A method of applying scatter and attenuation correction to emission tomography images of a region of interest of a patient under observation comprises the steps of aligning a three-dimensional computer model representing the density distribution within the region of interest with the emission tomography images. The invention allows a distal portion of a catheter to be deflected more than 360 degrees to provide a loop. Annular oxidizer outlets are formed at the openings in the faceplate and connected to the oxidizer supply to deliver oxidizer to the combustion chamber. The scalable declustered layout is then implemented on the disks to produce a balanced reconstruction load across disks when recovering from a disk failure.