility of Results

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres ( http://www.helmholtz.de/en/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.