Performance Evaluation of the Modular J-PET Detector in Conventional PET Imaging

The utilization of organic scintillator strips in the construction of J-PET represents a remarkable departure from the conventional PET methodology that relies on inorganic crystal scintillators [1, 2]. This innovative approach not only holds the potential for cost-effectiveness but also facilitates the development of stand-alone detection modules, making PET imaging accessible to non-specialized laboratories [3]. The J-PET scanner, recently commissioned for research imaging on clinical patients at the University Hospital in Krakow, has undergone rigorous evaluation. This work is based on the study in which a single-bed position scan was performed on patients injected with [$\left.{ }^{68} \mathrm{Ga}\right]$-DOTA-TATE. This study evaluates the performance of human imaging in J-PET with particular attention to incorporating various corrections, including attenuation, normalization, random and scatter corrections. Attenuation correction was applied using the kVp-dependent transformation [4]. Normalization corrections were calculated using the component-based approach [5]. Random coincidences were corrected using the delayed time window method [6]. A Monte Carlo-based scatter correction (SC) method was implemented using SimSET to simulate the scatter contribution and calculate the SC factors in between each OSEM iteration of the image reconstruction [7]. In this contribution, the reconstructed images of patients scanned with the JPET, the first scanner based on plastic scintillators, and supplemented with the necessary corrections, will be presented.