Use of cross-correlation function to detect patient motion during SPECT imaging.

We have developed a procedure to detect patient motion during a tomographic acquisition. The method uses frame-to-frame cross-correlation functions of the summed profiles in the vertical and horizontal directions of the planar images. The quantitative output derived from examination of the variation of the change in the pixel value, corresponding to the maximum of the cross-correlation function at each view, provides an effective and nonsubjective means of performing quality control on the presence and amount of movement during a single photon emission computed tomographic scan. In contrast to cine mode and sinogram display, easy to interpret hard copy can be generated through this procedure.