Mathematical tumours and their use in assessing data processing techniques in radioisotope scintigraphy

A method is suggested for assessing data processing techniques for radioisotope scans. Clinical significance and flexibility are major factors in formulating the technique whereby tumours that have been generated mathematically for a collimator with a radially symmetrical response function are superimposed on normal clinical scans. Two numerical methods of obtaining a tumour scan are intercompared. The problem of addition of noise in the case of a 'cold' spot is considered but remains unsolved.