What is patlak?

Patlak is a graphical method for analyzing dynamic PET (positron emission tomography) data. It is used to estimate the rate of uptake of a tracer in a target tissue or organ, as well as the rate of release from the blood. The Patlak plot is a technique for analyzing the PET data graphically by plotting the ratio of the tracer concentration in the tissue to that in the plasma against the integral of the plasma concentration over time. The slope of the linear portion of the plot is proportional to the net influx of the tracer into the tissue and the y-intercept to the fraction of non-specific binding of the tracer in the tissue. Patlak analysis is commonly used in neuroimaging to investigate the kinetics of various tracers such as [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and ligands for various receptors.