A simplified reconstruction of Positron Emission Tomography image using Time of Flight simulated data in Gate 10

Background: Ultrafast Time-of-Flight (TOF) information in Gate 10 simulations enables direct 3D PET reconstruction without scanner-specific modeling.

Although such picosecond timing is not achievable in current detectors, simulated data allow exploration of idealized TOF regimes and rapid evaluation of prototype PET designs.

Methods: The TOF-driven reconstruction assigns each coincidence to its annihilation position using sub-picosecond timestamps, producing voxelized 3D histograms with flexible voxel size and field-of-view selection.

The approach operates directly on Gate-sorted coincidences, requires no corrections, and outputs MHD/DICOM images.

Timestamp precision (~10^-13 s) enables localization on the millimeter scale.

Results: Full 3D images of the simulated INSPIRE PET scanner are generated in under one second.

The method resolves 0.25 mm features in point-source studies and 1.2 mm rods in the Derenzo phantom, reproduces ground-truth activity distributions in image-quality tests, and maintains quantitative stability across geometries.

Performance reflects the theoretical benefits of ultrafast TOF rather than current detector capabilities.

Significance: This fast, geometry-agnostic reconstruction tool supports early-stage PET prototyping, allowing rapid assessment of spatial resolution, sensitivity, and uniformity without implementing complex reconstruction software.

It is broadly applicable to any simulated PET system with sorted coincidences and enables systematic exploration of ultrafast TOF performance in a controlled environment.