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Author Llosa, G.; Trovato, M.; Barrio, J.; Etxebeste, A.; Muñoz, E.; Lacasta, C.; Oliver, J.F.; Rafecas, M.; Solaz, C.; Solevi, P. doi  openurl
  Title First Images of a Three-layer compton Telescope prototype for Treatment Monitoring in hadron Therapy Type Journal Article
  Year 2016 Publication Frontiers in Oncology Abbreviated Journal Front. Oncol.  
  Volume 6 Issue Pages 14 - 6pp  
  Keywords Compton camera; Compton telescope; hadron therapy; treatment monitoring; LaBr3  
  Abstract A Compton telescope for dose monitoring in hadron therapy is under development at IFIC. The system consists of three layers of LaBr3 crystals coupled to silicon photomulti-plier arrays. Na-22 sources have been successfully imaged reconstructing the data with an ML-EM code. Calibration and temperature stabilization are necessary for the prototype operation at low coincidence rates. A spatial resolution of 7.8 mm FWHM has been obtained in the first imaging tests.  
  Address [Llosa, Gabriela; Trovato, Marco; Barrio, John; Etxebeste, Ane; Munoz, Enrique; Lacasta, Carlos; Oliver, Josep F.; Rafecas, Magdalena; Solaz, Carles; Solevi, Paola] Inst Fis Corpuscular IFIC CSIC UVEG, Valencia, Spain, Email: gabriela.llosa@ific.uv.es  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Frontiers Media Sa Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2234-943x ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes WOS:000369799800001 Approved no  
  Is ISI yes International Collaboration no  
  Call Number IFIC @ elepoucu @ Serial 2785  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Oliver, J.F.; Rafecas, M. doi  openurl
  Title Modelling Random Coincidences in Positron Emission Tomography by Using Singles and Prompts: A Comparison Study Type Journal Article
  Year 2016 Publication PLoS One Abbreviated Journal PLoS ONE  
  Volume 11 Issue 9 Pages e0162096 - 22pp  
  Keywords  
  Abstract Random coincidences degrade the image in Positron Emission Tomography, PET. To compensate for their degradation effects, the rate of random coincidences should be estimated. Under certain circumstances, current estimation methods fail to provide accurate results. We propose a novel method, “Singles-Prompts” (SP), that includes the information conveyed by prompt coincidences and models the pile-up. The SP method has the same structure than the well-known “Singles Rate” (SR) approach. Hence, SP can straightforwardly replace SR. In this work, the SP method has been extensively assessed and compared to two conventional methods, SR and the delayed window (DW) method, in a preclinical PET scenario using Monte-Carlo simulations. SP offers accurate estimates for the randoms rates, while SR and DW tend to overestimate the rates (similar to 10%, and 5%, respectively). With pile-up, the SP method is more robust than SR (but less than DW). At the image level, the contrast is overestimated in SR-corrected images, + 16%, while SP produces the correct value. Spill-over is slightly reduced using SP instead of SR. The DW images values are similar to those of SP except for low-statistic scenarios, where DW behaves as if randoms were not compensated for. In particular, the contrast is reduced, -16%. In general, the better estimations of SP translate into better image quality.  
  Address [Oliver, Josep F.; Rafecas, M.] Inst Fis Corpuscular IFIC UV CSIC, Valencia, Spain, Email: josep.f.oliver@uv.es  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Public Library Science Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1932-6203 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes WOS:000383255200040 Approved no  
  Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes  
  Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 2825  
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Author Llosa, G.; Rafecas, M. doi  openurl
  Title Hybrid PET/Compton-camera imaging: an imager for the next generation Type Journal Article
  Year 2023 Publication European Physical Journal Plus Abbreviated Journal Eur. Phys. J. Plus  
  Volume 138 Issue 3 Pages 214 - 19pp  
  Keywords  
  Abstract Compton cameras can offer advantages over gamma cameras for some applications, since they are well suited for multitracer imaging and for imaging high-energy radiotracers, such as those employed in radionuclide therapy. While in conventional clinical settings state-of-the-art Compton cameras cannot compete with well-established methods such as PET and SPECT, there are specific scenarios in which they can constitute an advantageous alternative. The combination of PET and Compton imaging can benefit from the improved resolution and sensitivity of current PET technology and, at the same time, overcome PET limitations in the use of multiple radiotracers. Such a system can provide simultaneous assessment of different radiotracers under identical conditions and reduce errors associated with physical factors that can change between acquisitions. Advances are being made both in instrumentation developments combining PET and Compton cameras for multimodal or three-gamma imaging systems, and in image reconstruction, addressing the challenges imposed by the combination of the two modalities or the new techniques. This review article summarizes the advances made in Compton cameras for medical imaging and their combination with PET.  
  Address [Llosa, Gabriela] CSIC UV, Inst Fis Corpuscular IFIC, Catedrat Beltran 2, Paterna 46980, Spain, Email: gabriela.llosa@ific.uv.es;  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Springer Heidelberg Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 2190-5444 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes WOS:000945407400001 Approved no  
  Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes  
  Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 5488  
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Author Aguiar, P.; Rafecas, M.; Ortuño, J.E.; Kontaxakis, G.; Santos, A.; Pavia, J.; Rosetti, M. doi  openurl
  Title Geometrical and Monte Carlo projectors in 3D PET reconstruction Type Journal Article
  Year 2010 Publication Medical Physics Abbreviated Journal Med. Phys.  
  Volume 37 Issue 11 Pages 5691-5702  
  Keywords 3D PET; iterative reconstruction; list-mode reconstruction; ray-tracing techniques; Monte Carlo simulation; system response matrix  
  Abstract Purpose: In the present work, the authors compare geometrical and Monte Carlo projectors in detail. The geometrical projectors considered were the conventional geometrical Siddon ray-tracer (S-RT) and the orthogonal distance-based ray-tracer (OD-RT), based on computing the orthogonal distance from the center of image voxel to the line-of-response. A comparison of these geometrical projectors was performed using different point spread function (PSF) models. The Monte Carlo-based method under consideration involves an extensive model of the system response matrix based on Monte Carlo simulations and is computed off-line and stored on disk. Methods: Comparisons were performed using simulated and experimental data of the commercial small animal PET scanner rPET. Results: The results demonstrate that the orthogonal distance-based ray-tracer and Siddon ray-tracer using PSF image-space convolutions yield better images in terms of contrast and spatial resolution than those obtained after using the conventional method and the multiray-based S-RT. Furthermore, the Monte Carlo-based method yields slight improvements in terms of contrast and spatial resolution with respect to these geometrical projectors. Conclusions: The orthogonal distance-based ray-tracer and Siddon ray-tracer using PSF image-space convolutions represent satisfactory alternatives to factorizing the system matrix or to the conventional on-the-fly ray-tracing methods for list-mode reconstruction, where an extensive modeling based on Monte Carlo simulations is unfeasible.  
  Address [Aguiar, Pablo] Univ Santiago de Compostela, Dept Fis Particulas, Complexo Hosp Univ Santiago de Compostela, Fdn IDICHUS IDIS, Santiago De Compostela, Spain, Email: pablo.aguiar.fernandez@sergas.es  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Amer Assoc Physicists Medicine Amer Inst Physics Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0094-2405 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes ISI:000283747600015 Approved no  
  Is ISI yes International Collaboration no  
  Call Number IFIC @ elepoucu @ Serial 338  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Cabello, J.; Torres-Espallardo, I.; Gillam, J.E.; Rafecas, M. doi  openurl
  Title PET Reconstruction From Truncated Projections Using Total-Variation Regularization for Hadron Therapy Monitoring Type Journal Article
  Year 2013 Publication IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci.  
  Volume 60 Issue 5 Pages 3364-3372  
  Keywords  
  Abstract Hadron therapy exploits the properties of ion beams to treat tumors by maximizing the dose released to the target and sparing healthy tissue. With hadron beams, the dose distribution shows a relatively low entrance dose which rises sharply at the end of the range, providing the characteristic Bragg peak that drops quickly thereafter. It is of critical importance in order not to damage surrounding healthy tissues and/or avoid targeting underdosage to know where the delivered dose profile ends-the location of the Bragg peak. During hadron therapy, short-lived beta(+)-emitters are produced along the beam path, their distribution being correlated with the delivered dose. Following positron annihilation, two photons are emitted, which can be detected using a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. The low yield of emitters, their short half-life, and the wash out from the target region make the use of PET, even only a few minutes after hadron irradiation, a challenging application. In-beam PET represents a potential candidate to estimate the distribution of beta(+)-emitters during or immediately after irradiation, at the cost of truncation effects and degraded image quality due to the partial rings required of the PET scanner. Time-of-flight (ToF) information can potentially be used to compensate for truncation effects and to enhance image contrast. However, the highly demanding timing performance required in ToF-PET makes this option costly. Alternatively, the use of maximum-a-posteriori-expectation-maximization (MAP-EM), including total variation (TV) in the cost function, produces images with low noise, while preserving spatial resolution. In this paper, we compare data reconstructed with maximum-likelihood-expectation-maximization (ML-EM) and MAP-EM using TV as prior, and the impact of including ToF information, from data acquired with a complete and a partial-ring PET scanner, of simulated hadron beams interacting with a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) target. The results show that MAP-EM, in the absence of ToF information, produces lower noise images and more similar data compared to the simulated beta(+) distributions than ML-EM with ToF information in the order of 200-600 ps. The investigation is extended to the combination of MAP-EM and ToF information to study the limit of performance using both approaches.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0018-9499 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes WOS:000325827200023 Approved no  
  Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes  
  Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 1610  
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Author Oliver, J.F.; Fuster-Garcia, E.; Cabello, J.; Tortajada, S.; Rafecas, M. doi  openurl
  Title Application of Artificial Neural Network for Reducing Random Coincidences in PET Type Journal Article
  Year 2013 Publication IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci.  
  Volume 60 Issue 5 Pages 3399-3409  
  Keywords  
  Abstract Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is based on the detection in coincidence of the two photons created in a positron annihilation. In conventional PET, this coincidence identification is usually carried out through a coincidence electronic unit. An accidental coincidence occurs when two photons arising from different annihilations are classified as a coincidence. Accidental coincidences are one of the main sources of image degradation in PET. Some novel systems allow coincidences to be selected post-acquisition in software, or in real time through a digital coincidence engine in an FPGA. These approaches provide the user with extra flexibility in the sorting process and allow the application of alternative coincidence sorting procedures. In this work a novel sorting procedure based on Artificial Neural Network (ANN) techniques has been developed. It has been compared to a conventional coincidence sorting algorithm based on a time coincidence window. The data have been obtained from Monte-Carlo simulations. A small animal PET scanner has been implemented to this end. The efficiency (the ratio of correct identifications) can be selected for both methods. In one case by changing the actual value of the coincidence window used, and in the other by changing a threshold at the output of the neural network. At matched efficiencies, the ANN-based method always produces a sorted output with a smaller random fraction. In addition, two differential trends are found: the conventional method presents a maximum achievable efficiency, while the ANN-based method is able to increase the efficiency up to unity, the ideal value, at the cost of increasing the random fraction. Images reconstructed using ANN sorted data (no compensation for randoms) present better contrast, and those image features which are more affected by randoms are enhanced. For the image quality phantom used in the paper, the ANN method decreases the spill-over ratio by a factor of 18%.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0018-9499 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes WOS:000325827200027 Approved no  
  Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes  
  Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 1611  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Blume, M.; Martinez-Moller, A.; Keil, A.; Navab, N.; Rafecas, M. doi  openurl
  Title Joint Reconstruction of Image and Motion in Gated Positron Emission Tomography Type Journal Article
  Year 2010 Publication IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging Abbreviated Journal IEEE Trans. Med. Imaging  
  Volume 29 Issue 11 Pages 1892-1906  
  Keywords Gating; motion compensation; positron emission tomography (PET); reconstruction  
  Abstract We present a novel intrinsic method for joint reconstruction of both image and motion in positron emission tomography (PET). Intrinsic motion compensation methods exclusively work on the measured data, without any external motion measurements. Most of these methods separate image from motion estimation: They use deformable image registration/optical flow techniques in order to estimate the motion from individually reconstructed gates. Then, the image is estimated based on this motion information. With these methods, a main problem lies in the motion estimation step, which is based on the noisy gated frames. The more noise is present, the more inaccurate the image registration becomes. As we show both visually and quantitatively, joint reconstruction using a simple deformation field motion model can compete with state-of-the-art image registration methods which use robust multilevel B-spline motion models.  
  Address [Blume, Moritz; Rafecas, Magdalena] Univ Valencia, CSIC, IFIC, E-46071 Valencia, Spain, Email: moritz.blume@cs.tum.edu  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Ieee-Inst Electrical Electronics Engineers Inc Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0278-0062 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes ISI:000283941800007 Approved no  
  Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes  
  Call Number IFIC @ elepoucu @ Serial 340  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Brzezinski, K.; Oliver, J.F.; Gillam, J.; Rafecas, M.; Studen, A.; Grkovski, M.; Kagan, H.; Smith, S.; Llosa, G.; Lacasta, C.; Clinthorne, N.H. doi  openurl
  Title Experimental evaluation of the resolution improvement provided by a silicon PET probe Type Journal Article
  Year 2016 Publication Journal of Instrumentation Abbreviated Journal J. Instrum.  
  Volume 11 Issue Pages P09016 - 13pp  
  Keywords Gamma camera; SPECT; PET PET/CT; coronary CT angiography (CTA); Medical-image reconstruction methods and algorithms; computer-aided software  
  Abstract A high-resolution PET system, which incorporates a silicon detector probe into a conventional PET scanner, has been proposed to obtain increased image quality in a limited region of interest. Detailed simulation studies have previously shown that the additional probe information improves the spatial resolution of the reconstructed image and increases lesion detectability, with no cost to other image quality measures. The current study expands on the previous work by using a laboratory prototype of the silicon PET-probe system to examine the resolution improvement in an experimental setting. Two different versions of the probe prototype were assessed, both consisting of a back-to-back pair of 1-mm thick silicon pad detectors, one arranged in 32 x 16 arrays of 1.4mm x 1.4mm pixels and the other in 40 x 26 arrays of 1.0mm x 1.0mm pixels. Each detector was read out by a set of VATAGP7 ASICs and a custom-designed data acquisition board which allowed trigger and data interfacing with the PET scanner, itself consisting of BGO block detectors segmented into 8 x 6 arrays of 6mm x 12mm x 30mm crystals. Limited-angle probe data was acquired from a group of Na-22 point-like sources in order to observe the maximum resolution achievable using the probe system. Data from a Derenzo-like resolution phantom was acquired, then scaled to obtain similar statistical quality as that of previous simulation studies. In this case, images were reconstructed using measurements of the PET ring alone and with the inclusion of the probe data. Images of the Na-22 source demonstrated a resolution of 1.5mm FWHM in the probe data, the PET ring resolution being approximately 6 mm. Profiles taken through the image of the Derenzo-like phantom showed a clear increase in spatial resolution. Improvements in peak-to-valley ratios of 50% and 38%, in the 4.8mm and 4.0mm phantom features respectively, were observed, while previously unresolvable 3.2mm features were brought to light by the addition of the probe. These results support the possibility of improving the image resolution of a clinical PET scanner using the silicon PET-probe.  
  Address [Brzezinski, K.; Oliver, J. F.; Gillam, J.; Rafecas, M.; Llosa, G.; Lacasta, C.] Univ Valencia, CSIC, Inst Fis Corpuscular, C Catedrat Jose Beltran 2, Valencia, Spain, Email: k.w.brzezinski@rug.nl  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Iop Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1748-0221 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes WOS:000387862300016 Approved no  
  Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes  
  Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 2865  
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Author Solevi, P.; Muñoz, E.; Solaz, C.; Trovato, M.; Dendooven, P.; Gillam, J.E.; Lacasta, C.; Oliver, J.F.; Rafecas, M.; Torres-Espallardo, I.; Llosa, G. doi  openurl
  Title Performance of MACACO Compton telescope for ion-beam therapy monitoring: first test with proton beams Type Journal Article
  Year 2016 Publication Physics in Medicine and Biology Abbreviated Journal Phys. Med. Biol.  
  Volume 61 Issue 14 Pages 5149-5165  
  Keywords ion-beam therapy; range verification; prompt gamma; Compton camera; GATE  
  Abstract In order to exploit the advantages of ion-beam therapy in a clinical setting, delivery verification techniques are necessary to detect deviations from the planned treatment. Efforts are currently oriented towards the development of devices for real-time range monitoring. Among the different detector concepts proposed, Compton cameras are employed to detect prompt gammas and represent a valid candidate for real-time range verification. We present the first on-beam test of MACACO, a Compton telescope (multi-layer Compton camera) based on lanthanum bromide crystals and silicon photo-multipliers. The Compton telescope was first characterized through measurements and Monte Carlo simulations. The detector linearity was measured employing Na-22 and Am-Be sources, obtaining about 10% deviation from linearity at 3.44 MeV. A spectral image reconstruction algorithm was tested on synthetic data. Point-like sources emitting gamma rays with energy between 2 and 7 MeV were reconstructed with 3-5 mm resolution. The two-layer Compton telescope was employed to measure radiation emitted from a beam of 150 MeV protons impinging on a cylindrical PMMA target. Bragg-peak shifts were achieved via adjustment of the PMMA target location and the resulting measurements used during image reconstruction. Reconstructed Bragg peak profiles proved sufficient to observe peak-location differences within 10 mm demonstrating the potential of the MACACO Compton Telescope as a monitoring device for ion-beam therapy.  
  Address [Solevi, Paola; Munoz, Enrique; Solaz, Carles; Trovato, Marco; Gillam, John E.; Lacasta, Carlos; Oliver, Josep F.; Rafecas, Magdalena; Torres-Espallardo, Irene; Llosa, Gabriela] IFIC CSIC UVEG, Inst Fis Corpuscular, Valencia, Spain, Email: paola.solevi@ovgu.de  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Iop Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0031-9155 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes WOS:000379555300007 Approved no  
  Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes  
  Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 2754  
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Author Torres-Espallardo, I.; Diblen, F.; Rohling, H.; Solevi, P.; Gillam, J.; Watts, D.; Espana, S.; Vandenberghe, S.; Fiedler, F.; Rafecas, M. doi  openurl
  Title Evaluation of resistive-plate-chamber-based TOF-PET applied to in-beam particle therapy monitoring Type Journal Article
  Year 2015 Publication Physics in Medicine and Biology Abbreviated Journal Phys. Med. Biol.  
  Volume 60 Issue 9 Pages N187-N208  
  Keywords PET; in-beam; RPC; particle therapy; TOF; range deviation; partial-ring  
  Abstract Particle therapy is a highly conformal radiotherapy technique which reduces the dose deposited to the surrounding normal tissues. In order to fully exploit its advantages, treatment monitoring is necessary to minimize uncertainties related to the dose delivery. Up to now, the only clinically feasible technique for the monitoring of therapeutic irradiation with particle beams is Positron Emission Tomography (PET). In this work we have compared a Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC)-based PET scanner with a scintillation-crystal-based PET scanner for this application. In general, the main advantages of the RPC-PET system are its excellent timing resolution, low cost, and the possibility of building large area systems. We simulated a partial-ring scannerbeam monitoring, which has an intrinsically low positron yield compared to diagnostic PET. In addition, for in-beam PET there is a further data loss due to the partial ring configuration. In order to improve the performance of the RPC-based scanner, an improved version of the RPC detector (modifying the thickness of the gas and glass layers), providing a larger sensitivity, has been simulated and compared with an axially extended version of the crystal-based device. The improved version of the RPC shows better performance than the prototype, but the extended version of the crystal-based PET outperforms all other options. based on an RPC prototype under construction within the Fondazione per Adroterapia Oncologica (TERA). For comparison with the crystal-based PET scanner we have chosen the geometry of a commercially available PET scanner, the Philips Gemini TF. The coincidence time resolution used in the simulations takes into account the current achievable values as well as expected improvements of both technologies. Several scenarios (including patient data) have been simulated to evaluate the performance of different scanners. Initial results have shown that the low sensitivity of the RPC hampers its application to hadron  
  Address [Torres-Espallardo, I.; Solevi, P.; Gillam, J.; Rafecas, M.] UV, CSIC, Inst Fis Corpuscular IFIC, E-46071 Valencia, Spain, Email: irene.torres@uv.es  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Iop Publishing Ltd Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0031-9155 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes WOS:000354104700003 Approved no  
  Is ISI yes International Collaboration yes  
  Call Number IFIC @ pastor @ Serial 2227  
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