Nuclear medicine Iterative image

reconstruction
By samuel. T (MSc.)
IIR
• They are mathematical algorithms used to create
2D and 3D images from projection data acquired
at different angles around the patient.

• Modalities such as CT, MRI, PET, SPECT generate

several projections as ionizing and non-
ionizing radiation pass through the patient.
The whole story
1D projection sum along some angle
IIR-working Principle

• After the acquisition process (measured projection)

• Initial image estimate, e.g a uniform or blank image is

generated

• Calculated projection data obtained via forward

projection.
Cont.
• Compare the measured and calculated projections,
if they converge then reconstruct the image.

• If they don’t, then update the estimated image

via back projection.

• The whole step is repeated several times until

convergence.
MLEM
• Maximum-likelihood estimation is a standard statistical
estimation method.
• It produces an estimate that ‘most likely’ leads to the
measured data.
• MLEM is mostly applied to solve incomplete data problems.
• It is very effective in finding the maximum likelihood
estimate.
• Advantages: predictable and consistent convergence manner
• Disadvantage: very noisy images and slow convergence, It
typically requires many iterations
OSEM
• only  a  small  number  (or subset)  of  projection  angles  are  used 
in  the initial  iterations.

• As  the  image  is  refined, a  larger  number  of  projection 

angles  are included. 

• This  speeds  up  the  algorithm, because the time per iteration is 

directly proportional to the number of projection profiles that must 
be computed
Others
• List-mode
• Origin ensemble
• Etc.
Image Quality Features

• Modulation Transfer Function (MTF): gives information

about the spatial resolution of the final image
• Mean Square Error (MSE): is the error between the
original image and the reconstructed image.
• Bias: shows the level of accuracy
• Variance: gives the level of precision
• Processing/run time
• RC: contrast ratio gives information on the image
contrast
• Image noise
Example
Scatter compensation techniques
and Compton camera