Identifier

etd-07062005-165558

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Physics and Astronomy

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) are well established and powerful tools for medical diagnostics but even integrated PET/CT scanner images still lack the necessary quality and resolution that would make medical diagnoses flawless. In this thesis experiments were performed to statistically determine the effect that image acquisition parameters have upon diagnostic accuracy. Images from different PET/CT scanners were assessed by comparing subject human diagnostic accuracy from a sample of both professional and student volunteers. The assessment results were compared to the objective NEMA-standards performance data provided by the manufacturers for each scanner. The data analysis method is the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. We hypothesize that human performance in making accurate diagnoses from PET images correlates with the system performance. The data shows that human diagnostic performance correlates to spatial resolution and sensitivity of the PET imaging systems.

Date

2005

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Kenneth L. Matthews II

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.2028

Share

COinS