Patent ID: 6852980

Claim:
A method for improving spatial resolution using on-line depth-of-interaction (DOI) rebinning in a hybrid Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) system running in PET-mode, the PET/SPECT system having a rotating dual-head tomograph using LSO/NaI scintillators and being capable of depth-of-interaction (DOI) measurement, the tomograph defining a field of view (FOV) within a patient gantry, said method comprising the steps of: (a) acquiring a PET coincidence data stream from a patient scan; (b) delivering the PET coincidence data stream to an on-line rebinner to derive a bin address output stream; (c) deriving a bin address output stream in said on-line rebinner from said PET coincidence data stream; (d) delivering the bin address output stream from the rebinner to a Fibre Channel PCI DMA receiver card for direct PCI DMA stream transfers; (e) histogramming the bin address output stream; and (f) storing said bin address output stream.