Ildar Khalidov

Dynamic PET Reconstruction Using Wavelet Regularization With Adapted Basis Functions

Tomographic reconstruction from positron emission tomography (PET) data is an ill-posed problem that requires regularization. An attractive approach is to impose an lscr1-regularization constraint, which favors sparse solutions in the wavelet domain. This can be achieved quite efficiently thanks to the iterative algorithm developed by Daubechies et al., 2004. In this paper, we apply this technique and extend it for the reconstruction of dynamic (spatio-temporal) PET data. Moreover, instead of using classical wavelets in the temporal dimension, we introduce exponential-spline wavelets (E-spline wavelets) that are specially tailored to model time activity curves (TACs) in PET. We show that the exponential-spline wavelets naturally arise from the compartmental description of the dynamics of the tracer distribution. We address the issue of the selection of the ldquooptimalrdquo E-spline parameters (poles and zeros) and we investigate their effect on reconstruction quality. We demonstrate the usefulness of spatio-temporal regularization and the superior performance of E-spline wavelets over conventional Battle-Lemarie wavelets in a series of experiments: the 1-D fitting of TACs, and the tomographic reconstruction of both simulated and clinical data. We find that the E-spline wavelets outperform the conventional wavelets in terms of the reconstructed signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the sparsity of the wavelet coefficients. Based on our simulations, we conclude that replacing the conventional wavelets with E-spline wavelets leads to equal reconstruction quality for a 40% reduction of detected coincidences, meaning an improved image quality for the same number of counts or equivalently a reduced exposure to the patient for the same image quality.

From differential equations to the construction of new wavelet-like bases

In this paper, an approach is introduced based on differential operators to construct wavelet-like basis functions. Given a differential operator L with rational transfer function, elementary building blocks are obtained that are shifted replicates of the Greens function of L. It is shown that these can be used to specify a sequence of embedded spline spaces that admit a hierarchical exponential B-spline representation. The corresponding B-splines are entirely specified by their poles and zeros; they are compactly supported, have an explicit analytical form, and generate multiresolution Riesz bases. Moreover, they satisfy generalized refinement equations with a scale-dependent filter and lead to a representation that is dense in L/sub 2/. This allows us to specify a corresponding family of semi-orthogonal exponential spline wavelets, which provides a major extension of earlier polynomial spline constructions. These wavelets are completely characterized, and it is proven that they satisfy the following remarkable properties: 1) they are orthogonal across scales and generate Riesz bases at each resolution level; 2) they yield unconditional bases of L/sub 2/-either compactly supported (B-spline-type) or with exponential decay (orthogonal or dual-type); 3) they have N vanishing exponential moments, where N is the order of the differential operator; 4) they behave like multiresolution versions of the operator L from which they are derived; and 5) their order of approximation is (N-M), where N and M give the number of poles and zeros, respectively. Last but not least, the new wavelet-like decompositions are as computationally efficient as the classical ones. They are computed using an adapted version of Mallats filter bank algorithm, where the filters depend on the decomposition level.

Generalized L-Spline Wavelet Bases

We build wavelet-like functions based on a parametrized family of pseudo-differential operators Lv→ that satisfy some admissibility and scalability conditions. The shifts of the generalized B-splines, which are localized versions of the Green function of Lv→, generate a family of L-spline spaces. These spaces have the approximation order equal to the order of the underlying operator. A sequence of embedded spaces is obtained by choosing a dyadic scale progression a=2i. The consecutive inclusion of the spaces yields the refinement equation, where the scaling filter depends on scale. The generalized L-wavelets are then constructed as basis functions for the orthogonal complements of spline spaces. The vanishing moment property of conventional wavelets is generalized to the vanishing null space element property. In spite of the scale dependence of the filters, the wavelet decomposition can be performed using an adapted version of Mallats filterbank algorithm.

Operator-Like Wavelet Bases of L_{2}(\mathbb{R}^{d})

The connection between derivative operators and wavelets is well known. Here we generalize the concept by constructing multiresolution approximations and wavelet basis functions that act like Fourier multiplier operators. This construction follows from a stochastic model: signals are tempered distributions such that the application of a whitening (differential) operator results in a realization of a sparse white noise. Using wavelets constructed from these operators, the sparsity of the white noise can be inherited by the wavelet coefficients. In this paper, we specify such wavelets in full generality and determine their properties in terms of the underlying operator.

Improved MRSI with Field Inhomogeneity Compensation

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (MRSI) is a promising and developing tool in medical imaging. Because of various difficulties imposed by the imperfections of the scanner and the reconstruction algorithms, its applicability in clinical practice is rather limited. In this paper, we suggest an extension of the constrained reconstruction technique (SLIM). Our algorithm, named B-SLIM, takes into account the the measured field inhomogeneity map, which contains both the scanners main field inhomogeneity and the object-dependent magnetic susceptibility effects. The method is implemented and tested both with synthetic and physical two-compartment phantom data. The results demonstrate significant performance improvement over the SLIM technique. At the same time, the algorithm has the same computational complexity as SLIM.

Reconstruction of Dynamic PET Data Using Spatio-Temporal Wavelet l 1 Regularization

Tomographic reconstruction from PET data is an ill-posed problem that requires regularization. Recently, Daubechies et al. proposed an l1 regularization of the wavelet coefficients that can be optimized using iterative thresholding schemes. In this paper, we extend this approach for the reconstruction of dynamic (spatio-temporal) PET data. Instead of using classical wavelets in the temporal dimension, we introduce exponential-spline wavelets that are specially tailored to model time activity curves (TACs) in PET. We show the usefulness of spatio-temporal regularization and the superior performance of E-spline wavelets over conventional Battle-Lemarie wavelets for a 1-D TAC fitting experiment and a tomographic reconstruction experiment.

Construction Of Wavelet Bases That Mimic The Behaviour Of Some Given Operator

Probably the most important property of wavelets for signal processing is their multiscale derivative-like behavior when applied to functions. In order to extend the class of problems that can profit of wavelet-based techniques, we propose to build new families of wavelets that behave like an arbitrary scale-covariant operator. Our extension is general and includes many known wavelet bases. At the same time, the method takes advantage a fast filterbank decomposition-reconstruction algorithm. We give necessary conditions for the scale-covariant operator to admit our wavelet construction, and we provide examples of new wavelets that can be obtained with our method.

Exponential-spline wavelet bases

We build a multiresolution analysis based on shift-invariant exponential B-spline spaces. We construct the basis functions for these spaces and for their orthogonal complements. This yields a new family of wavelet-like basis functions of L/sub 2/, with some remarkable properties. The wavelets, which are characterized by a set of poles and zeros, have an explicit analytical form (exponential spline). They are nonstationary is the sense that they are scale-dependent and that they are not necessarily the dilates of one another. They behave like multi-scale versions of some underlying differential operator L; in particular, they are orthogonal to the exponentials that are in the null space of L. The corresponding wavelet transforms are implemented efficiently using an adaptation of Mallats (1998) filterbank algorithm.