Cardiac PET Motion Compensation Using Non-Periodic List-Mode Data

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Solution Overview

Problem

Cardiac PET imaging is susceptible to motion artifacts due to cardiac, respiratory, and bulk body movements, leading to blurred images, which existing technologies struggle to adequately correct.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for motion compensation in PET imaging that estimates non-periodic motion of the myocardium due to respiratory and bulk body movements using list-mode emission data, performing event-by-event motion-corrected reconstruction with rigid image registration, and combining images using non-rigid registration to generate motion-corrected cardiac images.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If cardiac PET imaging is performed over many minutes to ensure adequate data acquisition, then the image data quality improves, but motion artifacts increase due to cardiac, respiratory, and bulk body movements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage data qualityVSAvoidmotion artifacts

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary motion estimation and characterization during the data acquisition process. Motion parameters are estimated in advance for each event, allowing the reconstruction algorithm to pre-compensate for motion effects before final image formation, thereby preventing motion artifacts rather than correcting them post-acquisition

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system transitions from static image reconstruction to dynamic motion-compensated reconstruction. By continuously tracking and modeling myocardium motion throughout the scan duration, the system adapts the reconstruction process to account for time-varying motion states, resolving the contradiction between long scan duration and motion artifact reduction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Measurement precision

If motion correction techniques are applied to remove motion artifacts, then image quality improves, but the complexity of the imaging system and reconstruction process increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoidreconstruction process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses the acquired PET data itself to estimate motion parameters through list-mode reconstruction and image registration techniques. Rather than requiring external motion tracking devices or additional sensors, the method is self-contained, using the emission data to characterize and correct for motion, thereby improving image quality without proportionally increasing system complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces complex mechanical motion tracking hardware with computational motion estimation methods. By using algorithmic approaches based on list-mode data analysis and image registration, the system achieves motion correction without requiring additional mechanical sensors or tracking devices, thus improving image quality while limiting the increase in physical system complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Loss of time

If traditional reconstruction methods are used without motion correction, then the processing time is shorter, but the resulting images are blurred due to motion artifacts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing timeVSAvoidimage sharpness

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The reconstruction process is segmented into distinct phases: list-mode data acquisition, motion estimation from list-mode reconstruction, and final motion-compensated image reconstruction. This segmentation allows computationally intensive motion correction steps to be performed selectively on motion-corrected data rather than all raw data, reducing overall processing time while maintaining image sharpness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Generates cardiac images with improved diagnostic quality, superior signal-to-noise ratio, and precise cardiac metrics by effectively removing non-periodic motion, reducing scan time while maintaining high temporal resolution.

Implementation Method 1

the patient is initially injected with the radiotracer, which emits positrons as it decays

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRadioactive decay: Radioactive Decay

Implementation Method 2

Each emitted positron may travel a relatively short distance before encountering an electron, at which point an annihilation occurs. When a positron interacts with an electron by annihilation, the entire mass of the positron-electron pair is converted into two 511 keV gamma photons

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAnnihilation: Reaction (physics)

Data Source

PatentUS12406409B2System and method for motion compensation for cardiac PET imaging

Publication Date: 2025.09.02 GE PRECISION HEALTHCARE LLC

AI summary

A computer-implemented method for motion compensation of medical imaging data includes estimating, via a processor, non-periodic motion of a myocardium of a heart due to respiration and/or other body movements throughout a positron emission tomography (PET) scan based on list-mode emission data acquired during the PET scan of the heart of a subject. The method also includes performing, via the processor, event-by-event motion-corrected list-mode reconstruction on the list-mode emission data to generate cardiac images with the non-periodic motion removed.