Image quality of iterative reconstruction in cranial CT imaging: comparison of model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR).

Science.gov (United States)

Notohamiprodjo, S; Deak, Z; Meurer, F; Maertz, F; Mueck, F G; Geyer, L L; Wirth, S

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare cranial CT (CCT) image quality (IQ) of the MBIR algorithm with standard iterative reconstruction (ASiR). In this institutional review board (IRB)-approved study, raw data sets of 100 unenhanced CCT examinations (120 kV, 50-260 mAs, 20 mm collimation, 0.984 pitch) were reconstructed with both ASiR and MBIR. Signal-to-noise (SNR) and contrast-to-noise (CNR) were calculated from attenuation values measured in caudate nucleus, frontal white matter, anterior ventricle horn, fourth ventricle, and pons. Two radiologists, who were blinded to the reconstruction algorithms, evaluated anonymized multiplanar reformations of 2.5 mm with respect to depiction of different parenchymal structures and impact of artefacts on IQ with a five-point scale (0: unacceptable, 1: less than average, 2: average, 3: above average, 4: excellent). MBIR decreased artefacts more effectively than ASiR (p ASiR was 2 (p ASiR (p ASiR. As CCT is an examination that is frequently required, the use of MBIR may allow for substantial reduction of radiation exposure caused by medical diagnostics. • Model-Based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) effectively decreased artefacts in cranial CT. • MBIR reconstructed images were rated with significantly higher scores for image quality. • Model-Based iterative reconstruction may allow reduced-dose diagnostic examination protocols.

Reducing the effects of acoustic heterogeneity with an iterative reconstruction method from experimental data in microwave induced thermoacoustic tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jinguo; Zhao, Zhiqin; Song, Jian; Chen, Guoping; Nie, Zaiping; Liu, Qing-Huo

2015-01-01

Purpose: An iterative reconstruction method has been previously reported by the authors of this paper. However, the iterative reconstruction method was demonstrated by solely using the numerical simulations. It is essential to apply the iterative reconstruction method to practice conditions. The objective of this work is to validate the capability of the iterative reconstruction method for reducing the effects of acoustic heterogeneity with the experimental data in microwave induced thermoacoustic tomography. Methods: Most existing reconstruction methods need to combine the ultrasonic measurement technology to quantitatively measure the velocity distribution of heterogeneity, which increases the system complexity. Different to existing reconstruction methods, the iterative reconstruction method combines time reversal mirror technique, fast marching method, and simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique to iteratively estimate the velocity distribution of heterogeneous tissue by solely using the measured data. Then, the estimated velocity distribution is used subsequently to reconstruct the highly accurate image of microwave absorption distribution. Experiments that a target placed in an acoustic heterogeneous environment are performed to validate the iterative reconstruction method. Results: By using the estimated velocity distribution, the target in an acoustic heterogeneous environment can be reconstructed with better shape and higher image contrast than targets that are reconstructed with a homogeneous velocity distribution. Conclusions: The distortions caused by the acoustic heterogeneity can be efficiently corrected by utilizing the velocity distribution estimated by the iterative reconstruction method. The advantage of the iterative reconstruction method over the existing correction methods is that it is successful in improving the quality of the image of microwave absorption distribution without increasing the system complexity

A new simple iterative reconstruction algorithm for SPECT transmission measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, D.S.; Zeng, G.L.

2005-01-01

This paper proposes a new iterative reconstruction algorithm for transmission tomography and compares this algorithm with several other methods. The new algorithm is simple and resembles the emission ML-EM algorithm in form. Due to its simplicity, it is easy to implement and fast to compute a new update at each iteration. The algorithm also always guarantees non-negative solutions. Evaluations are performed using simulation studies and real phantom data. Comparisons with other algorithms such as convex, gradient, and logMLEM show that the proposed algorithm is as good as others and performs better in some cases

Iterative wave-front reconstruction in the Fourier domain.

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, Charlotte Z; Correia, Carlos M; Sauvage, Jean-François; Neichel, Benoit; Fusco, Thierry

2017-05-15

The use of Fourier methods in wave-front reconstruction can significantly reduce the computation time for large telescopes with a high number of degrees of freedom. However, Fourier algorithms for discrete data require a rectangular data set which conform to specific boundary requirements, whereas wave-front sensor data is typically defined over a circular domain (the telescope pupil). Here we present an iterative Gerchberg routine modified for the purposes of discrete wave-front reconstruction which adapts the measurement data (wave-front sensor slopes) for Fourier analysis, fulfilling the requirements of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and providing accurate reconstruction. The routine is used in the adaptation step only and can be coupled to any other Wiener-like or least-squares method. We compare simulations using this method with previous Fourier methods and show an increase in performance in terms of Strehl ratio and a reduction in noise propagation for a 40×40 SPHERE-like adaptive optics system. For closed loop operation with minimal iterations the Gerchberg method provides an improvement in Strehl, from 95.4% to 96.9% in K-band. This corresponds to ~ 40 nm improvement in rms, and avoids the high spatial frequency errors present in other methods, providing an increase in contrast towards the edge of the correctable band.

Radiation dose reduction in medical x-ray CT via Fourier-based iterative reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahimian, Benjamin P; Zhao, Yunzhe; Huang, Zhifeng; Fung, Russell; Mao, Yu; Zhu, Chun; Khatonabadi, Maryam; DeMarco, John J; Osher, Stanley J; McNitt-Gray, Michael F; Miao, Jianwei

2013-03-01

A Fourier-based iterative reconstruction technique, termed Equally Sloped Tomography (EST), is developed in conjunction with advanced mathematical regularization to investigate radiation dose reduction in x-ray CT. The method is experimentally implemented on fan-beam CT and evaluated as a function of imaging dose on a series of image quality phantoms and anonymous pediatric patient data sets. Numerical simulation experiments are also performed to explore the extension of EST to helical cone-beam geometry. EST is a Fourier based iterative algorithm, which iterates back and forth between real and Fourier space utilizing the algebraically exact pseudopolar fast Fourier transform (PPFFT). In each iteration, physical constraints and mathematical regularization are applied in real space, while the measured data are enforced in Fourier space. The algorithm is automatically terminated when a proposed termination criterion is met. Experimentally, fan-beam projections were acquired by the Siemens z-flying focal spot technology, and subsequently interleaved and rebinned to a pseudopolar grid. Image quality phantoms were scanned at systematically varied mAs settings, reconstructed by EST and conventional reconstruction methods such as filtered back projection (FBP), and quantified using metrics including resolution, signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs). Pediatric data sets were reconstructed at their original acquisition settings and additionally simulated to lower dose settings for comparison and evaluation of the potential for radiation dose reduction. Numerical experiments were conducted to quantify EST and other iterative methods in terms of image quality and computation time. The extension of EST to helical cone-beam CT was implemented by using the advanced single-slice rebinning (ASSR) method. Based on the phantom and pediatric patient fan-beam CT data, it is demonstrated that EST reconstructions with the lowest scanner flux setting of 39 m

Radiation dose reduction in medical x-ray CT via Fourier-based iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fahimian, Benjamin P.; Zhao Yunzhe; Huang Zhifeng; Fung, Russell; Zhu Chun; Miao Jianwei; Mao Yu; Khatonabadi, Maryam; DeMarco, John J.; McNitt-Gray, Michael F.; Osher, Stanley J.

2013-01-01

Purpose: A Fourier-based iterative reconstruction technique, termed Equally Sloped Tomography (EST), is developed in conjunction with advanced mathematical regularization to investigate radiation dose reduction in x-ray CT. The method is experimentally implemented on fan-beam CT and evaluated as a function of imaging dose on a series of image quality phantoms and anonymous pediatric patient data sets. Numerical simulation experiments are also performed to explore the extension of EST to helical cone-beam geometry. Methods: EST is a Fourier based iterative algorithm, which iterates back and forth between real and Fourier space utilizing the algebraically exact pseudopolar fast Fourier transform (PPFFT). In each iteration, physical constraints and mathematical regularization are applied in real space, while the measured data are enforced in Fourier space. The algorithm is automatically terminated when a proposed termination criterion is met. Experimentally, fan-beam projections were acquired by the Siemens z-flying focal spot technology, and subsequently interleaved and rebinned to a pseudopolar grid. Image quality phantoms were scanned at systematically varied mAs settings, reconstructed by EST and conventional reconstruction methods such as filtered back projection (FBP), and quantified using metrics including resolution, signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs). Pediatric data sets were reconstructed at their original acquisition settings and additionally simulated to lower dose settings for comparison and evaluation of the potential for radiation dose reduction. Numerical experiments were conducted to quantify EST and other iterative methods in terms of image quality and computation time. The extension of EST to helical cone-beam CT was implemented by using the advanced single-slice rebinning (ASSR) method. Results: Based on the phantom and pediatric patient fan-beam CT data, it is demonstrated that EST reconstructions with the lowest

AIR-MRF: Accelerated iterative reconstruction for magnetic resonance fingerprinting.

Science.gov (United States)

Cline, Christopher C; Chen, Xiao; Mailhe, Boris; Wang, Qiu; Pfeuffer, Josef; Nittka, Mathias; Griswold, Mark A; Speier, Peter; Nadar, Mariappan S

2017-09-01

Existing approaches for reconstruction of multiparametric maps with magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) are currently limited by their estimation accuracy and reconstruction time. We aimed to address these issues with a novel combination of iterative reconstruction, fingerprint compression, additional regularization, and accelerated dictionary search methods. The pipeline described here, accelerated iterative reconstruction for magnetic resonance fingerprinting (AIR-MRF), was evaluated with simulations as well as phantom and in vivo scans. We found that the AIR-MRF pipeline provided reduced parameter estimation errors compared to non-iterative and other iterative methods, particularly at shorter sequence lengths. Accelerated dictionary search methods incorporated into the iterative pipeline reduced the reconstruction time at little cost of quality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fast approach to evaluate MAP reconstruction for lesion detection and localization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qi, Jinyi; Huesman, Ronald H.

2004-01-01

Lesion detection is an important task in emission tomography. Localization ROC (LROC) studies are often used to analyze the lesion detection and localization performance. Most researchers rely on Monte Carlo reconstruction samples to obtain LROC curves, which can be very time-consuming for iterative algorithms. In this paper we develop a fast approach to obtain LROC curves that does not require Monte Carlo reconstructions. We use a channelized Hotelling observer model to search for lesions, and the results can be easily extended to other numerical observers. We theoretically analyzed the mean and covariance of the observer output. Assuming the observer outputs are multivariate Gaussian random variables, an LROC curve can be directly generated by integrating the conditional probability density functions. The high-dimensional integrals are calculated using a Monte Carlo method. The proposed approach is very fast because no iterative reconstruction is involved. Computer simulations show that the results of the proposed method match well with those obtained using the tradition LROC analysis

Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction-V Versus Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction: Impact on Dose Reduction and Image Quality in Body Computed Tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Gatti, Marco; Marchisio, Filippo; Fronda, Marco; Rampado, Osvaldo; Faletti, Riccardo; Bergamasco, Laura; Ropolo, Roberto; Fonio, Paolo

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact on dose reduction and image quality of the new iterative reconstruction technique: adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR-V). Fifty consecutive oncologic patients acted as case controls undergoing during their follow-up a computed tomography scan both with ASIR and ASIR-V. Each study was analyzed in a double-blinded fashion by 2 radiologists. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses of image quality were conducted. Computed tomography scanner radiation output was 38% (29%-45%) lower (P ASIR-V examinations than for the ASIR ones. The quantitative image noise was significantly lower (P ASIR-V. Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-V had a higher performance for the subjective image noise (P = 0.01 for 5 mm and P = 0.009 for 1.25 mm), the other parameters (image sharpness, diagnostic acceptability, and overall image quality) being similar (P > 0.05). Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-V is a new iterative reconstruction technique that has the potential to provide image quality equal to or greater than ASIR, with a dose reduction around 40%.

PARALLEL ITERATIVE RECONSTRUCTION OF PHANTOM CATPHAN ON EXPERIMENTAL DATA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. A. Mirzavand

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The principles of fast parallel iterative algorithms based on the use of graphics accelerators and OpenGL library are considered in the paper. The proposed approach provides simultaneous minimization of the residuals of the desired solution and total variation of the reconstructed three- dimensional image. The number of necessary input data, i. e. conical X-ray projections, can be reduced several times. It means in a corresponding number of times the possibility to reduce radiation exposure to the patient. At the same time maintain the necessary contrast and spatial resolution of threedimensional image of the patient. Heuristic iterative algorithm can be used as an alternative to the well-known three-dimensional Feldkamp algorithm.

Right adrenal vein: comparison between adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction and model-based iterative reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Noda, Y; Goshima, S; Nagata, S; Miyoshi, T; Kawada, H; Kawai, N; Tanahashi, Y; Matsuo, M

2018-06-01

To compare right adrenal vein (RAV) visualisation and contrast enhancement degree on adrenal venous phase images reconstructed using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) techniques. This prospective study was approved by the institutional review board, and written informed consent was waived. Fifty-seven consecutive patients who underwent adrenal venous phase imaging were enrolled. The same raw data were reconstructed using ASiR 40% and MBIR. The expert and beginner independently reviewed computed tomography (CT) images. RAV visualisation rates, background noise, and CT attenuation of the RAV, right adrenal gland, inferior vena cava (IVC), hepatic vein, and bilateral renal veins were compared between the two reconstruction techniques. RAV visualisation rates were higher with MBIR than with ASiR (95% versus 88%, p=0.13 in expert and 93% versus 75%, p=0.002 in beginner, respectively). RAV visualisation confidence ratings with MBIR were significantly greater than with ASiR (pASiR (pASiR (p=0.0013 and 0.02). Reconstruction of adrenal venous phase images using MBIR significantly reduces background noise, leading to an improvement in the RAV visualisation compared with ASiR. Copyright © 2018 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Iterative concurrent reconstruction algorithms for emission computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, J.K.; Hasegawa, B.H.; Lang, T.F.

1994-01-01

Direct reconstruction techniques, such as those based on filtered backprojection, are typically used for emission computed tomography (ECT), even though it has been argued that iterative reconstruction methods may produce better clinical images. The major disadvantage of iterative reconstruction algorithms, and a significant reason for their lack of clinical acceptance, is their computational burden. We outline a new class of ''concurrent'' iterative reconstruction techniques for ECT in which the reconstruction process is reorganized such that a significant fraction of the computational processing occurs concurrently with the acquisition of ECT projection data. These new algorithms use the 10-30 min required for acquisition of a typical SPECT scan to iteratively process the available projection data, significantly reducing the requirements for post-acquisition processing. These algorithms are tested on SPECT projection data from a Hoffman brain phantom acquired with a 2 x 10 5 counts in 64 views each having 64 projections. The SPECT images are reconstructed as 64 x 64 tomograms, starting with six angular views. Other angular views are added to the reconstruction process sequentially, in a manner that reflects their availability for a typical acquisition protocol. The results suggest that if T s of concurrent processing are used, the reconstruction processing time required after completion of the data acquisition can be reduced by at least 1/3 T s. (Author)

Convergence of SART + OS + TV iterative reconstruction algorithm for optical CT imaging of gel dosimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du, Yi; Yu, Gongyi; Xiang, Xincheng; Wang, Xiangang; De Deene, Yves

2017-01-01

Computational simulations are used to investigate the convergence of a hybrid iterative algorithm for optical CT reconstruction, i.e. the simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART) integrated with ordered subsets (OS) iteration and total variation (TV) minimization regularization, or SART+OS+TV for short. The influence of parameter selection to reach convergence, spatial dose gradient integrity, MTF and convergent speed are discussed. It’s shown that the results of SART+OS+TV algorithm converge to the true values without significant bias, and MTF and convergent speed are affected by different parameter sets used for iterative calculation. In conclusion, the performance of the SART+OS+TV depends on parameter selection, which also implies that careful parameter tuning work is required and necessary for proper spatial performance and fast convergence. (paper)

ITER Fast Ion Collective Thomson Scattering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bindslev, Henrik; Larsen, Axel Wright; Meo, Fernando

2005-01-01

The EFDA Contract 04-1213 with Risø National Laboratory concerning a detailed integrated design of a Fast Ion Collective Thomson Scattering (CTS) diagnostic for ITER was signed on 31 December 2004. In 2003 the Risø CTS group finished a feasibility study and a conceptual design of an ITER Fast Ion...... Collective Thomson Scattering System (Contract 01.654) [1, 2]. The purpose of the CTS diagnostic is to measure the distribution function of fast ions in the plasma. The feasibility study demonstrated that the only system that can fully meet the ITER measurement requirements for confined fusion alphas is a 60...... the blanket gap, and calculations of diagnosing fuel ion ratio and rotation velocity by CTS....

Novel Fourier-based iterative reconstruction for sparse fan projection using alternating direction total variation minimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Zhao; Zhang Han-Ming; Yan Bin; Li Lei; Wang Lin-Yuan; Cai Ai-Long

2016-01-01

Sparse-view x-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging is an interesting topic in CT field and can efficiently decrease radiation dose. Compared with spatial reconstruction, a Fourier-based algorithm has advantages in reconstruction speed and memory usage. A novel Fourier-based iterative reconstruction technique that utilizes non-uniform fast Fourier transform (NUFFT) is presented in this work along with advanced total variation (TV) regularization for a fan sparse-view CT. The proposition of a selective matrix contributes to improve reconstruction quality. The new method employs the NUFFT and its adjoin to iterate back and forth between the Fourier and image space. The performance of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated through a series of digital simulations and experimental phantom studies. Results of the proposed algorithm are compared with those of existing TV-regularized techniques based on compressed sensing method, as well as basic algebraic reconstruction technique. Compared with the existing TV-regularized techniques, the proposed Fourier-based technique significantly improves convergence rate and reduces memory allocation, respectively. (paper)

NUFFT-Based Iterative Image Reconstruction via Alternating Direction Total Variation Minimization for Sparse-View CT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bin Yan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Sparse-view imaging is a promising scanning method which can reduce the radiation dose in X-ray computed tomography (CT. Reconstruction algorithm for sparse-view imaging system is of significant importance. The adoption of the spatial iterative algorithm for CT image reconstruction has a low operation efficiency and high computation requirement. A novel Fourier-based iterative reconstruction technique that utilizes nonuniform fast Fourier transform is presented in this study along with the advanced total variation (TV regularization for sparse-view CT. Combined with the alternating direction method, the proposed approach shows excellent efficiency and rapid convergence property. Numerical simulations and real data experiments are performed on a parallel beam CT. Experimental results validate that the proposed method has higher computational efficiency and better reconstruction quality than the conventional algorithms, such as simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique using TV method and the alternating direction total variation minimization approach, with the same time duration. The proposed method appears to have extensive applications in X-ray CT imaging.

Sparse BLIP: BLind Iterative Parallel imaging reconstruction using compressed sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

She, Huajun; Chen, Rong-Rong; Liang, Dong; DiBella, Edward V R; Ying, Leslie

2014-02-01

To develop a sensitivity-based parallel imaging reconstruction method to reconstruct iteratively both the coil sensitivities and MR image simultaneously based on their prior information. Parallel magnetic resonance imaging reconstruction problem can be formulated as a multichannel sampling problem where solutions are sought analytically. However, the channel functions given by the coil sensitivities in parallel imaging are not known exactly and the estimation error usually leads to artifacts. In this study, we propose a new reconstruction algorithm, termed Sparse BLind Iterative Parallel, for blind iterative parallel imaging reconstruction using compressed sensing. The proposed algorithm reconstructs both the sensitivity functions and the image simultaneously from undersampled data. It enforces the sparseness constraint in the image as done in compressed sensing, but is different from compressed sensing in that the sensing matrix is unknown and additional constraint is enforced on the sensitivities as well. Both phantom and in vivo imaging experiments were carried out with retrospective undersampling to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Experiments show improvement in Sparse BLind Iterative Parallel reconstruction when compared with Sparse SENSE, JSENSE, IRGN-TV, and L1-SPIRiT reconstructions with the same number of measurements. The proposed Sparse BLind Iterative Parallel algorithm reduces the reconstruction errors when compared to the state-of-the-art parallel imaging methods. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Impact of iterative reconstruction on CT coronary calcium quantification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kurata, Akira; Dharampal, Anoeshka; Dedic, Admir

2013-01-01

We evaluated the influence of sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) on the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score by computed tomography (CT).......We evaluated the influence of sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) on the coronary artery calcium (CAC) score by computed tomography (CT)....

Iterative reconstruction reduces abdominal CT dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinsen, Anne Catrine Trægde; Sæther, Hilde Kjernlie; Hol, Per Kristian; Olsen, Dag Rune; Skaane, Per

2012-01-01

Objective: In medical imaging, lowering radiation dose from computed tomography scanning, without reducing diagnostic performance is a desired achievement. Iterative image reconstruction may be one tool to achieve dose reduction. This study reports the diagnostic performance using a blending of 50% statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and filtered back projection reconstruction (FBP) compared to standard FBP image reconstruction at different dose levels for liver phantom examinations. Methods: An anthropomorphic liver phantom was scanned at 250, 185, 155, 140, 120 and 100 mA s, on a 64-slice GE Lightspeed VCT scanner. All scans were reconstructed with ASIR and FBP. Four readers evaluated independently on a 5-point scale 21 images, each containing 32 test sectors. In total 672 areas were assessed. ROC analysis was used to evaluate the differences. Results: There was a difference in AUC between the 250 mA s FBP images and the 120 and 100 mA s FBP images. ASIR reconstruction gave a significantly higher diagnostic performance compared to standard reconstruction at 100 mA s. Conclusion: A blending of 50–90% ASIR and FBP may improve image quality of low dose CT examinations of the liver, and thus give a potential for reducing radiation dose.

Iterative CT reconstruction via minimizing adaptively reweighted total variation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Lei; Niu, Tianye; Petrongolo, Michael

2014-01-01

Iterative reconstruction via total variation (TV) minimization has demonstrated great successes in accurate CT imaging from under-sampled projections. When projections are further reduced, over-smoothing artifacts appear in the current reconstruction especially around the structure boundaries. We propose a practical algorithm to improve TV-minimization based CT reconstruction on very few projection data. Based on the theory of compressed sensing, the L-0 norm approach is more desirable to further reduce the projection views. To overcome the computational difficulty of the non-convex optimization of the L-0 norm, we implement an adaptive weighting scheme to approximate the solution via a series of TV minimizations for practical use in CT reconstruction. The weight on TV is initialized as uniform ones, and is automatically changed based on the gradient of the reconstructed image from the previous iteration. The iteration stops when a small difference between the weighted TV values is observed on two consecutive reconstructed images. We evaluate the proposed algorithm on both a digital phantom and a physical phantom. Using 20 equiangular projections, our method reduces reconstruction errors in the conventional TV minimization by a factor of more than 5, with improved spatial resolution. By adaptively reweighting TV in iterative CT reconstruction, we successfully further reduce the projection number for the same or better image quality.

AIR Tools - A MATLAB package of algebraic iterative reconstruction methods

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Per Christian; Saxild-Hansen, Maria

2012-01-01

We present a MATLAB package with implementations of several algebraic iterative reconstruction methods for discretizations of inverse problems. These so-called row action methods rely on semi-convergence for achieving the necessary regularization of the problem. Two classes of methods are impleme......We present a MATLAB package with implementations of several algebraic iterative reconstruction methods for discretizations of inverse problems. These so-called row action methods rely on semi-convergence for achieving the necessary regularization of the problem. Two classes of methods...... are implemented: Algebraic Reconstruction Techniques (ART) and Simultaneous Iterative Reconstruction Techniques (SIRT). In addition we provide a few simplified test problems from medical and seismic tomography. For each iterative method, a number of strategies are available for choosing the relaxation parameter...

Efficient methodologies for system matrix modelling in iterative image reconstruction for rotating high-resolution PET

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ortuno, J E; Kontaxakis, G; Rubio, J L; Santos, A [Departamento de Ingenieria Electronica (DIE), Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Guerra, P [Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), Madrid (Spain)], E-mail: juanen@die.upm.es

2010-04-07

A fully 3D iterative image reconstruction algorithm has been developed for high-resolution PET cameras composed of pixelated scintillator crystal arrays and rotating planar detectors, based on the ordered subsets approach. The associated system matrix is precalculated with Monte Carlo methods that incorporate physical effects not included in analytical models, such as positron range effects and interaction of the incident gammas with the scintillator material. Custom Monte Carlo methodologies have been developed and optimized for modelling of system matrices for fast iterative image reconstruction adapted to specific scanner geometries, without redundant calculations. According to the methodology proposed here, only one-eighth of the voxels within two central transaxial slices need to be modelled in detail. The rest of the system matrix elements can be obtained with the aid of axial symmetries and redundancies, as well as in-plane symmetries within transaxial slices. Sparse matrix techniques for the non-zero system matrix elements are employed, allowing for fast execution of the image reconstruction process. This 3D image reconstruction scheme has been compared in terms of image quality to a 2D fast implementation of the OSEM algorithm combined with Fourier rebinning approaches. This work confirms the superiority of fully 3D OSEM in terms of spatial resolution, contrast recovery and noise reduction as compared to conventional 2D approaches based on rebinning schemes. At the same time it demonstrates that fully 3D methodologies can be efficiently applied to the image reconstruction problem for high-resolution rotational PET cameras by applying accurate pre-calculated system models and taking advantage of the system's symmetries.

Distributed 3-D iterative reconstruction for quantitative SPECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ju, Z.W.; Frey, E.C.; Tsui, B.M.W.

1995-01-01

The authors describe a distributed three dimensional (3-D) iterative reconstruction library for quantitative single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). This library includes 3-D projector-backprojector pairs (PBPs) and distributed 3-D iterative reconstruction algorithms. The 3-D PBPs accurately and efficiently model various combinations of the image degrading factors including attenuation, detector response and scatter response. These PBPs were validated by comparing projection data computed using the projectors with that from direct Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. The distributed 3-D iterative algorithms spread the projection-backprojection operations for all the projection angles over a heterogeneous network of single or multi-processor computers to reduce the reconstruction time. Based on a master/slave paradigm, these distributed algorithms provide dynamic load balancing and fault tolerance. The distributed algorithms were verified by comparing images reconstructed using both the distributed and non-distributed algorithms. Computation times for distributed 3-D reconstructions running on up to 4 identical processors were reduced by a factor approximately 80--90% times the number of the processors participating, compared to those for non-distributed 3-D reconstructions running on a single processor. When combined with faster affordable computers, this library provides an efficient means for implementing accurate reconstruction and compensation methods to improve quality and quantitative accuracy in SPECT images

AIR Tools - A MATLAB Package of Algebraic Iterative Reconstruction Techniques

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Per Christian; Saxild-Hansen, Maria

This collection of MATLAB software contains implementations of several Algebraic Iterative Reconstruction methods for discretizations of inverse problems. These so-called row action methods rely on semi-convergence for achieving the necessary regularization of the problem. Two classes of methods...... are implemented: Algebraic Reconstruction Techniques (ART) and Simultaneous Iterative Reconstruction Techniques (SIRT). In addition we provide a few simplified test problems from medical and seismic tomography. For each iterative method, a number of strategies are available for choosing the relaxation parameter...

Pediatric 320-row cardiac computed tomography using electrocardiogram-gated model-based full iterative reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shirota, Go; Maeda, Eriko; Namiki, Yoko; Bari, Razibul; Abe, Osamu [The University of Tokyo, Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo (Japan); Ino, Kenji [The University of Tokyo Hospital, Imaging Center, Tokyo (Japan); Torigoe, Rumiko [Toshiba Medical Systems, Tokyo (Japan)

2017-10-15

Full iterative reconstruction algorithm is available, but its diagnostic quality in pediatric cardiac CT is unknown. To compare the imaging quality of two algorithms, full and hybrid iterative reconstruction, in pediatric cardiac CT. We included 49 children with congenital cardiac anomalies who underwent cardiac CT. We compared quality of images reconstructed using the two algorithms (full and hybrid iterative reconstruction) based on a 3-point scale for the delineation of the following anatomical structures: atrial septum, ventricular septum, right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle, main pulmonary artery, ascending aorta, aortic arch including the patent ductus arteriosus, descending aorta, right coronary artery and left main trunk. We evaluated beam-hardening artifacts from contrast-enhancement material using a 3-point scale, and we evaluated the overall image quality using a 5-point scale. We also compared image noise, signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio between the algorithms. The overall image quality was significantly higher with full iterative reconstruction than with hybrid iterative reconstruction (3.67±0.79 vs. 3.31±0.89, P=0.0072). The evaluation scores for most of the gross structures were higher with full iterative reconstruction than with hybrid iterative reconstruction. There was no significant difference between full and hybrid iterative reconstruction for the presence of beam-hardening artifacts. Image noise was significantly lower in full iterative reconstruction, while signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio were significantly higher in full iterative reconstruction. The diagnostic quality was superior in images with cardiac CT reconstructed with electrocardiogram-gated full iterative reconstruction. (orig.)

Pediatric 320-row cardiac computed tomography using electrocardiogram-gated model-based full iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirota, Go; Maeda, Eriko; Namiki, Yoko; Bari, Razibul; Abe, Osamu; Ino, Kenji; Torigoe, Rumiko

2017-01-01

Full iterative reconstruction algorithm is available, but its diagnostic quality in pediatric cardiac CT is unknown. To compare the imaging quality of two algorithms, full and hybrid iterative reconstruction, in pediatric cardiac CT. We included 49 children with congenital cardiac anomalies who underwent cardiac CT. We compared quality of images reconstructed using the two algorithms (full and hybrid iterative reconstruction) based on a 3-point scale for the delineation of the following anatomical structures: atrial septum, ventricular septum, right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle, main pulmonary artery, ascending aorta, aortic arch including the patent ductus arteriosus, descending aorta, right coronary artery and left main trunk. We evaluated beam-hardening artifacts from contrast-enhancement material using a 3-point scale, and we evaluated the overall image quality using a 5-point scale. We also compared image noise, signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio between the algorithms. The overall image quality was significantly higher with full iterative reconstruction than with hybrid iterative reconstruction (3.67±0.79 vs. 3.31±0.89, P=0.0072). The evaluation scores for most of the gross structures were higher with full iterative reconstruction than with hybrid iterative reconstruction. There was no significant difference between full and hybrid iterative reconstruction for the presence of beam-hardening artifacts. Image noise was significantly lower in full iterative reconstruction, while signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio were significantly higher in full iterative reconstruction. The diagnostic quality was superior in images with cardiac CT reconstructed with electrocardiogram-gated full iterative reconstruction. (orig.)

CT angiography after carotid artery stenting: assessment of the utility of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction and model-based iterative reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuya, Keita; Shinohara, Yuki; Fujii, Shinya; Ogawa, Toshihide [Tottori University, Division of Radiology, Department of Pathophysiological Therapeutic Science, Faculty of Medicine, Yonago (Japan); Sakamoto, Makoto; Watanabe, Takashi [Tottori University, Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yonago (Japan); Iwata, Naoki; Kishimoto, Junichi [Tottori University, Division of Clinical Radiology Faculty of Medicine, Yonago (Japan); Kaminou, Toshio [Osaka Minami Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Osaka (Japan)

2014-11-15

Follow-up CT angiography (CTA) is routinely performed for post-procedure management after carotid artery stenting (CAS). However, the stent lumen tends to be underestimated because of stent artifacts on CTA reconstructed with the filtered back projection (FBP) technique. We assessed the utility of new iterative reconstruction techniques, such as adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR), for CTA after CAS in comparison with FBP. In a phantom study, we evaluated the differences among the three reconstruction techniques with regard to the relationship between the stent luminal diameter and the degree of underestimation of stent luminal diameter. In a clinical study, 34 patients who underwent follow-up CTA after CAS were included. We compared the stent luminal diameters among FBP, ASIR, and MBIR, and performed visual assessment of low attenuation area (LAA) in the stent lumen using a three-point scale. In the phantom study, stent luminal diameter was increasingly underestimated as luminal diameter became smaller in all CTA images. Stent luminal diameter was larger with MBIR than with the other reconstruction techniques. Similarly, in the clinical study, stent luminal diameter was larger with MBIR than with the other reconstruction techniques. LAA detectability scores of MBIR were greater than or equal to those of FBP and ASIR in all cases. MBIR improved the accuracy of assessment of stent luminal diameter and LAA detectability in the stent lumen when compared with FBP and ASIR. We conclude that MBIR is a useful reconstruction technique for CTA after CAS. (orig.)

CT angiography after carotid artery stenting: assessment of the utility of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction and model-based iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuya, Keita; Shinohara, Yuki; Fujii, Shinya; Ogawa, Toshihide; Sakamoto, Makoto; Watanabe, Takashi; Iwata, Naoki; Kishimoto, Junichi; Kaminou, Toshio

2014-01-01

Follow-up CT angiography (CTA) is routinely performed for post-procedure management after carotid artery stenting (CAS). However, the stent lumen tends to be underestimated because of stent artifacts on CTA reconstructed with the filtered back projection (FBP) technique. We assessed the utility of new iterative reconstruction techniques, such as adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR), for CTA after CAS in comparison with FBP. In a phantom study, we evaluated the differences among the three reconstruction techniques with regard to the relationship between the stent luminal diameter and the degree of underestimation of stent luminal diameter. In a clinical study, 34 patients who underwent follow-up CTA after CAS were included. We compared the stent luminal diameters among FBP, ASIR, and MBIR, and performed visual assessment of low attenuation area (LAA) in the stent lumen using a three-point scale. In the phantom study, stent luminal diameter was increasingly underestimated as luminal diameter became smaller in all CTA images. Stent luminal diameter was larger with MBIR than with the other reconstruction techniques. Similarly, in the clinical study, stent luminal diameter was larger with MBIR than with the other reconstruction techniques. LAA detectability scores of MBIR were greater than or equal to those of FBP and ASIR in all cases. MBIR improved the accuracy of assessment of stent luminal diameter and LAA detectability in the stent lumen when compared with FBP and ASIR. We conclude that MBIR is a useful reconstruction technique for CTA after CAS. (orig.)

Metal-induced streak artifact reduction using iterative reconstruction algorithms in x-ray computed tomography image of the dentoalveolar region.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Jian; Hayakawa, Yoshihiko; Kannenberg, Sven; Kober, Cornelia

2013-02-01

The objective of this study was to reduce metal-induced streak artifact on oral and maxillofacial x-ray computed tomography (CT) images by developing the fast statistical image reconstruction system using iterative reconstruction algorithms. Adjacent CT images often depict similar anatomical structures in thin slices. So, first, images were reconstructed using the same projection data of an artifact-free image. Second, images were processed by the successive iterative restoration method where projection data were generated from reconstructed image in sequence. Besides the maximum likelihood-expectation maximization algorithm, the ordered subset-expectation maximization algorithm (OS-EM) was examined. Also, small region of interest (ROI) setting and reverse processing were applied for improving performance. Both algorithms reduced artifacts instead of slightly decreasing gray levels. The OS-EM and small ROI reduced the processing duration without apparent detriments. Sequential and reverse processing did not show apparent effects. Two alternatives in iterative reconstruction methods were effective for artifact reduction. The OS-EM algorithm and small ROI setting improved the performance. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fast implementations of 3D PET reconstruction using vector and parallel programming techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guerrero, T.M.; Cherry, S.R.; Dahlbom, M.; Ricci, A.R.; Hoffman, E.J.

1993-01-01

Computationally intensive techniques that offer potential clinical use have arisen in nuclear medicine. Examples include iterative reconstruction, 3D PET data acquisition and reconstruction, and 3D image volume manipulation including image registration. One obstacle in achieving clinical acceptance of these techniques is the computational time required. This study focuses on methods to reduce the computation time for 3D PET reconstruction through the use of fast computer hardware, vector and parallel programming techniques, and algorithm optimization. The strengths and weaknesses of i860 microprocessor based workstation accelerator boards are investigated in implementations of 3D PET reconstruction

Evaluation of the OSC-TV iterative reconstruction algorithm for cone-beam optical CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Matenine, Dmitri; Mascolo-Fortin, Julia; Goussard, Yves; Després, Philippe

2015-11-01

The present work evaluates an iterative reconstruction approach, namely, the ordered subsets convex (OSC) algorithm with regularization via total variation (TV) minimization in the field of cone-beam optical computed tomography (optical CT). One of the uses of optical CT is gel-based 3D dosimetry for radiation therapy, where it is employed to map dose distributions in radiosensitive gels. Model-based iterative reconstruction may improve optical CT image quality and contribute to a wider use of optical CT in clinical gel dosimetry. This algorithm was evaluated using experimental data acquired by a cone-beam optical CT system, as well as complementary numerical simulations. A fast GPU implementation of OSC-TV was used to achieve reconstruction times comparable to those of conventional filtered backprojection. Images obtained via OSC-TV were compared with the corresponding filtered backprojections. Spatial resolution and uniformity phantoms were scanned and respective reconstructions were subject to evaluation of the modulation transfer function, image uniformity, and accuracy. The artifacts due to refraction and total signal loss from opaque objects were also studied. The cone-beam optical CT data reconstructions showed that OSC-TV outperforms filtered backprojection in terms of image quality, thanks to a model-based simulation of the photon attenuation process. It was shown to significantly improve the image spatial resolution and reduce image noise. The accuracy of the estimation of linear attenuation coefficients remained similar to that obtained via filtered backprojection. Certain image artifacts due to opaque objects were reduced. Nevertheless, the common artifact due to the gel container walls could not be eliminated. The use of iterative reconstruction improves cone-beam optical CT image quality in many ways. The comparisons between OSC-TV and filtered backprojection presented in this paper demonstrate that OSC-TV can potentially improve the rendering of

Dose reduction in pediatric abdominal CT: use of iterative reconstruction techniques across different CT platforms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khawaja, Ranish Deedar Ali; Singh, Sarabjeet; Otrakji, Alexi; Padole, Atul; Lim, Ruth; Nimkin, Katherine; Westra, Sjirk; Kalra, Mannudeep K.; Gee, Michael S.

2015-01-01

Dose reduction in children undergoing CT scanning is an important priority for the radiology community and public at large. Drawbacks of radiation reduction are increased image noise and artifacts, which can affect image interpretation. Iterative reconstruction techniques have been developed to reduce noise and artifacts from reduced-dose CT examinations, although reconstruction algorithm, magnitude of dose reduction and effects on image quality vary. We review the reconstruction principles, radiation dose potential and effects on image quality of several iterative reconstruction techniques commonly used in clinical settings, including 3-D adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR-3D), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR), iDose, sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR). We also discuss clinical applications of iterative reconstruction techniques in pediatric abdominal CT. (orig.)

Dose reduction in pediatric abdominal CT: use of iterative reconstruction techniques across different CT platforms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khawaja, Ranish Deedar Ali; Singh, Sarabjeet; Otrakji, Alexi; Padole, Atul; Lim, Ruth; Nimkin, Katherine; Westra, Sjirk; Kalra, Mannudeep K.; Gee, Michael S. [MGH Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States)

2015-07-15

Dose reduction in children undergoing CT scanning is an important priority for the radiology community and public at large. Drawbacks of radiation reduction are increased image noise and artifacts, which can affect image interpretation. Iterative reconstruction techniques have been developed to reduce noise and artifacts from reduced-dose CT examinations, although reconstruction algorithm, magnitude of dose reduction and effects on image quality vary. We review the reconstruction principles, radiation dose potential and effects on image quality of several iterative reconstruction techniques commonly used in clinical settings, including 3-D adaptive iterative dose reduction (AIDR-3D), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR), iDose, sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR). We also discuss clinical applications of iterative reconstruction techniques in pediatric abdominal CT. (orig.)

Model-based iterative reconstruction for reduction of radiation dose in abdominopelvic CT: comparison to adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Yasaka, Koichiro; Katsura, Masaki; Akahane, Masaaki; Sato, Jiro; Matsuda, Izuru; Ohtomo, Kuni

2013-12-01

To evaluate dose reduction and image quality of abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) reconstructed with model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) compared to adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). In this prospective study, 85 patients underwent referential-, low-, and ultralow-dose unenhanced abdominopelvic CT. Images were reconstructed with ASIR for low-dose (L-ASIR) and ultralow-dose CT (UL-ASIR), and with MBIR for ultralow-dose CT (UL-MBIR). Image noise was measured in the abdominal aorta and iliopsoas muscle. Subjective image analyses and a lesion detection study (adrenal nodules) were conducted by two blinded radiologists. A reference standard was established by a consensus panel of two different radiologists using referential-dose CT reconstructed with filtered back projection. Compared to low-dose CT, there was a 63% decrease in dose-length product with ultralow-dose CT. UL-MBIR had significantly lower image noise than L-ASIR and UL-ASIR (all pASIR and UL-ASIR (all pASIR in diagnostic acceptability (p>0.65), or diagnostic performance for adrenal nodules (p>0.87). MBIR significantly improves image noise and streak artifacts compared to ASIR, and can achieve radiation dose reduction without severely compromising image quality.

A new approach of equilibrium reconstruction for ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imazawa, R.; Kawano, Y.; Kusama, Y.

2011-01-01

We have proposed a new approach for equilibrium reconstruction that can be applied to ITER-like burning plasmas. In this study, we have focused on carrying out equilibrium reconstruction using polarimetry, which is feasible for ITER-like burning plasmas. Polarimetry in burning plasmas is different from that in the existing tokamaks in two regards: (1) increased importance of the relativistic effects and (2) significant coupling with the Faraday and Cotton–Mouton effects. We found that when polarimetric data (orientation angle, θ, and ellipticity angle, ε, of a polarization state) are used as the constraints in the equilibrium reconstruction, the optimum weighting factors for θ and ε depend on the magnetic surfaces through which the viewing chord of polarimetry passes. We applied our approach to the operation scenarios II (S2) and IV (S4) in ITER. In the case where the viewing chords are via both the equatorial and upper ports, the measurement requirements for the accuracy of the q-profile in ITER (±10%) were satisfied in S2 and S4 when the measuring errors of θ and ε were less than 0.5° and 3°, respectively.

Direct iterative reconstruction of computed tomography trajectories (DIRECTT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lange, A.; Hentschel, M.P.; Schors, J.

2004-01-01

The direct reconstruction approach employs an iterative procedure by selection of and angular averaging over projected trajectory data of volume elements. This avoids the blur effects of the classical Fourier method due to the sampling theorem. But longer computing time is required. The reconstructed tomographic images reveal at least the spatial resolution of the radiation detector. Any set of projection angles may be selected for the measurements. Limited rotation of the object yields still good reconstruction of details. Projections of a partial region of the object can be reconstructed without additional artifacts thus reducing the overall radiation dose. Noisy signal data from low dose irradiation have low impact on spatial resolution. The image quality is monitored during all iteration steps and is pre-selected according to the specific requirements. DIRECTT can be applied independently from the measurement equipment in addition to conventional reconstruction or as a refinement filter. (author)

Noise propagation in iterative reconstruction algorithms with line searches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qi, Jinyi

2003-01-01

In this paper we analyze the propagation of noise in iterative image reconstruction algorithms. We derive theoretical expressions for the general form of preconditioned gradient algorithms with line searches. The results are applicable to a wide range of iterative reconstruction problems, such as emission tomography, transmission tomography, and image restoration. A unique contribution of this paper comparing to our previous work [1] is that the line search is explicitly modeled and we do not use the approximation that the gradient of the objective function is zero. As a result, the error in the estimate of noise at early iterations is significantly reduced

Model-based iterative reconstruction and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction: dose-reduced CT for detecting pancreatic calcification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasaka, Koichiro; Katsura, Masaki; Akahane, Masaaki; Sato, Jiro; Matsuda, Izuru; Ohtomo, Kuni

2016-01-01

Iterative reconstruction methods have attracted attention for reducing radiation doses in computed tomography (CT). To investigate the detectability of pancreatic calcification using dose-reduced CT reconstructed with model-based iterative construction (MBIR) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). This prospective study approved by Institutional Review Board included 85 patients (57 men, 28 women; mean age, 69.9 years; mean body weight, 61.2 kg). Unenhanced CT was performed three times with different radiation doses (reference-dose CT [RDCT], low-dose CT [LDCT], ultralow-dose CT [ULDCT]). From RDCT, LDCT, and ULDCT, images were reconstructed with filtered-back projection (R-FBP, used for establishing reference standard), ASIR (L-ASIR), and MBIR and ASIR (UL-MBIR and UL-ASIR), respectively. A lesion (pancreatic calcification) detection test was performed by two blinded radiologists with a five-point certainty level scale. Dose-length products of RDCT, LDCT, and ULDCT were 410, 97, and 36 mGy-cm, respectively. Nine patients had pancreatic calcification. The sensitivity for detecting pancreatic calcification with UL-MBIR was high (0.67–0.89) compared to L-ASIR or UL-ASIR (0.11–0.44), and a significant difference was seen between UL-MBIR and UL-ASIR for one reader (P = 0.014). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for UL-MBIR (0.818–0.860) was comparable to that for L-ASIR (0.696–0.844). The specificity was lower with UL-MBIR (0.79–0.92) than with L-ASIR or UL-ASIR (0.96–0.99), and a significant difference was seen for one reader (P < 0.01). In UL-MBIR, pancreatic calcification can be detected with high sensitivity, however, we should pay attention to the slightly lower specificity

Model-based iterative reconstruction and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction: dose-reduced CT for detecting pancreatic calcification.

Science.gov (United States)

Yasaka, Koichiro; Katsura, Masaki; Akahane, Masaaki; Sato, Jiro; Matsuda, Izuru; Ohtomo, Kuni

2016-01-01

Iterative reconstruction methods have attracted attention for reducing radiation doses in computed tomography (CT). To investigate the detectability of pancreatic calcification using dose-reduced CT reconstructed with model-based iterative construction (MBIR) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). This prospective study approved by Institutional Review Board included 85 patients (57 men, 28 women; mean age, 69.9 years; mean body weight, 61.2 kg). Unenhanced CT was performed three times with different radiation doses (reference-dose CT [RDCT], low-dose CT [LDCT], ultralow-dose CT [ULDCT]). From RDCT, LDCT, and ULDCT, images were reconstructed with filtered-back projection (R-FBP, used for establishing reference standard), ASIR (L-ASIR), and MBIR and ASIR (UL-MBIR and UL-ASIR), respectively. A lesion (pancreatic calcification) detection test was performed by two blinded radiologists with a five-point certainty level scale. Dose-length products of RDCT, LDCT, and ULDCT were 410, 97, and 36 mGy-cm, respectively. Nine patients had pancreatic calcification. The sensitivity for detecting pancreatic calcification with UL-MBIR was high (0.67-0.89) compared to L-ASIR or UL-ASIR (0.11-0.44), and a significant difference was seen between UL-MBIR and UL-ASIR for one reader (P = 0.014). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for UL-MBIR (0.818-0.860) was comparable to that for L-ASIR (0.696-0.844). The specificity was lower with UL-MBIR (0.79-0.92) than with L-ASIR or UL-ASIR (0.96-0.99), and a significant difference was seen for one reader (P < 0.01). In UL-MBIR, pancreatic calcification can be detected with high sensitivity, however, we should pay attention to the slightly lower specificity.

Compressively sampled MR image reconstruction using generalized thresholding iterative algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Elahi, Sana; kaleem, Muhammad; Omer, Hammad

2018-01-01

Compressed sensing (CS) is an emerging area of interest in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). CS is used for the reconstruction of the images from a very limited number of samples in k-space. This significantly reduces the MRI data acquisition time. One important requirement for signal recovery in CS is the use of an appropriate non-linear reconstruction algorithm. It is a challenging task to choose a reconstruction algorithm that would accurately reconstruct the MR images from the under-sampled k-space data. Various algorithms have been used to solve the system of non-linear equations for better image quality and reconstruction speed in CS. In the recent past, iterative soft thresholding algorithm (ISTA) has been introduced in CS-MRI. This algorithm directly cancels the incoherent artifacts produced because of the undersampling in k -space. This paper introduces an improved iterative algorithm based on p -thresholding technique for CS-MRI image reconstruction. The use of p -thresholding function promotes sparsity in the image which is a key factor for CS based image reconstruction. The p -thresholding based iterative algorithm is a modification of ISTA, and minimizes non-convex functions. It has been shown that the proposed p -thresholding iterative algorithm can be used effectively to recover fully sampled image from the under-sampled data in MRI. The performance of the proposed method is verified using simulated and actual MRI data taken at St. Mary's Hospital, London. The quality of the reconstructed images is measured in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), artifact power (AP), and structural similarity index measure (SSIM). The proposed approach shows improved performance when compared to other iterative algorithms based on log thresholding, soft thresholding and hard thresholding techniques at different reduction factors.

Influence of iterative image reconstruction on CT-based calcium score measurements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Osch, Jochen A. C.; Mouden, Mohamed; van Dalen, Jorn A.; Timmer, Jorik R.; Reiffers, Stoffer; Knollema, Siert; Greuter, Marcel J. W.; Ottervanger, Jan Paul; Jager, Piet L.

Iterative reconstruction techniques for coronary CT angiography have been introduced as an alternative for traditional filter back projection (FBP) to reduce image noise, allowing improved image quality and a potential for dose reduction. However, the impact of iterative reconstruction on the

Volumetric quantification of lung nodules in CT with iterative reconstruction (ASiR and MBIR).

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Baiyu; Barnhart, Huiman; Richard, Samuel; Robins, Marthony; Colsher, James; Samei, Ehsan

2013-11-01

Volume quantifications of lung nodules with multidetector computed tomography (CT) images provide useful information for monitoring nodule developments. The accuracy and precision of the volume quantification, however, can be impacted by imaging and reconstruction parameters. This study aimed to investigate the impact of iterative reconstruction algorithms on the accuracy and precision of volume quantification with dose and slice thickness as additional variables. Repeated CT images were acquired from an anthropomorphic chest phantom with synthetic nodules (9.5 and 4.8 mm) at six dose levels, and reconstructed with three reconstruction algorithms [filtered backprojection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR), and model based iterative reconstruction (MBIR)] into three slice thicknesses. The nodule volumes were measured with two clinical software (A: Lung VCAR, B: iNtuition), and analyzed for accuracy and precision. Precision was found to be generally comparable between FBP and iterative reconstruction with no statistically significant difference noted for different dose levels, slice thickness, and segmentation software. Accuracy was found to be more variable. For large nodules, the accuracy was significantly different between ASiR and FBP for all slice thicknesses with both software, and significantly different between MBIR and FBP for 0.625 mm slice thickness with Software A and for all slice thicknesses with Software B. For small nodules, the accuracy was more similar between FBP and iterative reconstruction, with the exception of ASIR vs FBP at 1.25 mm with Software A and MBIR vs FBP at 0.625 mm with Software A. The systematic difference between the accuracy of FBP and iterative reconstructions highlights the importance of extending current segmentation software to accommodate the image characteristics of iterative reconstructions. In addition, a calibration process may help reduce the dependency of accuracy on reconstruction algorithms

A heuristic statistical stopping rule for iterative reconstruction in emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ben Bouallegue, F.; Mariano-Goulart, D.; Crouzet, J.F.

2013-01-01

We propose a statistical stopping criterion for iterative reconstruction in emission tomography based on a heuristic statistical description of the reconstruction process. The method was assessed for maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM) reconstruction. Based on Monte-Carlo numerical simulations and using a perfectly modeled system matrix, our method was compared with classical iterative reconstruction followed by low-pass filtering in terms of Euclidian distance to the exact object, noise, and resolution. The stopping criterion was then evaluated with realistic PET data of a Hoffman brain phantom produced using the Geant4 application in emission tomography (GATE) platform for different count levels. The numerical experiments showed that compared with the classical method, our technique yielded significant improvement of the noise-resolution tradeoff for a wide range of counting statistics compatible with routine clinical settings. When working with realistic data, the stopping rule allowed a qualitatively and quantitatively efficient determination of the optimal image. Our method appears to give a reliable estimation of the optimal stopping point for iterative reconstruction. It should thus be of practical interest as it produces images with similar or better quality than classical post-filtered iterative reconstruction with a mastered computation time. (author)

Study on beam geometry and image reconstruction algorithm in fast neutron computerized tomography at NECTAR facility

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, J.; Bücherl, T.; Zou, Y.; Guo, Z.

2011-09-01

Investigations on the fast neutron beam geometry for the NECTAR facility are presented. The results of MCNP simulations and experimental measurements of the beam distributions at NECTAR are compared. Boltzmann functions are used to describe the beam profile in the detection plane assuming the area source to be set up of large number of single neutron point sources. An iterative algebraic reconstruction algorithm is developed, realized and verified by both simulated and measured projection data. The feasibility for improved reconstruction in fast neutron computerized tomography at the NECTAR facility is demonstrated.

Study on beam geometry and image reconstruction algorithm in fast neutron computerized tomography at NECTAR facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, J.; Buecherl, T.; Zou, Y.; Guo, Z.

2011-01-01

Investigations on the fast neutron beam geometry for the NECTAR facility are presented. The results of MCNP simulations and experimental measurements of the beam distributions at NECTAR are compared. Boltzmann functions are used to describe the beam profile in the detection plane assuming the area source to be set up of large number of single neutron point sources. An iterative algebraic reconstruction algorithm is developed, realized and verified by both simulated and measured projection data. The feasibility for improved reconstruction in fast neutron computerized tomography at the NECTAR facility is demonstrated.

Study on beam geometry and image reconstruction algorithm in fast neutron computerized tomography at NECTAR facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, J. [State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology and School of Physics, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Lu, Beijing 100871 (China); Lehrstuhl fuer Radiochemie, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Garching 80748 (Germany); Buecherl, T. [Lehrstuhl fuer Radiochemie, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Garching 80748 (Germany); Zou, Y., E-mail: zouyubin@pku.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology and School of Physics, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Lu, Beijing 100871 (China); Guo, Z. [State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Physics and Technology and School of Physics, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Lu, Beijing 100871 (China)

2011-09-21

Investigations on the fast neutron beam geometry for the NECTAR facility are presented. The results of MCNP simulations and experimental measurements of the beam distributions at NECTAR are compared. Boltzmann functions are used to describe the beam profile in the detection plane assuming the area source to be set up of large number of single neutron point sources. An iterative algebraic reconstruction algorithm is developed, realized and verified by both simulated and measured projection data. The feasibility for improved reconstruction in fast neutron computerized tomography at the NECTAR facility is demonstrated.

On velocity space interrogation regions of fast-ion collective Thomson scattering at ITER

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salewski, Mirko; Nielsen, Stefan Kragh; Bindslev, Henrik

2011-01-01

the collective scattering in well-defined regions in velocity space, here dubbed interrogation regions. Since the CTS instrument measures entire spectra of scattered radiation, many different interrogation regions are probed simultaneously. We here give analytic expressions for weight functions describing...... the interrogation regions, and we show typical interrogation regions of the proposed ITER CTS system. The backscattering system with receivers on the low-field side is sensitive to fast ions with pitch |p| = |v/v| ... scattering system with receivers on the high-field side would be sensitive to co- and counter-passing fast ions in narrow interrogation regions with pitch |p| > 0.6–0.8. Additionally, we use weight functions to reconstruct 2D fast-ion distribution functions, given two projected 1D velocity distribution...

Limited-angle three-dimensional reconstructions using Fourier transform iterations and Radon transform iterations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tam, K.C.; Perez-Mendez, V.

1981-01-01

The principles of limited-angle reconstruction of space-limited objects using the concepts of allowed cone and missing cone in Fourier space are discussed. The distortion of a point source resulting from setting the Fourier components in the missing cone to zero has been calculated mathematically, and its bearing on the convergence of an iteration scheme involving Fourier transforms has been analyzed in detail. it was found that the convergence rate is fairly insensitive to the position of the point source within the boundary of the object, apart from an edge effect which tends to enhance some parts of the boundary in reconstructing the object. Another iteration scheme involving Radon transforms was introduced and compared to the Fourier transform method in such areas as root mean square error, stability with respect to noise, and computer reconstruction time

Limited-angle 3-D reconstructions using Fourier transform iterations and Radon transform iterations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tam, K.C.; Perez-Mendez, V.

1979-12-01

The principles of limited-angle reconstruction of space-limited objects using the concepts of allowed cone and missing cone in Fourier space are discussed. The distortion of a point source resulting from setting the Fourier components in the missing cone to zero was calculated mathematically, and its bearing on the convergence of an iteration scheme involving Fourier transforms was analyzed in detail. It was found that the convergence rate is fairly insensitive to the position of the point source within the boundary of the object, apart from an edge effect that tends to enhance some parts of the boundary in reconstructing the object. Another iteration scheme involving Radon transforms was introduced and compared to the Fourier transform method in such areas as root mean square error, stability with respect to noise, and computer reconstruction time. 8 figures, 2 tables

Improving head and neck CTA with hybrid and model-based iterative reconstruction techniques

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Niesten, J. M.; van der Schaaf, I. C.; Vos, P. C.; Willemink, MJ; Velthuis, B. K.

2015-01-01

AIM: To compare image quality of head and neck computed tomography angiography (CTA) reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP), hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MIR) algorithms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The raw data of 34 studies were

Volumetric quantification of lung nodules in CT with iterative reconstruction (ASiR and MBIR)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Baiyu [Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 and Carl E. Ravin Advanced Imaging Laboratories, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Barnhart, Huiman [Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Richard, Samuel [Carl E. Ravin Advanced Imaging Laboratories, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 and Department of Radiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Robins, Marthony [Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Colsher, James [Department of Radiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Samei, Ehsan [Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Carl E. Ravin Advanced Imaging Laboratories, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Department of Radiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Department of Physics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States)

2013-11-15

Purpose: Volume quantifications of lung nodules with multidetector computed tomography (CT) images provide useful information for monitoring nodule developments. The accuracy and precision of the volume quantification, however, can be impacted by imaging and reconstruction parameters. This study aimed to investigate the impact of iterative reconstruction algorithms on the accuracy and precision of volume quantification with dose and slice thickness as additional variables.Methods: Repeated CT images were acquired from an anthropomorphic chest phantom with synthetic nodules (9.5 and 4.8 mm) at six dose levels, and reconstructed with three reconstruction algorithms [filtered backprojection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR), and model based iterative reconstruction (MBIR)] into three slice thicknesses. The nodule volumes were measured with two clinical software (A: Lung VCAR, B: iNtuition), and analyzed for accuracy and precision.Results: Precision was found to be generally comparable between FBP and iterative reconstruction with no statistically significant difference noted for different dose levels, slice thickness, and segmentation software. Accuracy was found to be more variable. For large nodules, the accuracy was significantly different between ASiR and FBP for all slice thicknesses with both software, and significantly different between MBIR and FBP for 0.625 mm slice thickness with Software A and for all slice thicknesses with Software B. For small nodules, the accuracy was more similar between FBP and iterative reconstruction, with the exception of ASIR vs FBP at 1.25 mm with Software A and MBIR vs FBP at 0.625 mm with Software A.Conclusions: The systematic difference between the accuracy of FBP and iterative reconstructions highlights the importance of extending current segmentation software to accommodate the image characteristics of iterative reconstructions. In addition, a calibration process may help reduce the dependency of

Volumetric quantification of lung nodules in CT with iterative reconstruction (ASiR and MBIR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Baiyu; Barnhart, Huiman; Richard, Samuel; Robins, Marthony; Colsher, James; Samei, Ehsan

2013-01-01

Purpose: Volume quantifications of lung nodules with multidetector computed tomography (CT) images provide useful information for monitoring nodule developments. The accuracy and precision of the volume quantification, however, can be impacted by imaging and reconstruction parameters. This study aimed to investigate the impact of iterative reconstruction algorithms on the accuracy and precision of volume quantification with dose and slice thickness as additional variables.Methods: Repeated CT images were acquired from an anthropomorphic chest phantom with synthetic nodules (9.5 and 4.8 mm) at six dose levels, and reconstructed with three reconstruction algorithms [filtered backprojection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR), and model based iterative reconstruction (MBIR)] into three slice thicknesses. The nodule volumes were measured with two clinical software (A: Lung VCAR, B: iNtuition), and analyzed for accuracy and precision.Results: Precision was found to be generally comparable between FBP and iterative reconstruction with no statistically significant difference noted for different dose levels, slice thickness, and segmentation software. Accuracy was found to be more variable. For large nodules, the accuracy was significantly different between ASiR and FBP for all slice thicknesses with both software, and significantly different between MBIR and FBP for 0.625 mm slice thickness with Software A and for all slice thicknesses with Software B. For small nodules, the accuracy was more similar between FBP and iterative reconstruction, with the exception of ASIR vs FBP at 1.25 mm with Software A and MBIR vs FBP at 0.625 mm with Software A.Conclusions: The systematic difference between the accuracy of FBP and iterative reconstructions highlights the importance of extending current segmentation software to accommodate the image characteristics of iterative reconstructions. In addition, a calibration process may help reduce the dependency of

An iterative reconstruction from truncated projection data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1985-01-01

Various methods have been proposed for tomographic reconstruction from truncated projection data. In this paper, a reconstructive method is discussed which consists of iterations of filtered back-projection, reprojection and some nonlinear processings. First, the method is so constructed that it converges to a fixed point. Then, to examine its effectiveness, comparisons are made by computer experiments with two existing reconstructive methods for truncated projection data, that is, the method of extrapolation based on the smooth assumption followed by filtered back-projection, and modified additive ART

A multiresolution approach to iterative reconstruction algorithms in X-ray computed tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

De Witte, Yoni; Vlassenbroeck, Jelle; Van Hoorebeke, Luc

2010-09-01

In computed tomography, the application of iterative reconstruction methods in practical situations is impeded by their high computational demands. Especially in high resolution X-ray computed tomography, where reconstruction volumes contain a high number of volume elements (several giga voxels), this computational burden prevents their actual breakthrough. Besides the large amount of calculations, iterative algorithms require the entire volume to be kept in memory during reconstruction, which quickly becomes cumbersome for large data sets. To overcome this obstacle, we present a novel multiresolution reconstruction, which greatly reduces the required amount of memory without significantly affecting the reconstructed image quality. It is shown that, combined with an efficient implementation on a graphical processing unit, the multiresolution approach enables the application of iterative algorithms in the reconstruction of large volumes at an acceptable speed using only limited resources.

Optimization of image quality and acquisition time for lab-based X-ray microtomography using an iterative reconstruction algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Qingyang; Andrew, Matthew; Thompson, William; Blunt, Martin J.; Bijeljic, Branko

2018-05-01

Non-invasive laboratory-based X-ray microtomography has been widely applied in many industrial and research disciplines. However, the main barrier to the use of laboratory systems compared to a synchrotron beamline is its much longer image acquisition time (hours per scan compared to seconds to minutes at a synchrotron), which results in limited application for dynamic in situ processes. Therefore, the majority of existing laboratory X-ray microtomography is limited to static imaging; relatively fast imaging (tens of minutes per scan) can only be achieved by sacrificing imaging quality, e.g. reducing exposure time or number of projections. To alleviate this barrier, we introduce an optimized implementation of a well-known iterative reconstruction algorithm that allows users to reconstruct tomographic images with reasonable image quality, but requires lower X-ray signal counts and fewer projections than conventional methods. Quantitative analysis and comparison between the iterative and the conventional filtered back-projection reconstruction algorithm was performed using a sandstone rock sample with and without liquid phases in the pore space. Overall, by implementing the iterative reconstruction algorithm, the required image acquisition time for samples such as this, with sparse object structure, can be reduced by a factor of up to 4 without measurable loss of sharpness or signal to noise ratio.

Mean-variance analysis of block-iterative reconstruction algorithms modeling 3D detector response in SPECT

Science.gov (United States)

Lalush, D. S.; Tsui, B. M. W.

1998-06-01

We study the statistical convergence properties of two fast iterative reconstruction algorithms, the rescaled block-iterative (RBI) and ordered subset (OS) EM algorithms, in the context of cardiac SPECT with 3D detector response modeling. The Monte Carlo method was used to generate nearly noise-free projection data modeling the effects of attenuation, detector response, and scatter from the MCAT phantom. One thousand noise realizations were generated with an average count level approximating a typical T1-201 cardiac study. Each noise realization was reconstructed using the RBI and OS algorithms for cases with and without detector response modeling. For each iteration up to twenty, we generated mean and variance images, as well as covariance images for six specific locations. Both OS and RBI converged in the mean to results that were close to the noise-free ML-EM result using the same projection model. When detector response was not modeled in the reconstruction, RBI exhibited considerably lower noise variance than OS for the same resolution. When 3D detector response was modeled, the RBI-EM provided a small improvement in the tradeoff between noise level and resolution recovery, primarily in the axial direction, while OS required about half the number of iterations of RBI to reach the same resolution. We conclude that OS is faster than RBI, but may be sensitive to errors in the projection model. Both OS-EM and RBI-EM are effective alternatives to the EVIL-EM algorithm, but noise level and speed of convergence depend on the projection model used.

BES-II fast data reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rong Gang; Zhang Jiawen; Guo Yiqing; Zhang Shaoqiang; Zhao Dixin

2002-01-01

The BES-II fast data reconstruction is reported. Based on PC FARM and/or a 'Distributed Clustered Linux PC System', BES-II fast data reconstruction system is set up. With this system the BES-II data can be fully reconstructed in about 20 minutes after data collection. It takes only 12 minutes to fully reconstruct 30000 events, collected with BES-II detector at BEPC Collider, with a P III-800 PC. The detector performance can be examined based on fully reconstructed data in about 20 minutes after data taking in the BES-II experiment

SPET reconstruction with a non-uniform attenuation coefficient using an analytical regularizing iterative method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soussaline, F.; LeCoq, C.; Raynaud, C.; Kellershohn

1982-01-01

The potential of the Regularizing Iterative Method (RIM), when used in brain studies, is evaluated. RIM is designed to provide fast and accurate reconstruction of tomographic images when non-uniform attenuation is to be accounted for. As indicated by phantom studies, this method improves the contrast and the signal-to-noise ratio as compared to those obtained with Filtered Back Projection (FBP) technique. Preliminary results obtained in brain studies using isopropil-amphetamine I-123 (AMPI-123) are very encouraging in terms of quantitative regional cellular activity. However, the clinical usefulness of this mathematically accurate reconstruction procedure is going to be demonstrated, in comparing quantitative data in heart or liver studies where control values can be obtained

Iterative Reconstruction Methods for Hybrid Inverse Problems in Impedance Tomography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoffmann, Kristoffer; Knudsen, Kim

2014-01-01

For a general formulation of hybrid inverse problems in impedance tomography the Picard and Newton iterative schemes are adapted and four iterative reconstruction algorithms are developed. The general problem formulation includes several existing hybrid imaging modalities such as current density...... impedance imaging, magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography, and ultrasound modulated electrical impedance tomography, and the unified approach to the reconstruction problem encompasses several algorithms suggested in the literature. The four proposed algorithms are implemented numerically in two...

COMPARISON OF HOLOGRAPHIC AND ITERATIVE METHODS FOR AMPLITUDE OBJECT RECONSTRUCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. A. Shevkunov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Experimental comparison of four methods for the wavefront reconstruction is presented. We considered two iterative and two holographic methods with different mathematical models and algorithms for recovery. The first two of these methods do not use a reference wave recording scheme that reduces requirements for stability of the installation. A major role in phase information reconstruction by such methods is played by a set of spatial intensity distributions, which are recorded as the recording matrix is being moved along the optical axis. The obtained data are used consistently for wavefront reconstruction using an iterative procedure. In the course of this procedure numerical distribution of the wavefront between the planes is performed. Thus, phase information of the wavefront is stored in every plane and calculated amplitude distributions are replaced for the measured ones in these planes. In the first of the compared methods, a two-dimensional Fresnel transform and iterative calculation in the object plane are used as a mathematical model. In the second approach, an angular spectrum method is used for numerical wavefront propagation, and the iterative calculation is carried out only between closely located planes of data registration. Two digital holography methods, based on the usage of the reference wave in the recording scheme and differing from each other by numerical reconstruction algorithm of digital holograms, are compared with the first two methods. The comparison proved that the iterative method based on 2D Fresnel transform gives results comparable with the result of common holographic method with the Fourier-filtering. It is shown that holographic method for reconstructing of the object complex amplitude in the process of the object amplitude reduction is the best among considered ones.

Image quality in children with low-radiation chest CT using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction and model-based iterative reconstruction.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jihang Sun

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To evaluate noise reduction and image quality improvement in low-radiation dose chest CT images in children using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR and a full model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR algorithm. METHODS: Forty-five children (age ranging from 28 days to 6 years, median of 1.8 years who received low-dose chest CT scans were included. Age-dependent noise index (NI was used for acquisition. Images were retrospectively reconstructed using three methods: MBIR, 60% of ASIR and 40% of conventional filtered back-projection (FBP, and FBP. The subjective quality of the images was independently evaluated by two radiologists. Objective noises in the left ventricle (LV, muscle, fat, descending aorta and lung field at the layer with the largest cross-section area of LV were measured, with the region of interest about one fourth to half of the area of descending aorta. Optimized signal-to-noise ratio (SNR was calculated. RESULT: In terms of subjective quality, MBIR images were significantly better than ASIR and FBP in image noise and visibility of tiny structures, but blurred edges were observed. In terms of objective noise, MBIR and ASIR reconstruction decreased the image noise by 55.2% and 31.8%, respectively, for LV compared with FBP. Similarly, MBIR and ASIR reconstruction increased the SNR by 124.0% and 46.2%, respectively, compared with FBP. CONCLUSION: Compared with FBP and ASIR, overall image quality and noise reduction were significantly improved by MBIR. MBIR image could reconstruct eligible chest CT images in children with lower radiation dose.

An iterative reconstruction of cosmological initial density fields

Science.gov (United States)

Hada, Ryuichiro; Eisenstein, Daniel J.

2018-05-01

We present an iterative method to reconstruct the linear-theory initial conditions from the late-time cosmological matter density field, with the intent of improving the recovery of the cosmic distance scale from the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAOs). We present tests using the dark matter density field in both real and redshift space generated from an N-body simulation. In redshift space at z = 0.5, we find that the reconstructed displacement field using our iterative method are more than 80% correlated with the true displacement field of the dark matter particles on scales k < 0.10h Mpc-1. Furthermore, we show that the two-point correlation function of our reconstructed density field matches that of the initial density field substantially better, especially on small scales (<40h-1 Mpc). Our redshift-space results are improved if we use an anisotropic smoothing so as to account for the reduced small-scale information along the line of sight in redshift space.

A general class of preconditioners for statistical iterative reconstruction of emission computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chinn, G.; Huang, S.C.

1997-01-01

A major drawback of statistical iterative image reconstruction for emission computed tomography is its high computational cost. The ill-posed nature of tomography leads to slow convergence for standard gradient-based iterative approaches such as the steepest descent or the conjugate gradient algorithm. In this paper new theory and methods for a class of preconditioners are developed for accelerating the convergence rate of iterative reconstruction. To demonstrate the potential of this class of preconditioners, a preconditioned conjugate gradient (PCG) iterative algorithm for weighted least squares reconstruction (WLS) was formulated for emission tomography. Using simulated positron emission tomography (PET) data of the Hoffman brain phantom, it was shown that the convergence rate of the PCG can reduce the number of iterations of the standard conjugate gradient algorithm by a factor of 2--8 times depending on the convergence criterion

Quantitative evaluation of ASiR image quality: an adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction technique

Science.gov (United States)

Van de Casteele, Elke; Parizel, Paul; Sijbers, Jan

2012-03-01

Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) is a new reconstruction algorithm used in the field of medical X-ray imaging. This new reconstruction method combines the idealized system representation, as we know it from the standard Filtered Back Projection (FBP) algorithm, and the strength of iterative reconstruction by including a noise model in the reconstruction scheme. It studies how noise propagates through the reconstruction steps, feeds this model back into the loop and iteratively reduces noise in the reconstructed image without affecting spatial resolution. In this paper the effect of ASiR on the contrast to noise ratio is studied using the low contrast module of the Catphan phantom. The experiments were done on a GE LightSpeed VCT system at different voltages and currents. The results show reduced noise and increased contrast for the ASiR reconstructions compared to the standard FBP method. For the same contrast to noise ratio the images from ASiR can be obtained using 60% less current, leading to a reduction in dose of the same amount.

A new iterative algorithm to reconstruct the refractive index.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Y J; Zhu, P P; Chen, B; Wang, J Y; Yuan, Q X; Huang, W X; Shu, H; Li, E R; Liu, X S; Zhang, K; Ming, H; Wu, Z Y

2007-06-21

The latest developments in x-ray imaging are associated with techniques based on the phase contrast. However, the image reconstruction procedures demand significant improvements of the traditional methods, and/or new algorithms have to be introduced to take advantage of the high contrast and sensitivity of the new experimental techniques. In this letter, an improved iterative reconstruction algorithm based on the maximum likelihood expectation maximization technique is presented and discussed in order to reconstruct the distribution of the refractive index from data collected by an analyzer-based imaging setup. The technique considered probes the partial derivative of the refractive index with respect to an axis lying in the meridional plane and perpendicular to the propagation direction. Computer simulations confirm the reliability of the proposed algorithm. In addition, the comparison between an analytical reconstruction algorithm and the iterative method has been also discussed together with the convergent characteristic of this latter algorithm. Finally, we will show how the proposed algorithm may be applied to reconstruct the distribution of the refractive index of an epoxy cylinder containing small air bubbles of about 300 micro of diameter.

Effect of hybrid iterative reconstruction technique on quantitative and qualitative image analysis at 256-slice prospective gating cardiac CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Weigold, W. Guy; Weissman, Gaby; Taylor, Allen J.

2012-01-01

To evaluate the effect of hybrid iterative reconstruction on qualitative and quantitative parameters at 256-slice cardiac CT. Prospective cardiac CT images from 20 patients were analysed. Paired image sets were created using 3 reconstructions, i.e. filtered back projection (FBP) and moderate- and high-level iterative reconstructions. Quantitative parameters including CT-attenuation, noise, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were determined in both proximal- and distal coronary segments. Image quality was graded on a 4-point scale. Coronary CT attenuation values were similar for FBP, moderate- and high-level iterative reconstruction at 293 ± 74-, 290 ± 75-, and 283 ± 78 Hounsfield units (HU), respectively. CNR was significantly higher with moderate- and high-level iterative reconstructions (10.9 ± 3.5 and 18.4 ± 6.2, respectively) than FBP (8.2 ± 2.5) as was the visual grading of proximal vessels. Visualisation of distal vessels was better with high-level iterative reconstruction than FBP. The mean number of assessable segments among 289 segments was 245, 260, and 267 for FBP, moderate- and high-level iterative reconstruction, respectively; the difference between FBP and high-level iterative reconstruction was significant. Interobserver agreement was significantly higher for moderate- and high-level iterative reconstruction than FBP. Cardiac CT using hybrid iterative reconstruction yields higher CNR and better image quality than FBP. circle Cardiac CT helps clinicians to assess patients with coronary artery disease circle Hybrid iterative reconstruction provides improved cardiac CT image quality circle Hybrid iterative reconstruction improves the number of assessable coronary segments circle Hybrid iterative reconstruction improves interobserver agreement on cardiac CT. (orig.)

GPU-based fast cone beam CT reconstruction from undersampled and noisy projection data via total variation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia Xun; Lou Yifei; Li Ruijiang; Song, William Y.; Jiang, Steve B.

2010-01-01

Purpose: Cone-beam CT (CBCT) plays an important role in image guided radiation therapy (IGRT). However, the large radiation dose from serial CBCT scans in most IGRT procedures raises a clinical concern, especially for pediatric patients who are essentially excluded from receiving IGRT for this reason. The goal of this work is to develop a fast GPU-based algorithm to reconstruct CBCT from undersampled and noisy projection data so as to lower the imaging dose. Methods: The CBCT is reconstructed by minimizing an energy functional consisting of a data fidelity term and a total variation regularization term. The authors developed a GPU-friendly version of the forward-backward splitting algorithm to solve this model. A multigrid technique is also employed. Results: It is found that 20-40 x-ray projections are sufficient to reconstruct images with satisfactory quality for IGRT. The reconstruction time ranges from 77 to 130 s on an NVIDIA Tesla C1060 (NVIDIA, Santa Clara, CA) GPU card, depending on the number of projections used, which is estimated about 100 times faster than similar iterative reconstruction approaches. Moreover, phantom studies indicate that the algorithm enables the CBCT to be reconstructed under a scanning protocol with as low as 0.1 mA s/projection. Comparing with currently widely used full-fan head and neck scanning protocol of ∼360 projections with 0.4 mA s/projection, it is estimated that an overall 36-72 times dose reduction has been achieved in our fast CBCT reconstruction algorithm. Conclusions: This work indicates that the developed GPU-based CBCT reconstruction algorithm is capable of lowering imaging dose considerably. The high computation efficiency in this algorithm makes the iterative CBCT reconstruction approach applicable in real clinical environments.

GPU-based fast cone beam CT reconstruction from undersampled and noisy projection data via total variation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Xun; Lou, Yifei; Li, Ruijiang; Song, William Y; Jiang, Steve B

2010-04-01

Cone-beam CT (CBCT) plays an important role in image guided radiation therapy (IGRT). However, the large radiation dose from serial CBCT scans in most IGRT procedures raises a clinical concern, especially for pediatric patients who are essentially excluded from receiving IGRT for this reason. The goal of this work is to develop a fast GPU-based algorithm to reconstruct CBCT from undersampled and noisy projection data so as to lower the imaging dose. The CBCT is reconstructed by minimizing an energy functional consisting of a data fidelity term and a total variation regularization term. The authors developed a GPU-friendly version of the forward-backward splitting algorithm to solve this model. A multigrid technique is also employed. It is found that 20-40 x-ray projections are sufficient to reconstruct images with satisfactory quality for IGRT. The reconstruction time ranges from 77 to 130 s on an NVIDIA Tesla C1060 (NVIDIA, Santa Clara, CA) GPU card, depending on the number of projections used, which is estimated about 100 times faster than similar iterative reconstruction approaches. Moreover, phantom studies indicate that the algorithm enables the CBCT to be reconstructed under a scanning protocol with as low as 0.1 mA s/projection. Comparing with currently widely used full-fan head and neck scanning protocol of approximately 360 projections with 0.4 mA s/projection, it is estimated that an overall 36-72 times dose reduction has been achieved in our fast CBCT reconstruction algorithm. This work indicates that the developed GPU-based CBCT reconstruction algorithm is capable of lowering imaging dose considerably. The high computation efficiency in this algorithm makes the iterative CBCT reconstruction approach applicable in real clinical environments.

Iterative CT reconstruction with correction for known rigid motion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nuyts, Johan [Katholieke Univ. Leuven (Belgium). Dept. of Nuclear Medicine; Kim, Jung-Ha; Fulton, Roger [Sydney Univ., NSW (Australia). School of Physics; Westmead Hospital, Sydney (Australia). Medical Physics

2011-07-01

In PET/CT brain imaging, correction for motion may be needed, in particular for children and psychiatric patients. Motion is more likely to occur in the lengthy PET measurement, but also during the short CT acquisition patient motion is possible. Rigid motion of the head can be measured independently from the PET/CT system with optical devices. In this paper, we propose a method and some preliminary simulation results for iterative CT reconstruction with correction for known rigid motion. We implemented an iterative algorithm for fully 3D reconstruction from helical CT scans. The motion of the head is incorporated in the system matrix as a view-dependent motion of the CT-system. The first simulation results indicate that some motion patterns may produce loss of essential data. This loss precludes exact reconstruction and results in artifacts in the reconstruction, even when motion is taken into account. However, by reducing the pitch during acquisition, the same motion pattern no longer caused artifacts in the motion corrected image. (orig.)

A comparison in the reconstruction of neutron spectrums using classical iterative techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortiz R, J. M.; Martinez B, M. R.; Vega C, H. R.; Gallego, E.

2009-10-01

One of the key drawbacks to the use of BUNKI code is that the process begins the reconstruction of the spectrum based on a priori knowledge as close as possible to the solution that is sought. The user has to specify the initial spectrum or do it through a subroutine called MAXIET to calculate a Maxwellian and a 1/E spectrum as initial spectrum. Because the application of iterative procedures by to resolve the reconstruction of neutron spectrum needs an initial spectrum, it is necessary to have new proposals for the election of the same. Based on the experience gained with a widely used method of reconstruction, called BUNKI, has developed a new computational tools for neutron spectrometry and dosimetry, which was first introduced, which operates by means of an iterative algorithm for the reconstruction of neutron spectra. The main feature of this tool is that unlike the existing iterative codes, the choice of the initial spectrum is performed automatically by the program, through a neutron spectra catalog. To develop the code, the algorithm was selected as the routine iterative SPUNIT be used in computing tool and response matrix UTA4 for 31 energy groups. (author)

Iterative Reconstruction Techniques in Abdominopelvic CT: Technical Concepts and Clinical Implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Patino, Manuel; Fuentes, Jorge M; Singh, Sarabjeet; Hahn, Peter F; Sahani, Dushyant V

2015-07-01

This article discusses the clinical challenge of low-radiation-dose examinations, the commonly used approaches for dose optimization, and their effect on image quality. We emphasize practical aspects of the different iterative reconstruction techniques, along with their benefits, pitfalls, and clinical implementation. The widespread use of CT has raised concerns about potential radiation risks, motivating diverse strategies to reduce the radiation dose associated with CT. CT manufacturers have developed alternative reconstruction algorithms intended to improve image quality on dose-optimized CT studies, mainly through noise and artifact reduction. Iterative reconstruction techniques take unique approaches to noise reduction and provide distinct strength levels or settings.

SPET reconstruction with a non-uniform attenuation coefficient using an analytical regularizing iterative method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soussaline, F.; LeCoq, C.; Raynaud, C.; Kellershohn, C.

1982-09-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of the RIM technique when used in brain studies. The analytical Regulatorizing Iterative Method (RIM) is designed to provide fast and accurate reconstruction of tomographic images when non-uniform attenuation is to be accounted for. As indicated by phantom studies, this method improves the contrast and the signal-to-noise ratio as compared to those obtained with FBP (Filtered Back Projection) technique. Preliminary results obtained in brain studies using AMPI-123 (isopropil-amphetamine I-123) are very encouraging in terms of quantitative regional cellular activity. However, the clinical usefulness of this mathematically accurate reconstruction procedure is going to be demonstrated in our Institution, in comparing quantitative data in heart or liver studies where control values can be obtained

Model-based iterative reconstruction technique for radiation dose reduction in chest CT: comparison with the adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katsura, Masaki; Matsuda, Izuru; Akahane, Masaaki; Sato, Jiro; Akai, Hiroyuki; Yasaka, Koichiro; Kunimatsu, Akira; Ohtomo, Kuni [University of Tokyo, Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo (Japan)

2012-08-15

To prospectively evaluate dose reduction and image quality characteristics of chest CT reconstructed with model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) compared with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). One hundred patients underwent reference-dose and low-dose unenhanced chest CT with 64-row multidetector CT. Images were reconstructed with 50 % ASIR-filtered back projection blending (ASIR50) for reference-dose CT, and with ASIR50 and MBIR for low-dose CT. Two radiologists assessed the images in a blinded manner for subjective image noise, artefacts and diagnostic acceptability. Objective image noise was measured in the lung parenchyma. Data were analysed using the sign test and pair-wise Student's t-test. Compared with reference-dose CT, there was a 79.0 % decrease in dose-length product with low-dose CT. Low-dose MBIR images had significantly lower objective image noise (16.93 {+-} 3.00) than low-dose ASIR (49.24 {+-} 9.11, P < 0.01) and reference-dose ASIR images (24.93 {+-} 4.65, P < 0.01). Low-dose MBIR images were all diagnostically acceptable. Unique features of low-dose MBIR images included motion artefacts and pixellated blotchy appearances, which did not adversely affect diagnostic acceptability. Diagnostically acceptable chest CT images acquired with nearly 80 % less radiation can be obtained using MBIR. MBIR shows greater potential than ASIR for providing diagnostically acceptable low-dose CT images without severely compromising image quality. (orig.)

Objective task-based assessment of low-contrast detectability in iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Racine, Damien; Ott, Julien G.; Ba, Alexandre; Ryckx, Nick; Bochud, Francois O.; Verdun, Francis R.

2016-01-01

Evaluating image quality by using receiver operating characteristic studies is time consuming and difficult to implement. This work assesses a new iterative algorithm using a channelised Hotelling observer (CHO). For this purpose, an anthropomorphic abdomen phantom with spheres of various sizes and contrasts was scanned at 3 volume computed tomography dose index (CTDI vol ) levels on a GE Revolution CT. Images were reconstructed using the iterative reconstruction method adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-V (ASIR-V) at ASIR-V 0, 50 and 70 % and assessed by applying a CHO with dense difference of Gaussian and internal noise. Both CHO and human observers (HO) were compared based on a four-alternative forced-choice experiment, using the percentage correct as a figure of merit. The results showed accordance between CHO and HO. Moreover, an improvement in the low-contrast detection was observed when switching from ASIR-V 0 to 50 %. The results underpin the finding that ASIR-V allows dose reduction. (authors)

SU-E-I-93: Improved Imaging Quality for Multislice Helical CT Via Sparsity Regularized Iterative Image Reconstruction Method Based On Tensor Framelet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nam, H; Guo, M; Lee, K; Li, R; Xing, L; Gao, H

2014-01-01

Purpose: Inspired by compressive sensing, sparsity regularized iterative reconstruction method has been extensively studied. However, its utility pertinent to multislice helical 4D CT for radiotherapy with respect to imaging quality, dose, and time has not been thoroughly addressed. As the beginning of such an investigation, this work carries out the initial comparison of reconstructed imaging quality between sparsity regularized iterative method and analytic method through static phantom studies using a state-of-art 128-channel multi-slice Siemens helical CT scanner. Methods: In our iterative method, tensor framelet (TF) is chosen as the regularization method for its superior performance from total variation regularization in terms of reduced piecewise-constant artifacts and improved imaging quality that has been demonstrated in our prior work. On the other hand, X-ray transforms and its adjoints are computed on-the-fly through GPU implementation using our previous developed fast parallel algorithms with O(1) complexity per computing thread. For comparison, both FDK (approximate analytic method) and Katsevich algorithm (exact analytic method) are used for multislice helical CT image reconstruction. Results: The phantom experimental data with different imaging doses were acquired using a state-of-art 128-channel multi-slice Siemens helical CT scanner. The reconstructed image quality was compared between TF-based iterative method, FDK and Katsevich algorithm with the quantitative analysis for characterizing signal-to-noise ratio, image contrast, and spatial resolution of high-contrast and low-contrast objects. Conclusion: The experimental results suggest that our tensor framelet regularized iterative reconstruction algorithm improves the helical CT imaging quality from FDK and Katsevich algorithm for static experimental phantom studies that have been performed

CT colonography at low tube potential: using iterative reconstruction to decrease noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, K.J.; Heisler, M.A.; Mahesh, M.; Baird, G.L.; Mayo-Smith, W.W.

2015-01-01

Aim: To determine the level of iterative reconstruction required to reduce increased image noise associated with low tube potential computed tomography (CT). Materials and methods: Fifty patients underwent CT colonography with a supine scan at 120 kVp and a prone scan at 100 kVp with other scan parameters unchanged. Both scans were reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP) and increasing levels of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) at 30%, 60%, and 90%. Mean noise, soft tissue and tagged fluid attenuation, contrast, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were collected from reconstructions at both 120 and 100 kVp and compared using a generalised linear mixed model. Results: Decreasing tube potential from 120 to 100 kVp significantly increased image noise by 30–34% and tagged fluid attenuation by 120 HU at all ASiR levels (p<0.0001, all measures). Increasing ASiR from 0% (FBP) to 30%, 60%, and 90% resulted in significant decreases in noise and increases in CNR at both tube potentials (p<0.001, all comparisons). Compared to 120 kVp FBP, ASiR greater than 30% at 100 kVp yielded similar or lower image noise. Conclusions: Iterative reconstruction adequately compensates for increased image noise associated with low tube potential imaging while improving CNR. An ASiR level of approximately 50% at 100 kVp yields similar noise to 120 kVp without ASiR. -- Highlights: •Peak kilovoltage (kVp) can be reduced to decrease radiation dose and increase contrast attenuation at a cost of increased image noise. •Utilizing iterative reconstruction can decrease image noise and increase contrast to noise ratio (CNR) independent of kVp. •Iterative reconstruction adequately compensates for increased image noise associated with low dose low kVp imaging while improving CNR. •An ASiR level of approximately 50% at 100 kVp yields similar noise to 120 kVp without ASiR

Clinical applications of iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eberl, S.

1998-01-01

Expectation maximisation (EM) reconstruction largely eliminates the hot and cold streaking artifacts characteristic of filtered-back projection (FBP) reconstruction around localised hot areas, such as the bladder. It also substantially reduces the problem of decreased inferior wall counts in MIBI myocardial perfusion studies due to ''streaking'' from high liver uptake. Non-uniform attenuation and scatter correction, resolution recovery, anatomical information, e.g. from MRI or CT tracer kinetic modelling, can all be built into the EM reconstruction imaging model. The properties of ordered subset EM (OSEM) have also been used to correct for known patient motion as part of the reconstruction process. These uses of EM are elaborated more fully in some of the other abstracts of this meeting. Currently we use OSEM routinely for: (i) studies where streaking is a problem, including all MIBI myocardial perfusion studies, to avoid hot liver inferior wall artifact, (ii) all whole body FDG PET, all lung V/Q SPECT (which have a short acquisition time) and all gated 201 TI myocardial perfusion studies due to improved noise characteristics of OSEM in these studies; (iii) studies with measured, non-uniform attenuation correction. With the accelerated OSEM algorithm, iterative reconstruction is practical for routine clinical applications and we have found OSEM to provide clearly superior reconstructions for the areas listed above and are investigating its application to other studies. In clinical use, we have not found OSEM to introduce artifacts which would not also occur with FBP, e.g. uncorrected patient motion will cause artifacts with both OSEM and FBP

CT of the chest with model-based, fully iterative reconstruction: comparison with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Ichikawa, Yasutaka; Kitagawa, Kakuya; Nagasawa, Naoki; Murashima, Shuichi; Sakuma, Hajime

2013-08-09

The recently developed model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) enables significant reduction of image noise and artifacts, compared with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and filtered back projection (FBP). The purpose of this study was to evaluate lesion detectability of low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) with MBIR in comparison with ASIR and FBP. Chest CT was acquired with 64-slice CT (Discovery CT750HD) with standard-dose (5.7 ± 2.3 mSv) and low-dose (1.6 ± 0.8 mSv) conditions in 55 patients (aged 72 ± 7 years) who were suspected of lung disease on chest radiograms. Low-dose CT images were reconstructed with MBIR, ASIR 50% and FBP, and standard-dose CT images were reconstructed with FBP, using a reconstructed slice thickness of 0.625 mm. Two observers evaluated the image quality of abnormal lung and mediastinal structures on a 5-point scale (Score 5 = excellent and score 1 = non-diagnostic). The objective image noise was also measured as the standard deviation of CT intensity in the descending aorta. The image quality score of enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes on low-dose MBIR CT (4.7 ± 0.5) was significantly improved in comparison with low-dose FBP and ASIR CT (3.0 ± 0.5, p = 0.004; 4.0 ± 0.5, p = 0.02, respectively), and was nearly identical to the score of standard-dose FBP image (4.8 ± 0.4, p = 0.66). Concerning decreased lung attenuation (bulla, emphysema, or cyst), the image quality score on low-dose MBIR CT (4.9 ± 0.2) was slightly better compared to low-dose FBP and ASIR CT (4.5 ± 0.6, p = 0.01; 4.6 ± 0.5, p = 0.01, respectively). There were no significant differences in image quality scores of visualization of consolidation or mass, ground-glass attenuation, or reticular opacity among low- and standard-dose CT series. Image noise with low-dose MBIR CT (11.6 ± 1.0 Hounsfield units (HU)) were significantly lower than with low-dose ASIR (21.1 ± 2.6 HU, p standard-dose FBP CT (16.6 ± 2.3 HU, p 70%, MBIR can provide

Fast parallel algorithm for CT image reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Flores, Liubov A; Vidal, Vicent; Mayo, Patricia; Rodenas, Francisco; Verdú, Gumersindo

2012-01-01

In X-ray computed tomography (CT) the X rays are used to obtain the projection data needed to generate an image of the inside of an object. The image can be generated with different techniques. Iterative methods are more suitable for the reconstruction of images with high contrast and precision in noisy conditions and from a small number of projections. Their use may be important in portable scanners for their functionality in emergency situations. However, in practice, these methods are not widely used due to the high computational cost of their implementation. In this work we analyze iterative parallel image reconstruction with the Portable Extensive Toolkit for Scientific computation (PETSc).

Model-based iterative reconstruction technique for radiation dose reduction in chest CT: comparison with the adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katsura, Masaki; Matsuda, Izuru; Akahane, Masaaki; Sato, Jiro; Akai, Hiroyuki; Yasaka, Koichiro; Kunimatsu, Akira; Ohtomo, Kuni

2012-01-01

To prospectively evaluate dose reduction and image quality characteristics of chest CT reconstructed with model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) compared with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). One hundred patients underwent reference-dose and low-dose unenhanced chest CT with 64-row multidetector CT. Images were reconstructed with 50 % ASIR-filtered back projection blending (ASIR50) for reference-dose CT, and with ASIR50 and MBIR for low-dose CT. Two radiologists assessed the images in a blinded manner for subjective image noise, artefacts and diagnostic acceptability. Objective image noise was measured in the lung parenchyma. Data were analysed using the sign test and pair-wise Student's t-test. Compared with reference-dose CT, there was a 79.0 % decrease in dose-length product with low-dose CT. Low-dose MBIR images had significantly lower objective image noise (16.93 ± 3.00) than low-dose ASIR (49.24 ± 9.11, P < 0.01) and reference-dose ASIR images (24.93 ± 4.65, P < 0.01). Low-dose MBIR images were all diagnostically acceptable. Unique features of low-dose MBIR images included motion artefacts and pixellated blotchy appearances, which did not adversely affect diagnostic acceptability. Diagnostically acceptable chest CT images acquired with nearly 80 % less radiation can be obtained using MBIR. MBIR shows greater potential than ASIR for providing diagnostically acceptable low-dose CT images without severely compromising image quality. (orig.)

Computed tomography depiction of small pediatric vessels with model-based iterative reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koc, Gonca; Courtier, Jesse L.; Phelps, Andrew; Marcovici, Peter A.; MacKenzie, John D. [UCSF Benioff Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, San Francisco, CA (United States)

2014-07-15

Computed tomography (CT) is extremely important in characterizing blood vessel anatomy and vascular lesions in children. Recent advances in CT reconstruction technology hold promise for improved image quality and also reductions in radiation dose. This report evaluates potential improvements in image quality for the depiction of small pediatric vessels with model-based iterative reconstruction (Veo trademark), a technique developed to improve image quality and reduce noise. To evaluate Veo trademark as an improved method when compared to adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR trademark) for the depiction of small vessels on pediatric CT. Seventeen patients (mean age: 3.4 years, range: 2 days to 10.0 years; 6 girls, 11 boys) underwent contrast-enhanced CT examinations of the chest and abdomen in this HIPAA compliant and institutional review board approved study. Raw data were reconstructed into separate image datasets using Veo trademark and ASIR trademark algorithms (GE Medical Systems, Milwaukee, WI). Four blinded radiologists subjectively evaluated image quality. The pulmonary, hepatic, splenic and renal arteries were evaluated for the length and number of branches depicted. Datasets were compared with parametric and non-parametric statistical tests. Readers stated a preference for Veo trademark over ASIR trademark images when subjectively evaluating image quality criteria for vessel definition, image noise and resolution of small anatomical structures. The mean image noise in the aorta and fat was significantly less for Veo trademark vs. ASIR trademark reconstructed images. Quantitative measurements of mean vessel lengths and number of branches vessels delineated were significantly different for Veo trademark and ASIR trademark images. Veo trademark consistently showed more of the vessel anatomy: longer vessel length and more branching vessels. When compared to the more established adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm, model

Computed tomography depiction of small pediatric vessels with model-based iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koc, Gonca; Courtier, Jesse L.; Phelps, Andrew; Marcovici, Peter A.; MacKenzie, John D.

2014-01-01

Computed tomography (CT) is extremely important in characterizing blood vessel anatomy and vascular lesions in children. Recent advances in CT reconstruction technology hold promise for improved image quality and also reductions in radiation dose. This report evaluates potential improvements in image quality for the depiction of small pediatric vessels with model-based iterative reconstruction (Veo trademark), a technique developed to improve image quality and reduce noise. To evaluate Veo trademark as an improved method when compared to adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR trademark) for the depiction of small vessels on pediatric CT. Seventeen patients (mean age: 3.4 years, range: 2 days to 10.0 years; 6 girls, 11 boys) underwent contrast-enhanced CT examinations of the chest and abdomen in this HIPAA compliant and institutional review board approved study. Raw data were reconstructed into separate image datasets using Veo trademark and ASIR trademark algorithms (GE Medical Systems, Milwaukee, WI). Four blinded radiologists subjectively evaluated image quality. The pulmonary, hepatic, splenic and renal arteries were evaluated for the length and number of branches depicted. Datasets were compared with parametric and non-parametric statistical tests. Readers stated a preference for Veo trademark over ASIR trademark images when subjectively evaluating image quality criteria for vessel definition, image noise and resolution of small anatomical structures. The mean image noise in the aorta and fat was significantly less for Veo trademark vs. ASIR trademark reconstructed images. Quantitative measurements of mean vessel lengths and number of branches vessels delineated were significantly different for Veo trademark and ASIR trademark images. Veo trademark consistently showed more of the vessel anatomy: longer vessel length and more branching vessels. When compared to the more established adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm, model

Fast Ion Collective Thomson Scattering Diagnostic for ITER

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korsholm, Søren Bang; Bindslev, Henrik; Furtula, Vedran

2008-01-01

In the era of high power and burning plasma fusion experiments with significant populations of fast particles, the diagnosis of fast ion dynamics becomes an important topic. In ITER, populations of fast ions due to ICRH and NBI, as well as fusion born alphas will carry a significant fraction...... of mock-up measurements have brought the design towards a four mirror quasi-optical solution. The development as well as the present design will be presented....

Improvement of brain perfusion SPET using iterative reconstruction with scatter and non-uniform attenuation correction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kauppinen, T.; Vanninen, E.; Kuikka, J.T. [Kuopio Central Hospital (Finland). Dept. of Clinical Physiology; Koskinen, M.O. [Dept. of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Tampere Univ. Hospital, Tampere (Finland); Alenius, S. [Signal Processing Lab., Tampere Univ. of Technology, Tampere (Finland)

2000-09-01

Filtered back-projection (FBP) is generally used as the reconstruction method for single-photon emission tomography although it produces noisy images with apparent streak artefacts. It is possible to improve the image quality by using an algorithm with iterative correction steps. The iterative reconstruction technique also has an additional benefit in that computation of attenuation correction can be included in the process. A commonly used iterative method, maximum-likelihood expectation maximisation (ML-EM), can be accelerated using ordered subsets (OS-EM). We have applied to the OS-EM algorithm a Bayesian one-step late correction method utilising median root prior (MRP). Methodological comparison was performed by means of measurements obtained with a brain perfusion phantom and using patient data. The aim of this work was to quantitate the accuracy of iterative reconstruction with scatter and non-uniform attenuation corrections and post-filtering in SPET brain perfusion imaging. SPET imaging was performed using a triple-head gamma camera with fan-beam collimators. Transmission and emission scans were acquired simultaneously. The brain phantom used was a high-resolution three-dimensional anthropomorphic JB003 phantom. Patient studies were performed in ten chronic pain syndrome patients. The images were reconstructed using conventional FBP and iterative OS-EM and MRP techniques including scatter and nonuniform attenuation corrections. Iterative reconstructions were individually post-filtered. The quantitative results obtained with the brain perfusion phantom were compared with the known actual contrast ratios. The calculated difference from the true values was largest with the FBP method; iteratively reconstructed images proved closer to the reality. Similar findings were obtained in the patient studies. The plain OS-EM method improved the contrast whereas in the case of the MRP technique the improvement in contrast was not so evident with post-filtering. (orig.)

Improvement of brain perfusion SPET using iterative reconstruction with scatter and non-uniform attenuation correction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kauppinen, T.; Vanninen, E.; Kuikka, J.T.; Alenius, S.

2000-01-01

Filtered back-projection (FBP) is generally used as the reconstruction method for single-photon emission tomography although it produces noisy images with apparent streak artefacts. It is possible to improve the image quality by using an algorithm with iterative correction steps. The iterative reconstruction technique also has an additional benefit in that computation of attenuation correction can be included in the process. A commonly used iterative method, maximum-likelihood expectation maximisation (ML-EM), can be accelerated using ordered subsets (OS-EM). We have applied to the OS-EM algorithm a Bayesian one-step late correction method utilising median root prior (MRP). Methodological comparison was performed by means of measurements obtained with a brain perfusion phantom and using patient data. The aim of this work was to quantitate the accuracy of iterative reconstruction with scatter and non-uniform attenuation corrections and post-filtering in SPET brain perfusion imaging. SPET imaging was performed using a triple-head gamma camera with fan-beam collimators. Transmission and emission scans were acquired simultaneously. The brain phantom used was a high-resolution three-dimensional anthropomorphic JB003 phantom. Patient studies were performed in ten chronic pain syndrome patients. The images were reconstructed using conventional FBP and iterative OS-EM and MRP techniques including scatter and nonuniform attenuation corrections. Iterative reconstructions were individually post-filtered. The quantitative results obtained with the brain perfusion phantom were compared with the known actual contrast ratios. The calculated difference from the true values was largest with the FBP method; iteratively reconstructed images proved closer to the reality. Similar findings were obtained in the patient studies. The plain OS-EM method improved the contrast whereas in the case of the MRP technique the improvement in contrast was not so evident with post-filtering. (orig.)

Image quality of iterative reconstruction in cranial CT imaging: comparison of model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Notohamiprodjo, S.; Deak, Z.; Meurer, F.; Maertz, F.; Mueck, F.G.; Geyer, L.L.; Wirth, S. [Ludwig-Maximilians University Hospital of Munich, Institute for Clinical Radiology, Munich (Germany)

2015-01-15

The purpose of this study was to compare cranial CT (CCT) image quality (IQ) of the MBIR algorithm with standard iterative reconstruction (ASiR). In this institutional review board (IRB)-approved study, raw data sets of 100 unenhanced CCT examinations (120 kV, 50-260 mAs, 20 mm collimation, 0.984 pitch) were reconstructed with both ASiR and MBIR. Signal-to-noise (SNR) and contrast-to-noise (CNR) were calculated from attenuation values measured in caudate nucleus, frontal white matter, anterior ventricle horn, fourth ventricle, and pons. Two radiologists, who were blinded to the reconstruction algorithms, evaluated anonymized multiplanar reformations of 2.5 mm with respect to depiction of different parenchymal structures and impact of artefacts on IQ with a five-point scale (0: unacceptable, 1: less than average, 2: average, 3: above average, 4: excellent). MBIR decreased artefacts more effectively than ASiR (p < 0.01). The median depiction score for MBIR was 3, whereas the median value for ASiR was 2 (p < 0.01). SNR and CNR were significantly higher in MBIR than ASiR (p < 0.01). MBIR showed significant improvement of IQ parameters compared to ASiR. As CCT is an examination that is frequently required, the use of MBIR may allow for substantial reduction of radiation exposure caused by medical diagnostics. (orig.)

Image quality of iterative reconstruction in cranial CT imaging: comparison of model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Notohamiprodjo, S.; Deak, Z.; Meurer, F.; Maertz, F.; Mueck, F.G.; Geyer, L.L.; Wirth, S.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare cranial CT (CCT) image quality (IQ) of the MBIR algorithm with standard iterative reconstruction (ASiR). In this institutional review board (IRB)-approved study, raw data sets of 100 unenhanced CCT examinations (120 kV, 50-260 mAs, 20 mm collimation, 0.984 pitch) were reconstructed with both ASiR and MBIR. Signal-to-noise (SNR) and contrast-to-noise (CNR) were calculated from attenuation values measured in caudate nucleus, frontal white matter, anterior ventricle horn, fourth ventricle, and pons. Two radiologists, who were blinded to the reconstruction algorithms, evaluated anonymized multiplanar reformations of 2.5 mm with respect to depiction of different parenchymal structures and impact of artefacts on IQ with a five-point scale (0: unacceptable, 1: less than average, 2: average, 3: above average, 4: excellent). MBIR decreased artefacts more effectively than ASiR (p < 0.01). The median depiction score for MBIR was 3, whereas the median value for ASiR was 2 (p < 0.01). SNR and CNR were significantly higher in MBIR than ASiR (p < 0.01). MBIR showed significant improvement of IQ parameters compared to ASiR. As CCT is an examination that is frequently required, the use of MBIR may allow for substantial reduction of radiation exposure caused by medical diagnostics. (orig.)

An algebraic iterative reconstruction technique for differential X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Jian; Schleede, Simone; Tan, Renbo; Chen, Liyuan; Bech, Martin; Achterhold, Klaus; Gifford, Martin; Loewen, Rod; Ruth, Ronald; Pfeiffer, Franz

2013-09-01

Iterative reconstruction has a wide spectrum of proven advantages in the field of conventional X-ray absorption-based computed tomography (CT). In this paper, we report on an algebraic iterative reconstruction technique for grating-based differential phase-contrast CT (DPC-CT). Due to the differential nature of DPC-CT projections, a differential operator and a smoothing operator are added to the iterative reconstruction, compared to the one commonly used for absorption-based CT data. This work comprises a numerical study of the algorithm and its experimental verification using a dataset measured at a two-grating interferometer setup. Since the algorithm is easy to implement and allows for the extension to various regularization possibilities, we expect a significant impact of the method for improving future medical and industrial DPC-CT applications. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

Non-homogeneous updates for the iterative coordinate descent algorithm

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Zhou; Thibault, Jean-Baptiste; Bouman, Charles A.; Sauer, Ken D.; Hsieh, Jiang

2007-02-01

Statistical reconstruction methods show great promise for improving resolution, and reducing noise and artifacts in helical X-ray CT. In fact, statistical reconstruction seems to be particularly valuable in maintaining reconstructed image quality when the dosage is low and the noise is therefore high. However, high computational cost and long reconstruction times remain as a barrier to the use of statistical reconstruction in practical applications. Among the various iterative methods that have been studied for statistical reconstruction, iterative coordinate descent (ICD) has been found to have relatively low overall computational requirements due to its fast convergence. This paper presents a novel method for further speeding the convergence of the ICD algorithm, and therefore reducing the overall reconstruction time for statistical reconstruction. The method, which we call nonhomogeneous iterative coordinate descent (NH-ICD) uses spatially non-homogeneous updates to speed convergence by focusing computation where it is most needed. Experimental results with real data indicate that the method speeds reconstruction by roughly a factor of two for typical 3D multi-slice geometries.

Motion tolerant iterative reconstruction algorithm for cone-beam helical CT imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takahashi, Hisashi; Goto, Taiga; Hirokawa, Koichi; Miyazaki, Osamu [Hitachi Medical Corporation, Chiba-ken (Japan). CT System Div.

2011-07-01

We have developed a new advanced iterative reconstruction algorithm for cone-beam helical CT. The features of this algorithm are: (a) it uses separable paraboloidal surrogate (SPS) technique as a foundation for reconstruction to reduce noise and cone-beam artifact, (b) it uses a view weight in the back-projection process to reduce motion artifact. To confirm the improvement of our proposed algorithm over other existing algorithm, such as Feldkamp-Davis-Kress (FDK) or SPS algorithm, we compared the motion artifact reduction, image noise reduction (standard deviation of CT number), and cone-beam artifact reduction on simulated and clinical data set. Our results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm dramatically reduces motion artifacts compared with the SPS algorithm, and decreases image noise compared with the FDK algorithm. In addition, the proposed algorithm potentially improves time resolution of iterative reconstruction. (orig.)

Denoising multicriterion iterative reconstruction in emission spectral tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, Xiong; Yin, Aihan

2007-03-01

In the study of optical testing, the computed tomogaphy technique has been widely adopted to reconstruct three-dimensional distributions of physical parameters of various kinds of fluid fields, such as flame, plasma, etc. In most cases, projection data are often stained by noise due to environmental disturbance, instrumental inaccuracy, and other random interruptions. To improve the reconstruction performance in noisy cases, an algorithm that combines a self-adaptive prefiltering denoising approach (SPDA) with a multicriterion iterative reconstruction (MCIR) is proposed and studied. First, the level of noise is approximately estimated with a frequency domain statistical method. Then the cutoff frequency of a Butterworth low-pass filter was established based on the evaluated noise energy. After the SPDA processing, the MCIR algorithm was adopted for limited-view optical computed tomography reconstruction. Simulated reconstruction of two test phantoms and a flame emission spectral tomography experiment were employed to evaluate the performance of SPDA-MCIR in noisy cases. Comparison with some traditional methods and experiment results showed that the SPDA-MCIR combination had obvious improvement in the case of noisy data reconstructions.

Exact iterative reconstruction for the interior problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, Gengsheng L; Gullberg, Grant T

2009-01-01

There is a trend in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) that small and dedicated imaging systems are becoming popular. For example, many companies are developing small dedicated cardiac SPECT systems with different designs. These dedicated systems have a smaller field of view (FOV) than a full-size clinical system. Thus data truncation has become the norm rather than the exception in these systems. Therefore, it is important to develop region of interest (ROI) reconstruction algorithms using truncated data. This paper is a stepping stone toward this direction. This paper shows that the common generic iterative image reconstruction algorithms are able to exactly reconstruct the ROI under the conditions that the convex ROI is fully sampled and the image value in a sub-region within the ROI is known. If the ROI includes a sub-region that is outside the patient body, then the conditions can be easily satisfied.

Comparison of the image qualities of filtered back-projection, adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction, and model-based iterative reconstruction for CT venography at 80 kVp

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jin Hyeok; Choo, Ki Seok; Moon, Tae Yong; Lee, Jun Woo; Jeon, Ung Bae; Kim, Tae Un; Hwang, Jae Yeon; Yun, Myeong-Ja; Jeong, Dong Wook; Lim, Soo Jin

2016-01-01

To evaluate the subjective and objective qualities of computed tomography (CT) venography images at 80 kVp using model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) and to compare these with those of filtered back projection (FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) using the same CT data sets. Forty-four patients (mean age: 56.1 ± 18.1) who underwent 80 kVp CT venography (CTV) for the evaluation of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) during 4 months were enrolled in this retrospective study. The same raw data were reconstructed using FBP, ASIR, and MBIR. Objective and subjective image analysis were performed at the inferior vena cava (IVC), femoral vein, and popliteal vein. The mean CNR of MBIR was significantly greater than those of FBP and ASIR and images reconstructed using MBIR had significantly lower objective image noise (p <.001). Subjective image quality and confidence of detecting DVT by MBIR group were significantly greater than those of FBP and ASIR (p <.005), and MBIR had the lowest score for subjective image noise (p <.001). CTV at 80 kVp with MBIR was superior to FBP and ASIR regarding subjective and objective image qualities. (orig.)

Iterative reconstruction techniques for computed tomography Part 1: Technical principles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willemink, Martin J.; Jong, Pim A. de; Leiner, Tim; Nievelstein, Rutger A.J.; Schilham, Arnold M.R.; Heer, Linda M. de; Budde, Ricardo P.J.

2013-01-01

To explain the technical principles of and differences between commercially available iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms for computed tomography (CT) in non-mathematical terms for radiologists and clinicians. Technical details of the different proprietary IR techniques were distilled from available scientific articles and manufacturers' white papers and were verified by the manufacturers. Clinical results were obtained from a literature search spanning January 2006 to January 2012, including only original research papers concerning IR for CT. IR for CT iteratively reduces noise and artefacts in either image space or raw data, or both. Reported dose reductions ranged from 23 % to 76 % compared to locally used default filtered back-projection (FBP) settings, with similar noise, artefacts, subjective, and objective image quality. IR has the potential to allow reducing the radiation dose while preserving image quality. Disadvantages of IR include blotchy image appearance and longer computational time. Future studies need to address differences between IR algorithms for clinical low-dose CT. circle Iterative reconstruction technology for CT is presented in non-mathematical terms. (orig.)

A sparsity-regularized Born iterative method for reconstruction of two-dimensional piecewise continuous inhomogeneous domains

KAUST Repository

Sandhu, Ali Imran; Desmal, Abdulla; Bagci, Hakan

2016-01-01

A sparsity-regularized Born iterative method (BIM) is proposed for efficiently reconstructing two-dimensional piecewise-continuous inhomogeneous dielectric profiles. Such profiles are typically not spatially sparse, which reduces the efficiency of the sparsity-promoting regularization. To overcome this problem, scattered fields are represented in terms of the spatial derivative of the dielectric profile and reconstruction is carried out over samples of the dielectric profile's derivative. Then, like the conventional BIM, the nonlinear problem is iteratively converted into a sequence of linear problems (in derivative samples) and sparsity constraint is enforced on each linear problem using the thresholded Landweber iterations. Numerical results, which demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method in reconstructing piecewise-continuous dielectric profiles, are presented.

X-ray dose reduction in abdominal computed tomography using advanced iterative reconstruction algorithms.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peigang Ning

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: This work aims to explore the effects of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR algorithms in reducing computed tomography (CT radiation dosages in abdominal imaging. METHODS: CT scans on a standard male phantom were performed at different tube currents. Images at the different tube currents were reconstructed with the filtered back-projection (FBP, 50% ASiR and MBIR algorithms and compared. The CT value, image noise and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs of the reconstructed abdominal images were measured. Volumetric CT dose indexes (CTDIvol were recorded. RESULTS: At different tube currents, 50% ASiR and MBIR significantly reduced image noise and increased the CNR when compared with FBP. The minimal tube current values required by FBP, 50% ASiR, and MBIR to achieve acceptable image quality using this phantom were 200, 140, and 80 mA, respectively. At the identical image quality, 50% ASiR and MBIR reduced the radiation dose by 35.9% and 59.9% respectively when compared with FBP. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced iterative reconstruction techniques are able to reduce image noise and increase image CNRs. Compared with FBP, 50% ASiR and MBIR reduced radiation doses by 35.9% and 59.9%, respectively.

Engineering Design of ITER Prototype Fast Plant System Controller

Science.gov (United States)

Goncalves, B.; Sousa, J.; Carvalho, B.; Rodrigues, A. P.; Correia, M.; Batista, A.; Vega, J.; Ruiz, M.; Lopez, J. M.; Rojo, R. Castro; Wallander, A.; Utzel, N.; Neto, A.; Alves, D.; Valcarcel, D.

2011-08-01

The ITER control, data access and communication (CODAC) design team identified the need for two types of plant systems. A slow control plant system is based on industrial automation technology with maximum sampling rates below 100 Hz, and a fast control plant system is based on embedded technology with higher sampling rates and more stringent real-time requirements than that required for slow controllers. The latter is applicable to diagnostics and plant systems in closed-control loops whose cycle times are below 1 ms. Fast controllers will be dedicated industrial controllers with the ability to supervise other fast and/or slow controllers, interface to actuators and sensors and, if necessary, high performance networks. Two prototypes of a fast plant system controller specialized for data acquisition and constrained by ITER technological choices are being built using two different form factors. This prototyping activity contributes to the Plant Control Design Handbook effort of standardization, specifically regarding fast controller characteristics. Envisaging a general purpose fast controller design, diagnostic use cases with specific requirements were analyzed and will be presented along with the interface with CODAC and sensors. The requirements and constraints that real-time plasma control imposes on the design were also taken into consideration. Functional specifications and technology neutral architecture, together with its implications on the engineering design, were considered. The detailed engineering design compliant with ITER standards was performed and will be discussed in detail. Emphasis will be given to the integration of the controller in the standard CODAC environment. Requirements for the EPICS IOC providing the interface to the outside world, the prototype decisions on form factor, real-time operating system, and high-performance networks will also be discussed, as well as the requirements for data streaming to CODAC for visualization and

Evaluation of few-view reconstruction parameters for illicit substance detection using fast-neutron transmission spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fink, C.L.; Humm, P.G.; Martin, M.M.; Micklich, B.J.

1996-01-01

The authors have evaluated the performance of an illicit substance detection system that performs image reconstruction using the Maximum Likelihood algebraic reconstruction algorithm, a fe number of projections, and relatively coarse projection and pixel resolution. This evaluation was done using receiver operator curves and simulated data from the fast-neutron transmission spectroscopy system operated in a mode to detect explosives in luggage. The results show that increasing the number of projection angles is more important than increasing the projection resolution, the reconstructed pixel resolution, of the number of iterations in the Maximum Likelihood algorithm. A 100% detection efficiency with essentially no false positives is possible for a square block of RDX explosive, a projection resolution of 2 cm, a reconstructed pixel size of 2x2 cm, and five projection angles. For rectangular shaped explosives more angles are required to obtain the same system performance

ITER Fast Ion Collective Thomson Scattering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bindslev, Henrik; Meo, Fernando; Korsholm, Søren Bang

In this report we investigate the feasibility of diagnosing the fast ions in ITER by collective Thomson scattering (CTS), exploring and comparing the diagnostic potentials of CTS systems base on a range of different probe frequencies. In the first section we first recall the requirements for meas...... the diagnostic potentials uncovered in the preceding four sections. A number of more detailed discussions are placed in appendices along with supporting material....... for measurements of the confined fusion alpha particles in ITER set by the ITER team. Then we outline the considerations, which enter into the selection and evaluation of CTS systems. System definition includes choice of probe frequency, geometry of probe and receiver beam patterns and probe power, but ultimately...... covers many more details. Here we introduce terms and methods used in the more detailed system evaluations later in the report. In Sections 2 through 5 we consider four different types of CTS systems, which differ by the ranges in which their probe frequencies lie. In Section 6 we summarize and compare...

Iterative feature refinement for accurate undersampled MR image reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shanshan; Liu, Jianbo; Liu, Qiegen; Ying, Leslie; Liu, Xin; Zheng, Hairong; Liang, Dong

2016-05-01

Accelerating MR scan is of great significance for clinical, research and advanced applications, and one main effort to achieve this is the utilization of compressed sensing (CS) theory. Nevertheless, the existing CSMRI approaches still have limitations such as fine structure loss or high computational complexity. This paper proposes a novel iterative feature refinement (IFR) module for accurate MR image reconstruction from undersampled K-space data. Integrating IFR with CSMRI which is equipped with fixed transforms, we develop an IFR-CS method to restore meaningful structures and details that are originally discarded without introducing too much additional complexity. Specifically, the proposed IFR-CS is realized with three iterative steps, namely sparsity-promoting denoising, feature refinement and Tikhonov regularization. Experimental results on both simulated and in vivo MR datasets have shown that the proposed module has a strong capability to capture image details, and that IFR-CS is comparable and even superior to other state-of-the-art reconstruction approaches.

Iterative feature refinement for accurate undersampled MR image reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Shanshan; Liu, Jianbo; Liu, Xin; Zheng, Hairong; Liang, Dong; Liu, Qiegen; Ying, Leslie

2016-01-01

Accelerating MR scan is of great significance for clinical, research and advanced applications, and one main effort to achieve this is the utilization of compressed sensing (CS) theory. Nevertheless, the existing CSMRI approaches still have limitations such as fine structure loss or high computational complexity. This paper proposes a novel iterative feature refinement (IFR) module for accurate MR image reconstruction from undersampled K-space data. Integrating IFR with CSMRI which is equipped with fixed transforms, we develop an IFR-CS method to restore meaningful structures and details that are originally discarded without introducing too much additional complexity. Specifically, the proposed IFR-CS is realized with three iterative steps, namely sparsity-promoting denoising, feature refinement and Tikhonov regularization. Experimental results on both simulated and in vivo MR datasets have shown that the proposed module has a strong capability to capture image details, and that IFR-CS is comparable and even superior to other state-of-the-art reconstruction approaches. (paper)

Determination of quantitative tissue composition by iterative reconstruction on 3D DECT volumes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Magnusson, Maria [Linkoeping Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Electrical Engineering; Linkoeping Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Medical and Health Sciences, Radiation Physics; Linkoeping Univ. (Sweden). Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV); Malusek, Alexandr [Linkoeping Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Medical and Health Sciences, Radiation Physics; Linkoeping Univ. (Sweden). Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV); Nuclear Physics Institute AS CR, Prague (Czech Republic). Dept. of Radiation Dosimetry; Muhammad, Arif [Linkoeping Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Medical and Health Sciences, Radiation Physics; Carlsson, Gudrun Alm [Linkoeping Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Medical and Health Sciences, Radiation Physics; Linkoeping Univ. (Sweden). Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV)

2011-07-01

Quantitative tissue classification using dual-energy CT has the potential to improve accuracy in radiation therapy dose planning as it provides more information about material composition of scanned objects than the currently used methods based on single-energy CT. One problem that hinders successful application of both single- and dual-energy CT is the presence of beam hardening and scatter artifacts in reconstructed data. Current pre- and post-correction methods used for image reconstruction often bias CT attenuation values and thus limit their applicability for quantitative tissue classification. Here we demonstrate simulation studies with a novel iterative algorithm that decomposes every soft tissue voxel into three base materials: water, protein, and adipose. The results demonstrate that beam hardening artifacts can effectively be removed and accurate estimation of mass fractions of each base material can be achieved. Our iterative algorithm starts with calculating parallel projections on two previously reconstructed DECT volumes reconstructed from fan-beam or helical projections with small conebeam angle. The parallel projections are then used in an iterative loop. Future developments include segmentation of soft and bone tissue and subsequent determination of bone composition. (orig.)

Regularization iteration imaging algorithm for electrical capacitance tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Guowei; Liu, Shi; Chen, Hongyan; Wang, Xueyao

2018-03-01

The image reconstruction method plays a crucial role in real-world applications of the electrical capacitance tomography technique. In this study, a new cost function that simultaneously considers the sparsity and low-rank properties of the imaging targets is proposed to improve the quality of the reconstruction images, in which the image reconstruction task is converted into an optimization problem. Within the framework of the split Bregman algorithm, an iterative scheme that splits a complicated optimization problem into several simpler sub-tasks is developed to solve the proposed cost function efficiently, in which the fast-iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithm is introduced to accelerate the convergence. Numerical experiment results verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in improving the reconstruction precision and robustness.

Intra-patient comparison of reduced-dose model-based iterative reconstruction with standard-dose adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction in the CT diagnosis and follow-up of urolithiasis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tenant, Sean; Pang, Chun Lap; Dissanayake, Prageeth [Peninsula Radiology Academy, Plymouth (United Kingdom); Vardhanabhuti, Varut [Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Plymouth (United Kingdom); University of Hong Kong, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam (China); Stuckey, Colin; Gutteridge, Catherine [Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Plymouth (United Kingdom); Hyde, Christopher [University of Exeter Medical School, St Luke' s Campus, Exeter (United Kingdom); Roobottom, Carl [Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, Plymouth (United Kingdom); Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Plymouth (United Kingdom)

2017-10-15

To evaluate the accuracy of reduced-dose CT scans reconstructed using a new generation of model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) in the imaging of urinary tract stone disease, compared with a standard-dose CT using 30% adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction. This single-institution prospective study recruited 125 patients presenting either with acute renal colic or for follow-up of known urinary tract stones. They underwent two immediately consecutive scans, one at standard dose settings and one at the lowest dose (highest noise index) the scanner would allow. The reduced-dose scans were reconstructed using both ASIR 30% and MBIR algorithms and reviewed independently by two radiologists. Objective and subjective image quality measures as well as diagnostic data were obtained. The reduced-dose MBIR scan was 100% concordant with the reference standard for the assessment of ureteric stones. It was extremely accurate at identifying calculi of 3 mm and above. The algorithm allowed a dose reduction of 58% without any loss of scan quality. A reduced-dose CT scan using MBIR is accurate in acute imaging for renal colic symptoms and for urolithiasis follow-up and allows a significant reduction in dose. (orig.)

A sparsity-regularized Born iterative method for reconstruction of two-dimensional piecewise continuous inhomogeneous domains

KAUST Repository

Sandhu, Ali Imran

2016-04-10

A sparsity-regularized Born iterative method (BIM) is proposed for efficiently reconstructing two-dimensional piecewise-continuous inhomogeneous dielectric profiles. Such profiles are typically not spatially sparse, which reduces the efficiency of the sparsity-promoting regularization. To overcome this problem, scattered fields are represented in terms of the spatial derivative of the dielectric profile and reconstruction is carried out over samples of the dielectric profile\\'s derivative. Then, like the conventional BIM, the nonlinear problem is iteratively converted into a sequence of linear problems (in derivative samples) and sparsity constraint is enforced on each linear problem using the thresholded Landweber iterations. Numerical results, which demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method in reconstructing piecewise-continuous dielectric profiles, are presented.

Renal Cyst Pseudoenhancement: Intraindividual Comparison Between Virtual Monochromatic Spectral Images and Conventional Polychromatic 120-kVp Images Obtained During the Same CT Examination and Comparisons Among Images Reconstructed Using Filtered Back Projection, Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction, and Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Yamada, Yoshitake; Yamada, Minoru; Sugisawa, Koichi; Akita, Hirotaka; Shiomi, Eisuke; Abe, Takayuki; Okuda, Shigeo; Jinzaki, Masahiro

2015-01-01

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare renal cyst pseudoenhancement between virtual monochromatic spectral (VMS) and conventional polychromatic 120-kVp images obtained during the same abdominal computed tomography (CT) examination and among images reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR), and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR). Our institutional review board approved this prospective study; each participant provided written informed consent. Thirty-one patients (19 men, 12 women; age range, 59–85 years; mean age, 73.2 ± 5.5 years) with renal cysts underwent unenhanced 120-kVp CT followed by sequential fast kVp-switching dual-energy (80/140 kVp) and 120-kVp abdominal enhanced CT in the nephrographic phase over a 10-cm scan length with a random acquisition order and 4.5-second intervals. Fifty-one renal cysts (maximal diameter, 18.0 ± 14.7 mm [range, 4–61 mm]) were identified. The CT attenuation values of the cysts as well as of the kidneys were measured on the unenhanced images, enhanced VMS images (at 70 keV) reconstructed using FBP and ASIR from dual-energy data, and enhanced 120-kVp images reconstructed using FBP, ASIR, and MBIR. The results were analyzed using the mixed-effects model and paired t test with Bonferroni correction. The attenuation increases (pseudoenhancement) of the renal cysts on the VMS images reconstructed using FBP/ASIR (least square mean, 5.0/6.0 Hounsfield units [HU]; 95% confidence interval, 2.6–7.4/3.6–8.4 HU) were significantly lower than those on the conventional 120-kVp images reconstructed using FBP/ASIR/MBIR (least square mean, 12.1/12.8/11.8 HU; 95% confidence interval, 9.8–14.5/10.4–15.1/9.4–14.2 HU) (all P < .001); on the other hand, the CT attenuation values of the kidneys on the VMS images were comparable to those on the 120-kVp images. Regardless of the reconstruction algorithm, 70-keV VMS images showed

Information-theoretic discrepancy based iterative reconstructions (IDIR) for polychromatic x-ray tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, Kwang Eun; Lee, Jongha; Sung, Younghun; Lee, SeongDeok

2013-01-01

Purpose: X-ray photons generated from a typical x-ray source for clinical applications exhibit a broad range of wavelengths, and the interactions between individual particles and biological substances depend on particles' energy levels. Most existing reconstruction methods for transmission tomography, however, neglect this polychromatic nature of measurements and rely on the monochromatic approximation. In this study, we developed a new family of iterative methods that incorporates the exact polychromatic model into tomographic image recovery, which improves the accuracy and quality of reconstruction.Methods: The generalized information-theoretic discrepancy (GID) was employed as a new metric for quantifying the distance between the measured and synthetic data. By using special features of the GID, the objective function for polychromatic reconstruction which contains a double integral over the wavelength and the trajectory of incident x-rays was simplified to a paraboloidal form without using the monochromatic approximation. More specifically, the original GID was replaced with a surrogate function with two auxiliary, energy-dependent variables. Subsequently, the alternating minimization technique was applied to solve the double minimization problem. Based on the optimization transfer principle, the objective function was further simplified to the paraboloidal equation, which leads to a closed-form update formula. Numerical experiments on the beam-hardening correction and material-selective reconstruction were conducted to compare and assess the performance of conventional methods and the proposed algorithms.Results: The authors found that the GID determines the distance between its two arguments in a flexible manner. In this study, three groups of GIDs with distinct data representations were considered. The authors demonstrated that one type of GIDs that comprises “raw” data can be viewed as an extension of existing statistical reconstructions; under a

Fully iterative scatter corrected digital breast tomosynthesis using GPU-based fast Monte Carlo simulation and composition ratio update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Kyungsang; Ye, Jong Chul, E-mail: jong.ye@kaist.ac.kr [Bio Imaging and Signal Processing Laboratory, Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST 291, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Taewon; Cho, Seungryong [Medical Imaging and Radiotherapeutics Laboratory, Department of Nuclear and Quantum Engineering, KAIST 291, Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141 (Korea, Republic of); Seong, Younghun; Lee, Jongha; Jang, Kwang Eun [Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, Samsung Electronics, 130, Samsung-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 443-803 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Jaegu; Choi, Young Wook [Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI), 111, Hanggaul-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do, 426-170 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hak Hee; Shin, Hee Jung; Cha, Joo Hee [Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 88 Olympic-ro, 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 138-736 (Korea, Republic of)

2015-09-15

Purpose: In digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), scatter correction is highly desirable, as it improves image quality at low doses. Because the DBT detector panel is typically stationary during the source rotation, antiscatter grids are not generally compatible with DBT; thus, a software-based scatter correction is required. This work proposes a fully iterative scatter correction method that uses a novel fast Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) with a tissue-composition ratio estimation technique for DBT imaging. Methods: To apply MCS to scatter estimation, the material composition in each voxel should be known. To overcome the lack of prior accurate knowledge of tissue composition for DBT, a tissue-composition ratio is estimated based on the observation that the breast tissues are principally composed of adipose and glandular tissues. Using this approximation, the composition ratio can be estimated from the reconstructed attenuation coefficients, and the scatter distribution can then be estimated by MCS using the composition ratio. The scatter estimation and image reconstruction procedures can be performed iteratively until an acceptable accuracy is achieved. For practical use, (i) the authors have implemented a fast MCS using a graphics processing unit (GPU), (ii) the MCS is simplified to transport only x-rays in the energy range of 10–50 keV, modeling Rayleigh and Compton scattering and the photoelectric effect using the tissue-composition ratio of adipose and glandular tissues, and (iii) downsampling is used because the scatter distribution varies rather smoothly. Results: The authors have demonstrated that the proposed method can accurately estimate the scatter distribution, and that the contrast-to-noise ratio of the final reconstructed image is significantly improved. The authors validated the performance of the MCS by changing the tissue thickness, composition ratio, and x-ray energy. The authors confirmed that the tissue-composition ratio estimation was quite

The adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-V technique for radiation dose reduction in abdominal CT: comparison with the adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Heejin; Cho, Jinhan; Oh, Jongyeong; Kim, Dongwon; Cho, Junghyun; Kim, Sanghyun; Lee, Sangyun; Lee, Jihyun

2015-10-01

To investigate whether reduced radiation dose abdominal CT images reconstructed with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction V (ASIR-V) compromise the depiction of clinically competent features when compared with the currently used routine radiation dose CT images reconstructed with ASIR. 27 consecutive patients (mean body mass index: 23.55 kg m(-2) underwent CT of the abdomen at two time points. At the first time point, abdominal CT was scanned at 21.45 noise index levels of automatic current modulation at 120 kV. Images were reconstructed with 40% ASIR, the routine protocol of Dong-A University Hospital. At the second time point, follow-up scans were performed at 30 noise index levels. Images were reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP), 40% ASIR, 30% ASIR-V, 50% ASIR-V and 70% ASIR-V for the reduced radiation dose. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses of image quality were conducted. The CT dose index was also recorded. At the follow-up study, the mean dose reduction relative to the currently used common radiation dose was 35.37% (range: 19-49%). The overall subjective image quality and diagnostic acceptability of the 50% ASIR-V scores at the reduced radiation dose were nearly identical to those recorded when using the initial routine-dose CT with 40% ASIR. Subjective ratings of the qualitative analysis revealed that of all reduced radiation dose CT series reconstructed, 30% ASIR-V and 50% ASIR-V were associated with higher image quality with lower noise and artefacts as well as good sharpness when compared with 40% ASIR and FBP. However, the sharpness score at 70% ASIR-V was considered to be worse than that at 40% ASIR. Objective image noise for 50% ASIR-V was 34.24% and 46.34% which was lower than 40% ASIR and FBP. Abdominal CT images reconstructed with ASIR-V facilitate radiation dose reductions of to 35% when compared with the ASIR. This study represents the first clinical research experiment to use ASIR-V, the newest version of

Recent advances in iterative reconstruction for clinical SPECT/PET and CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutton, Brian F

2011-08-01

Statistical iterative reconstruction is now widely used in clinical practice and has contributed to significant improvement in image quality in recent years. Although primarily used for reconstruction in emission tomography (both single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET)) there is increasing interest in also applying similar algorithms to x-ray computed tomography (CT). There is increasing complexity in the factors that are included in the reconstruction, a demonstration of the versatility of the approach. Research continues with exploration of methods for further improving reconstruction quality with effective correction for various sources of artefact.

SU-D-12A-05: Iterative Reconstruction Techniques to Enable Intrinsic Respiratory Gated CT in Mice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, T; Sun, N; Tan, S [Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei (China); Liu, Y; Mistry, N [University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States)

2014-06-01

Purpose: Longitudinal studies of lung function in mice need the ability to image different phases of ventilation in free-breathing mice using retrospective gating. However, retrospective gating often produces under-sampled and uneven angular samples, resulting in severe reconstruction artifacts when using traditional FDK based reconstruction algorithms. We wanted to demonstrate the utility of iterative reconstruction method to enable intrinsic respiratory gating in small-animal CT. Methods: Free-breathing mice were imaged using a Siemens Inveon PET/micro-CT system. Evenly distributed projection images were acquired at 360 angles. Retrospective respiratory gating was performed using an intrinsic marker based on the average intensity in a region covering the diaphragm. Projections were classified into 4 and 6 phases (finer temporal resolution) resulting in 138 and 67 projections respectively. Reconstruction was carried out using 3 Methods: conventional FDK, iterative penalized least-square (PWLS) with total variation (TV), and PWLS with edge-preserving penalty. The performance of the methods was compared using contrast-to-noise (CNR) in a region of interest (ROI). Line profile through a specific region was plotted to evaluate the preserving of edges. Results: In both the cases with 4 and 6 phases, inadequate and non-uniform angular sampling results in artifacts using conventional FDK. However, such artifacts are minimized using both the iterative methods. Using both 4 and 6 phases, the iterative techniques outperformed FDK in terms of CNR and maintaining sharp edges. This is further evidenced especially with increased artifacts using FDK for 6 phases. Conclusion: This work indicates fewer artifacts and better image details can be achieved with iterative reconstruction methods in non-uniform under-sampled reconstruction. Using iterative methods can enable free-breathing intrinsic respiratory gating in small-animal CT. Further studies are needed to compare the

Edge plasma density reconstruction for fast monoenergetic lithium beam probing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, S.; Takamura, S.; Ueda, M.; Iguchi, H.; Fujita, J.; Kadota, K.

1993-01-01

Two different electron density reconstruction methods for 8-keV neutral lithium beam probing have been developed for the Compact Helical System (CHS). Density dependences on emission and ionization processes are included by using effective rate coefficients obtained from the collisional radiative model. Since the two methods differ in the way the local beam density in the plasma is determined, the methods have different applicable electron densities. The beam attenuation is calculated by iteration from the electron density profile in method I. In method II, the beam remainder at the observation point z is determined by integrating the Li I emission intensity from z toward the position of emission tail-off. At the emission tail-off, the fast lithium beam is completely attenuated. Selecting an appropriate method enables us to obtain edge electron density profile well inside the last closed flux surface for various ranges of plasma densities (10 12 --5x10 13 cm -3 ). The electron density profiles reconstructed by these two different methods are in good agreement with each other and are consistent with results from ruby laser Thomson scattering

Knowledge-based iterative model reconstruction: comparative image quality and radiation dose with a pediatric computed tomography phantom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryu, Young Jin; Choi, Young Hun; Cheon, Jung-Eun; Kim, Woo Sun; Kim, In-One; Ha, Seongmin

2016-01-01

CT of pediatric phantoms can provide useful guidance to the optimization of knowledge-based iterative reconstruction CT. To compare radiation dose and image quality of CT images obtained at different radiation doses reconstructed with knowledge-based iterative reconstruction, hybrid iterative reconstruction and filtered back-projection. We scanned a 5-year anthropomorphic phantom at seven levels of radiation. We then reconstructed CT data with knowledge-based iterative reconstruction (iterative model reconstruction [IMR] levels 1, 2 and 3; Philips Healthcare, Andover, MA), hybrid iterative reconstruction (iDose 4 , levels 3 and 7; Philips Healthcare, Andover, MA) and filtered back-projection. The noise, signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio were calculated. We evaluated low-contrast resolutions and detectability by low-contrast targets and subjective and objective spatial resolutions by the line pairs and wire. With radiation at 100 peak kVp and 100 mAs (3.64 mSv), the relative doses ranged from 5% (0.19 mSv) to 150% (5.46 mSv). Lower noise and higher signal-to-noise, contrast-to-noise and objective spatial resolution were generally achieved in ascending order of filtered back-projection, iDose 4 levels 3 and 7, and IMR levels 1, 2 and 3, at all radiation dose levels. Compared with filtered back-projection at 100% dose, similar noise levels were obtained on IMR level 2 images at 24% dose and iDose 4 level 3 images at 50% dose, respectively. Regarding low-contrast resolution, low-contrast detectability and objective spatial resolution, IMR level 2 images at 24% dose showed comparable image quality with filtered back-projection at 100% dose. Subjective spatial resolution was not greatly affected by reconstruction algorithm. Reduced-dose IMR obtained at 0.92 mSv (24%) showed similar image quality to routine-dose filtered back-projection obtained at 3.64 mSv (100%), and half-dose iDose 4 obtained at 1.81 mSv. (orig.)

Knowledge-based iterative model reconstruction: comparative image quality and radiation dose with a pediatric computed tomography phantom.

Science.gov (United States)

Ryu, Young Jin; Choi, Young Hun; Cheon, Jung-Eun; Ha, Seongmin; Kim, Woo Sun; Kim, In-One

2016-03-01

CT of pediatric phantoms can provide useful guidance to the optimization of knowledge-based iterative reconstruction CT. To compare radiation dose and image quality of CT images obtained at different radiation doses reconstructed with knowledge-based iterative reconstruction, hybrid iterative reconstruction and filtered back-projection. We scanned a 5-year anthropomorphic phantom at seven levels of radiation. We then reconstructed CT data with knowledge-based iterative reconstruction (iterative model reconstruction [IMR] levels 1, 2 and 3; Philips Healthcare, Andover, MA), hybrid iterative reconstruction (iDose(4), levels 3 and 7; Philips Healthcare, Andover, MA) and filtered back-projection. The noise, signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio were calculated. We evaluated low-contrast resolutions and detectability by low-contrast targets and subjective and objective spatial resolutions by the line pairs and wire. With radiation at 100 peak kVp and 100 mAs (3.64 mSv), the relative doses ranged from 5% (0.19 mSv) to 150% (5.46 mSv). Lower noise and higher signal-to-noise, contrast-to-noise and objective spatial resolution were generally achieved in ascending order of filtered back-projection, iDose(4) levels 3 and 7, and IMR levels 1, 2 and 3, at all radiation dose levels. Compared with filtered back-projection at 100% dose, similar noise levels were obtained on IMR level 2 images at 24% dose and iDose(4) level 3 images at 50% dose, respectively. Regarding low-contrast resolution, low-contrast detectability and objective spatial resolution, IMR level 2 images at 24% dose showed comparable image quality with filtered back-projection at 100% dose. Subjective spatial resolution was not greatly affected by reconstruction algorithm. Reduced-dose IMR obtained at 0.92 mSv (24%) showed similar image quality to routine-dose filtered back-projection obtained at 3.64 mSv (100%), and half-dose iDose(4) obtained at 1.81 mSv.

Convergence of iterative image reconstruction algorithms for Digital Breast Tomosynthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sidky, Emil; Jørgensen, Jakob Heide; Pan, Xiaochuan

2012-01-01

Most iterative image reconstruction algorithms are based on some form of optimization, such as minimization of a data-fidelity term plus an image regularizing penalty term. While achieving the solution of these optimization problems may not directly be clinically relevant, accurate optimization s...

High-performance blob-based iterative three-dimensional reconstruction in electron tomography using multi-GPUs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wan Xiaohua

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Three-dimensional (3D reconstruction in electron tomography (ET has emerged as a leading technique to elucidate the molecular structures of complex biological specimens. Blob-based iterative methods are advantageous reconstruction methods for 3D reconstruction in ET, but demand huge computational costs. Multiple graphic processing units (multi-GPUs offer an affordable platform to meet these demands. However, a synchronous communication scheme between multi-GPUs leads to idle GPU time, and a weighted matrix involved in iterative methods cannot be loaded into GPUs especially for large images due to the limited available memory of GPUs. Results In this paper we propose a multilevel parallel strategy combined with an asynchronous communication scheme and a blob-ELLR data structure to efficiently perform blob-based iterative reconstructions on multi-GPUs. The asynchronous communication scheme is used to minimize the idle GPU time so as to asynchronously overlap communications with computations. The blob-ELLR data structure only needs nearly 1/16 of the storage space in comparison with ELLPACK-R (ELLR data structure and yields significant acceleration. Conclusions Experimental results indicate that the multilevel parallel scheme combined with the asynchronous communication scheme and the blob-ELLR data structure allows efficient implementations of 3D reconstruction in ET on multi-GPUs.

Conceptual design of the ITER fast-ion loss detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Munoz, M.; Ayllon-Guerola, J.; Galdon, J.; Garcia Lopez, J.; Gonzalez-Martin, J.; Jimenez-Ramos, M. C.; Rodriguez-Ramos, M.; Rivero-Rodriguez, J. F.; Sanchis-Sanchez, L.; Kocan, M.; Bertalot, L.; Bonnet, Y.; Casal, N.; Giacomin, T.; Pinches, S. D.; Reichle, R.; Vayakis, G.; Veshchev, E.; Vorpahl, Ch.; Walsh, M.

2016-01-01

A conceptual design of a reciprocating fast-ion loss detector for ITER has been developed and is presented here. Fast-ion orbit simulations in a 3D magnetic equilibrium and up-to-date first wall have been carried out to revise the measurement requirements for the lost alpha monitor in ITER. In agreement with recent observations, the simulations presented here suggest that a pitch-angle resolution of ∼5° might be necessary to identify the loss mechanisms. Synthetic measurements including realistic lost alpha-particle as well as neutron and gamma fluxes predict scintillator signal-to-noise levels measurable with standard light acquisition systems with the detector aperture at ∼11 cm outside of the diagnostic first wall. At measurement position, heat load on detector head is comparable to that in present devices.

Conceptual design of the ITER fast-ion loss detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Garcia-Munoz, M., E-mail: mgm@us.es; Ayllon-Guerola, J.; Galdon, J.; Garcia Lopez, J.; Gonzalez-Martin, J.; Jimenez-Ramos, M. C.; Rodriguez-Ramos, M.; Rivero-Rodriguez, J. F.; Sanchis-Sanchez, L. [Department of Atomic, Molecular and Nuclear Physics, University of Seville, 41012 Seville (Spain); CNA (Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC-J. Andalucía), Seville (Spain); Kocan, M.; Bertalot, L.; Bonnet, Y.; Casal, N.; Giacomin, T.; Pinches, S. D.; Reichle, R.; Vayakis, G.; Veshchev, E.; Vorpahl, Ch.; Walsh, M. [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon-sur-Verdon, CS 90 046, 13067 Saint Paul-lez-Durance Cedex (France); and others

2016-11-15

A conceptual design of a reciprocating fast-ion loss detector for ITER has been developed and is presented here. Fast-ion orbit simulations in a 3D magnetic equilibrium and up-to-date first wall have been carried out to revise the measurement requirements for the lost alpha monitor in ITER. In agreement with recent observations, the simulations presented here suggest that a pitch-angle resolution of ∼5° might be necessary to identify the loss mechanisms. Synthetic measurements including realistic lost alpha-particle as well as neutron and gamma fluxes predict scintillator signal-to-noise levels measurable with standard light acquisition systems with the detector aperture at ∼11 cm outside of the diagnostic first wall. At measurement position, heat load on detector head is comparable to that in present devices.

Acceleration of iterative tomographic reconstruction using graphics processors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belzunce, M.A.; Osorio, A.; Verrastro, C.A.

2009-01-01

Using iterative algorithms for image reconstruction in 3 D Positron Emission Tomography has shown to produce images with better quality than analytical methods. How ever, these algorithms are computationally expensive. New Graphic Processor Units (GPU) provides high performance at low cost and also programming tools that make possible to execute parallel algorithms easily in scientific applications. In this work, we try to achieve an acceleration of image reconstruction algorithms in 3 D PET by using a GPU. A parallel implementation of the algorithm ML-EM 3 D was developed using Siddon algorithm as Projector and Back-projector. Results show that accelerations of more than one order of magnitude can be achieved, keeping similar image quality. (author)

Iterative reconstruction or filtered backprojection for semi-quantitative assessment of dopamine D2 receptor SPECT studies?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koch, Walter; Suessmair, Christine; Tatsch, Klaus; Poepperl, Gabriele

2011-01-01

In routine clinical practice striatal dopamine D 2 receptor binding is generally assessed using data reconstructed by filtered backprojection (FBP). The aim of this study was to investigate the use of an iterative reconstruction algorithm (ordered subset expectation maximization, OSEM) and to assess whether it may provide comparable or even better results than those obtained by standard FBP. In 56 patients with parkinsonian syndromes, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans were acquired 2 h after i.v. application of 185 MBq [ 123 I]iodobenzamide (IBZM) using a triple-head gamma camera (Siemens MS 3). The scans were reconstructed both by FBP and OSEM (3 iterations, 8 subsets) and filtered using a Butterworth filter. After attenuation correction the studies were automatically fitted to a mean template with a corresponding 3-D volume of interest (VOI) map covering striatum (S), caudate (C), putamen (P) and several reference VOIs using BRASS software. Visual assessment of the fitted studies suggests a better separation between C and P in studies reconstructed by OSEM than FBP. Unspecific background activity appears more homogeneous after iterative reconstruction. The correlation shows a good accordance of dopamine receptor binding using FBP and OSEM (intra-class correlation coefficients S: 0.87; C: 0.88; P: 0.84). Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analyses show comparable diagnostic power of OSEM and FBP in the differentiation between idiopathic parkinsonian syndrome (IPS) and non-IPS. Iterative reconstruction of IBZM SPECT studies for assessment of the D 2 receptors is feasible in routine clinical practice. Close correlations between FBP and OSEM data suggest that iteratively reconstructed IBZM studies allow reliable quantification of dopamine receptor binding even though a gain in diagnostic power could not be demonstrated. (orig.)

Iterative reconstruction technique with reduced volume CT dose index: diagnostic accuracy in pediatric acute appendicitis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Didier, Ryne A.; Vajtai, Petra L.; Hopkins, Katharine L.

2015-01-01

Iterative reconstruction technique has been proposed as a means of reducing patient radiation dose in pediatric CT. Yet, the effect of such reductions on diagnostic accuracy has not been thoroughly evaluated. This study compares accuracy of diagnosing pediatric acute appendicitis using contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic CT scans performed with traditional pediatric weight-based protocols and filtered back projection reconstruction vs. a filtered back projection/iterative reconstruction technique blend with reduced volume CT dose index (CTDI vol ). Results of pediatric contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic CT scans done for pain and/or suspected appendicitis were reviewed in two groups: A, 192 scans performed with the hospital's established weight-based CT protocols and filtered back projection reconstruction; B, 194 scans performed with iterative reconstruction technique and reduced CTDI vol . Reduced CTDI vol was achieved primarily by reductions in effective tube current-time product (mAs eff ) and tube peak kilovoltage (kVp). CT interpretation was correlated with clinical follow-up and/or surgical pathology. CTDI vol , size-specific dose estimates (SSDE) and performance characteristics of the two CT techniques were then compared. Between groups A and B, mean CTDI vol was reduced by 45%, and mean SSDE was reduced by 46%. Sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy were 96%, 97% and 96% in group A vs. 100%, 99% and 99% in group B. Accuracy in diagnosing pediatric acute appendicitis was maintained in contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic CT scans that incorporated iterative reconstruction technique, despite reductions in mean CTDI vol and SSDE by nearly half as compared to the hospital's traditional weight-based protocols. (orig.)

CT imaging of congenital lung lesions: effect of iterative reconstruction on diagnostic performance and radiation dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haggerty, Jay E.; Smith, Ethan A.; Dillman, Jonathan R.; Kunisaki, Shaun M.

2015-01-01

Different iterative reconstruction techniques are available for use in pediatric computed tomography (CT), but these techniques have not been systematically evaluated in infants. To determine the effect of iterative reconstruction on diagnostic performance, image quality and radiation dose in infants undergoing CT evaluation for congenital lung lesions. A retrospective review of contrast-enhanced chest CT in infants (<1 year) with congenital lung lesions was performed. CT examinations were reviewed to document the type of lung lesion, vascular anatomy, image noise measurements and image reconstruction method. CTDI vol was used to calculate size-specific dose estimates (SSDE). CT findings were correlated with intraoperative and histopathological findings. Analysis of variance and the Student's t-test were used to compare image noise measurements and radiation dose estimates between groups. Fifteen CT examinations used filtered back projection (FBP; mean age: 84 days), 15 used adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR; mean age: 93 days), and 11 used model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR; mean age: 98 days). Compared to operative findings, 13/15 (87%), 14/15 (93%) and 11/11 (100%) lesions were correctly characterized using FBP, ASiR and MBIR, respectively. Arterial anatomy was correctly identified in 12/15 (80%) using FBP, 13/15 (87%) using ASiR and 11/11 (100%) using MBIR. Image noise was less for MBIR vs. ASiR (P < 0.0001). Mean SSDE was different among groups (P = 0.003; FBP = 7.35 mGy, ASiR = 1.89 mGy, MBIR = 1.49 mGy). Congenital lung lesions can be adequately characterized in infants using iterative CT reconstruction techniques while maintaining image quality and lowering radiation dose. (orig.)

CT imaging of congenital lung lesions: effect of iterative reconstruction on diagnostic performance and radiation dose

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haggerty, Jay E.; Smith, Ethan A.; Dillman, Jonathan R. [University of Michigan Health System, Section of Pediatric Radiology, Department of Radiology, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Kunisaki, Shaun M. [University of Michigan Health System, Section of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2015-07-15

Different iterative reconstruction techniques are available for use in pediatric computed tomography (CT), but these techniques have not been systematically evaluated in infants. To determine the effect of iterative reconstruction on diagnostic performance, image quality and radiation dose in infants undergoing CT evaluation for congenital lung lesions. A retrospective review of contrast-enhanced chest CT in infants (<1 year) with congenital lung lesions was performed. CT examinations were reviewed to document the type of lung lesion, vascular anatomy, image noise measurements and image reconstruction method. CTDI{sub vol} was used to calculate size-specific dose estimates (SSDE). CT findings were correlated with intraoperative and histopathological findings. Analysis of variance and the Student's t-test were used to compare image noise measurements and radiation dose estimates between groups. Fifteen CT examinations used filtered back projection (FBP; mean age: 84 days), 15 used adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR; mean age: 93 days), and 11 used model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR; mean age: 98 days). Compared to operative findings, 13/15 (87%), 14/15 (93%) and 11/11 (100%) lesions were correctly characterized using FBP, ASiR and MBIR, respectively. Arterial anatomy was correctly identified in 12/15 (80%) using FBP, 13/15 (87%) using ASiR and 11/11 (100%) using MBIR. Image noise was less for MBIR vs. ASiR (P < 0.0001). Mean SSDE was different among groups (P = 0.003; FBP = 7.35 mGy, ASiR = 1.89 mGy, MBIR = 1.49 mGy). Congenital lung lesions can be adequately characterized in infants using iterative CT reconstruction techniques while maintaining image quality and lowering radiation dose. (orig.)

Space-Varying Iterative Restoration of Diffuse Optical Tomograms Reconstructed by the Photon Average Trajectories Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kravtsenyuk Olga V

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The possibility of improving the spatial resolution of diffuse optical tomograms reconstructed by the photon average trajectories (PAT method is substantiated. The PAT method recently presented by us is based on a concept of an average statistical trajectory for transfer of light energy, the photon average trajectory (PAT. The inverse problem of diffuse optical tomography is reduced to a solution of an integral equation with integration along a conditional PAT. As a result, the conventional algorithms of projection computed tomography can be used for fast reconstruction of diffuse optical images. The shortcoming of the PAT method is that it reconstructs the images blurred due to averaging over spatial distributions of photons which form the signal measured by the receiver. To improve the resolution, we apply a spatially variant blur model based on an interpolation of the spatially invariant point spread functions simulated for the different small subregions of the image domain. Two iterative algorithms for solving a system of linear algebraic equations, the conjugate gradient algorithm for least squares problem and the modified residual norm steepest descent algorithm, are used for deblurring. It is shown that a gain in spatial resolution can be obtained.

Space-Varying Iterative Restoration of Diffuse Optical Tomograms Reconstructed by the Photon Average Trajectories Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir V. Lyubimov

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The possibility of improving the spatial resolution of diffuse optical tomograms reconstructed by the photon average trajectories (PAT method is substantiated. The PAT method recently presented by us is based on a concept of an average statistical trajectory for transfer of light energy, the photon average trajectory (PAT. The inverse problem of diffuse optical tomography is reduced to a solution of an integral equation with integration along a conditional PAT. As a result, the conventional algorithms of projection computed tomography can be used for fast reconstruction of diffuse optical images. The shortcoming of the PAT method is that it reconstructs the images blurred due to averaging over spatial distributions of photons which form the signal measured by the receiver. To improve the resolution, we apply a spatially variant blur model based on an interpolation of the spatially invariant point spread functions simulated for the different small subregions of the image domain. Two iterative algorithms for solving a system of linear algebraic equations, the conjugate gradient algorithm for least squares problem and the modified residual norm steepest descent algorithm, are used for deblurring. It is shown that a 27% gain in spatial resolution can be obtained.

A fast 4D cone beam CT reconstruction method based on the OSC-TV algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Mascolo-Fortin, Julia; Matenine, Dmitri; Archambault, Louis; Després, Philippe

2018-01-01

Four-dimensional cone beam computed tomography allows for temporally resolved imaging with useful applications in radiotherapy, but raises particular challenges in terms of image quality and computation time. The purpose of this work is to develop a fast and accurate 4D algorithm by adapting a GPU-accelerated ordered subsets convex algorithm (OSC), combined with the total variation minimization regularization technique (TV). Different initialization schemes were studied to adapt the OSC-TV algorithm to 4D reconstruction: each respiratory phase was initialized either with a 3D reconstruction or a blank image. Reconstruction algorithms were tested on a dynamic numerical phantom and on a clinical dataset. 4D iterations were implemented for a cluster of 8 GPUs. All developed methods allowed for an adequate visualization of the respiratory movement and compared favorably to the McKinnon-Bates and adaptive steepest descent projection onto convex sets algorithms, while the 4D reconstructions initialized from a prior 3D reconstruction led to better overall image quality. The most suitable adaptation of OSC-TV to 4D CBCT was found to be a combination of a prior FDK reconstruction and a 4D OSC-TV reconstruction with a reconstruction time of 4.5 minutes. This relatively short reconstruction time could facilitate a clinical use.

Isotope and fast ions turbulence suppression effects: Consequences for high-β ITER plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, J.; Görler, T.; Jenko, F.

2018-05-01

The impact of isotope effects and fast ions on microturbulence is analyzed by means of non-linear gyrokinetic simulations for an ITER hybrid scenario at high beta obtained from previous integrated modelling simulations with simplified assumptions. Simulations show that ITER might work very close to threshold, and in these conditions, significant turbulence suppression is found from DD to DT plasmas. Electromagnetic effects are shown to play an important role in the onset of this isotope effect. Additionally, even external ExB flow shear, which is expected to be low in ITER, has a stronger impact on DT than on DD. The fast ions generated by fusion reactions can additionally reduce turbulence even more although the impact in ITER seems weaker than in present-day tokamaks.

Parallel CT image reconstruction based on GPUs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flores, Liubov A.; Vidal, Vicent; Mayo, Patricia; Rodenas, Francisco; Verdú, Gumersindo

2014-01-01

In X-ray computed tomography (CT) iterative methods are more suitable for the reconstruction of images with high contrast and precision in noisy conditions from a small number of projections. However, in practice, these methods are not widely used due to the high computational cost of their implementation. Nowadays technology provides the possibility to reduce effectively this drawback. It is the goal of this work to develop a fast GPU-based algorithm to reconstruct high quality images from under sampled and noisy projection data. - Highlights: • We developed GPU-based iterative algorithm to reconstruct images. • Iterative algorithms are capable to reconstruct images from under sampled set of projections. • The computer cost of the implementation of the developed algorithm is low. • The efficiency of the algorithm increases for the large scale problems

Coronary CT angiography: Comparison of a novel iterative reconstruction with filtered back projection for reconstruction of low-dose CT—Initial experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takx, Richard A.P.; Schoepf, U. Joseph; Moscariello, Antonio; Das, Marco; Rowe, Garrett; Schoenberg, Stefan O.; Fink, Christian; Henzler, Thomas

2013-01-01

Objective: To prospectively compare subjective and objective image quality in 20% tube current coronary CT angiography (cCTA) datasets between an iterative reconstruction algorithm (SAFIRE) and traditional filtered back projection (FBP). Materials and methods: Twenty patients underwent a prospectively ECG-triggered dual-step cCTA protocol using 2nd generation dual-source CT (DSCT). CT raw data was reconstructed using standard FBP at full-dose (Group 1 a) and 80% tube current reduced low-dose (Group 1 b). The low-dose raw data was additionally reconstructed using iterative raw data reconstruction (Group 2 ). Attenuation and image noise were measured in three regions of interest and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) as well as contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) was calculated. Subjective diagnostic image quality was evaluated using a 4-point Likert scale. Results: Mean image noise of group 2 was lowered by 22% on average when compared to group 1 b (p 2 compared to group 1 b (p 2 (1.88 ± 0.63) was also rated significantly higher when compared to group 1 b (1.58 ± 0.63, p = 0.004). Conclusions: Image quality of 80% tube current reduced iteratively reconstructed cCTA raw data is significantly improved when compared to standard FBP and consequently may improve the diagnostic accuracy of cCTA

Born iterative reconstruction using perturbed-phase field estimates.

Science.gov (United States)

Astheimer, Jeffrey P; Waag, Robert C

2008-10-01

A method of image reconstruction from scattering measurements for use in ultrasonic imaging is presented. The method employs distorted-wave Born iteration but does not require using a forward-problem solver or solving large systems of equations. These calculations are avoided by limiting intermediate estimates of medium variations to smooth functions in which the propagated fields can be approximated by phase perturbations derived from variations in a geometric path along rays. The reconstruction itself is formed by a modification of the filtered-backpropagation formula that includes correction terms to account for propagation through an estimated background. Numerical studies that validate the method for parameter ranges of interest in medical applications are presented. The efficiency of this method offers the possibility of real-time imaging from scattering measurements.

Iterative reconstruction technique with reduced volume CT dose index: diagnostic accuracy in pediatric acute appendicitis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Didier, Ryne A. [Oregon Health and Science University, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, DC7R, Portland, OR (United States); Vajtai, Petra L. [Oregon Health and Science University, Department of Pediatrics, Portland, OR (United States); Oregon Health and Science University, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, DC7R, Portland, OR (United States); Hopkins, Katharine L. [Oregon Health and Science University, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, DC7R, Portland, OR (United States); Oregon Health and Science University, Department of Pediatrics, Portland, OR (United States)

2014-07-05

Iterative reconstruction technique has been proposed as a means of reducing patient radiation dose in pediatric CT. Yet, the effect of such reductions on diagnostic accuracy has not been thoroughly evaluated. This study compares accuracy of diagnosing pediatric acute appendicitis using contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic CT scans performed with traditional pediatric weight-based protocols and filtered back projection reconstruction vs. a filtered back projection/iterative reconstruction technique blend with reduced volume CT dose index (CTDI{sub vol}). Results of pediatric contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic CT scans done for pain and/or suspected appendicitis were reviewed in two groups: A, 192 scans performed with the hospital's established weight-based CT protocols and filtered back projection reconstruction; B, 194 scans performed with iterative reconstruction technique and reduced CTDI{sub vol}. Reduced CTDI{sub vol} was achieved primarily by reductions in effective tube current-time product (mAs{sub eff}) and tube peak kilovoltage (kVp). CT interpretation was correlated with clinical follow-up and/or surgical pathology. CTDI{sub vol}, size-specific dose estimates (SSDE) and performance characteristics of the two CT techniques were then compared. Between groups A and B, mean CTDI{sub vol} was reduced by 45%, and mean SSDE was reduced by 46%. Sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy were 96%, 97% and 96% in group A vs. 100%, 99% and 99% in group B. Accuracy in diagnosing pediatric acute appendicitis was maintained in contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic CT scans that incorporated iterative reconstruction technique, despite reductions in mean CTDI{sub vol} and SSDE by nearly half as compared to the hospital's traditional weight-based protocols. (orig.)

An iterative hyperelastic parameters reconstruction for breast cancer assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Mehrabian, Hatef; Samani, Abbas

2008-03-01

In breast elastography, breast tissues usually undergo large compressions resulting in significant geometric and structural changes, and consequently nonlinear mechanical behavior. In this study, an elastography technique is presented where parameters characterizing tissue nonlinear behavior is reconstructed. Such parameters can be used for tumor tissue classification. To model the nonlinear behavior, tissues are treated as hyperelastic materials. The proposed technique uses a constrained iterative inversion method to reconstruct the tissue hyperelastic parameters. The reconstruction technique uses a nonlinear finite element (FE) model for solving the forward problem. In this research, we applied Yeoh and Polynomial models to model the tissue hyperelasticity. To mimic the breast geometry, we used a computational phantom, which comprises of a hemisphere connected to a cylinder. This phantom consists of two types of soft tissue to mimic adipose and fibroglandular tissues and a tumor. Simulation results show the feasibility of the proposed method in reconstructing the hyperelastic parameters of the tumor tissue.

A study of reconstruction artifacts in cone beam tomography using filtered backprojection and iterative EM algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, G.L.; Gullberg, G.T.

1990-01-01

Reconstruction artifacts in cone beam tomography are studied for filtered backprojection (Feldkamp) and iterative EM algorithms. The filtered backprojection algorithm uses a voxel-driven, interpolated backprojection to reconstruct the cone beam data; whereas, the iterative EM algorithm performs ray-driven projection and backprojection operations for each iteration. Two weight in schemes for the projection and backprojection operations in the EM algorithm are studied. One weights each voxel by the length of the ray through the voxel and the other equates the value of a voxel to the functional value of the midpoint of the line intersecting the voxel, which is obtained by interpolating between eight neighboring voxels. Cone beam reconstruction artifacts such as rings, bright vertical extremities, and slice-to slice cross talk are not found with parallel beam and fan beam geometries

3D algebraic iterative reconstruction for cone-beam x-ray differential phase-contrast computed tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Jian; Hu, Xinhua; Velroyen, Astrid; Bech, Martin; Jiang, Ming; Pfeiffer, Franz

2015-01-01

Due to the potential of compact imaging systems with magnified spatial resolution and contrast, cone-beam x-ray differential phase-contrast computed tomography (DPC-CT) has attracted significant interest. The current proposed FDK reconstruction algorithm with the Hilbert imaginary filter will induce severe cone-beam artifacts when the cone-beam angle becomes large. In this paper, we propose an algebraic iterative reconstruction (AIR) method for cone-beam DPC-CT and report its experiment results. This approach considers the reconstruction process as the optimization of a discrete representation of the object function to satisfy a system of equations that describes the cone-beam DPC-CT imaging modality. Unlike the conventional iterative algorithms for absorption-based CT, it involves the derivative operation to the forward projections of the reconstructed intermediate image to take into account the differential nature of the DPC projections. This method is based on the algebraic reconstruction technique, reconstructs the image ray by ray, and is expected to provide better derivative estimates in iterations. This work comprises a numerical study of the algorithm and its experimental verification using a dataset measured with a three-grating interferometer and a mini-focus x-ray tube source. It is shown that the proposed method can reduce the cone-beam artifacts and performs better than FDK under large cone-beam angles. This algorithm is of interest for future cone-beam DPC-CT applications.

Influence of iterative reconstruction on coronary calcium scores at multiple heart rates: a multivendor phantom study on state-of-the-art CT systems.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Werf, N R; Willemink, M J; Willems, T P; Greuter, M J W; Leiner, T

2017-12-28

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of iterative reconstruction on coronary calcium scores (CCS) at different heart rates for four state-of-the-art CT systems. Within an anthropomorphic chest phantom, artificial coronary arteries were translated in a water-filled compartment. The arteries contained three different calcifications with low (38 mg), medium (80 mg) and high (157 mg) mass. Linear velocities were applied, corresponding to heart rates of 0,  75 bpm. Data were acquired on four state-of-the-art CT systems (CT1-CT4) with routinely used CCS protocols. Filtered back projection (FBP) and three increasing levels of iterative reconstruction (L1-L3) were used for reconstruction. CCS were quantified as Agatston score and mass score. An iterative reconstruction susceptibility (IRS) index was used to assess susceptibility of Agatston score (IRS AS ) and mass score (IRS MS ) to iterative reconstruction. IRS values were compared between CT systems and between calcification masses. For each heart rate, differences in CCS of iterative reconstructed images were evaluated with CCS of FBP images as reference, and indicated as small ( 10%). Statistical analysis was performed with repeated measures ANOVA tests. While subtle differences were found for Agatston scores of low mass calcification, medium and high mass calcifications showed increased CCS up to 77% with increasing heart rates. IRS AS of CT1-T4 were 17, 41, 130 and 22% higher than IRS MS . Not only were IRS significantly different between all CT systems, but also between calcification masses. Up to a fourfold increase in IRS was found for the low mass calcification in comparison with the high mass calcification. With increasing iterative reconstruction strength, maximum decreases of 21 and 13% for Agatston and mass score were found. In total, 21 large differences between Agatston scores from FBP and iterative reconstruction were found, while only five large differences were found between

TH-E-17A-02: High-Pitch and Sparse-View Helical 4D CT Via Iterative Image Reconstruction Method Based On Tensor Framelet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, M; Nam, H; Li, R; Xing, L; Gao, H

2014-01-01

Purpose: 4D CT is routinely performed during radiation therapy treatment planning of thoracic and abdominal cancers. Compared with the cine mode, the helical mode is advantageous in temporal resolution. However, a low pitch (∼0.1) for 4D CT imaging is often required instead of the standard pitch (∼1) for static imaging, since standard image reconstruction based on analytic method requires the low-pitch scanning in order to satisfy the data sufficient condition when reconstructing each temporal frame individually. In comparison, the flexible iterative method enables the reconstruction of all temporal frames simultaneously, so that the image similarity among frames can be utilized to possibly perform high-pitch and sparse-view helical 4D CT imaging. The purpose of this work is to investigate such an exciting possibility for faster imaging with lower dose. Methods: A key for highpitch and sparse-view helical 4D CT imaging is the simultaneous reconstruction of all temporal frames using the prior that temporal frames are continuous along the temporal direction. In this work, such a prior is regularized through the sparsity transform based on spatiotemporal tensor framelet (TF) as a multilevel and high-order extension of total variation transform. Moreover, GPU-based fast parallel computing of X-ray transform and its adjoint together with split Bregman method is utilized for solving the 4D image reconstruction problem efficiently and accurately. Results: The simulation studies based on 4D NCAT phantoms were performed with various pitches (i.e., 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1) and sparse views (i.e., 400 views per rotation instead of standard >2000 views per rotation), using 3D iterative individual reconstruction method based on 3D TF and 4D iterative simultaneous reconstruction method based on 4D TF respectively. Conclusion: The proposed TF-based simultaneous 4D image reconstruction method enables high-pitch and sparse-view helical 4D CT with lower dose and faster speed

Projector and Backprojector for Iterative CT Reconstruction with Blobs using CUDA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bippus, R.D.; Koehler, T.; Bergner, F.; Brendel, B.; Hansis, E.; Proksa, R.

2011-01-01

Aiming at modeling the system’s geometry correctly accounting for the major effects influencing image quality within an iterative reconstruction framework we want to achieve this within reasonable processing times. This principle objective led us to using blobs for imagerepresentation and a

A faster ordered-subset convex algorithm for iterative reconstruction in a rotation-free micro-CT system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quan, E; Lalush, D S

2009-01-01

We present a faster iterative reconstruction algorithm based on the ordered-subset convex (OSC) algorithm for transmission CT. The OSC algorithm was modified such that it calculates the normalization term before the iterative process in order to save computational cost. The modified version requires only one backprojection per iteration as compared to two required for the original OSC. We applied the modified OSC (MOSC) algorithm to a rotation-free micro-CT system that we proposed previously, observed its performance, and compared with the OSC algorithm for 3D cone-beam reconstruction. Measurements on the reconstructed images as well as the point spread functions show that MOSC is quite similar to OSC; in noise-resolution trade-off, MOSC is comparable with OSC in a regular-noise situation and it is slightly worse than OSC in an extremely high-noise situation. The timing record shows that MOSC saves 25-30% CPU time, depending on the number of iterations used. We conclude that the MOSC algorithm is more efficient than OSC and provides comparable images.

Evaluation of iterative algorithms for tomography image reconstruction: A study using a third generation industrial tomography system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Velo, Alexandre F.; Carvalho, Diego V.; Alvarez, Alexandre G.; Hamada, Margarida M.; Mesquita, Carlos H., E-mail: afvelo@usp.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2017-07-01

The greatest impact of the tomography technology currently occurs in medicine. The success is due to the human body presents standardized dimensions with well-established composition. These conditions are not found in industrial objects. In industry, there is much interest in using the tomography in order to know the inner of (1) the manufactured industrial objects or (2) the machines and their means of production. In these cases, the purpose of the tomography is to (a) control the quality of the final product and (b) to optimize production, contributing to the pilot phase of the projects and analyzing the quality of the means of production. This scan system is a non-destructive, efficient and fast method for providing sectional images of industrial objects and is able to show the dynamic processes and the dispersion of the materials structures within these objects. In this context, it is important that the reconstructed image presents a great spatial resolution with a satisfactory temporal resolution. Thus the algorithm to reconstruct the images has to meet these requirements. This work consists in the analysis of three different iterative algorithm methods, such Maximum Likelihood Estimation Method (MLEM), Maximum Likelihood Transmitted Method (MLTR) and Simultaneous Iterative Reconstruction Method (SIRT. The analysis consists on measurement of the contrast to noise ratio (CNR), the root mean square error (RMSE) and the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), to know which algorithm fits better the conditions in order to optimize system. The algorithms and the image quality analysis were performed by the Matlab® 2013b. (author)

Evaluation of iterative algorithms for tomography image reconstruction: A study using a third generation industrial tomography system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Velo, Alexandre F.; Carvalho, Diego V.; Alvarez, Alexandre G.; Hamada, Margarida M.; Mesquita, Carlos H.

2017-01-01

The greatest impact of the tomography technology currently occurs in medicine. The success is due to the human body presents standardized dimensions with well-established composition. These conditions are not found in industrial objects. In industry, there is much interest in using the tomography in order to know the inner of (1) the manufactured industrial objects or (2) the machines and their means of production. In these cases, the purpose of the tomography is to (a) control the quality of the final product and (b) to optimize production, contributing to the pilot phase of the projects and analyzing the quality of the means of production. This scan system is a non-destructive, efficient and fast method for providing sectional images of industrial objects and is able to show the dynamic processes and the dispersion of the materials structures within these objects. In this context, it is important that the reconstructed image presents a great spatial resolution with a satisfactory temporal resolution. Thus the algorithm to reconstruct the images has to meet these requirements. This work consists in the analysis of three different iterative algorithm methods, such Maximum Likelihood Estimation Method (MLEM), Maximum Likelihood Transmitted Method (MLTR) and Simultaneous Iterative Reconstruction Method (SIRT. The analysis consists on measurement of the contrast to noise ratio (CNR), the root mean square error (RMSE) and the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), to know which algorithm fits better the conditions in order to optimize system. The algorithms and the image quality analysis were performed by the Matlab® 2013b. (author)

Experimental results and validation of a method to reconstruct forces on the ITER test blanket modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeile, Christian; Maione, Ivan A.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • An in operation force measurement system for the ITER EU HCPB TBM has been developed. • The force reconstruction methods are based on strain measurements on the attachment system. • An experimental setup and a corresponding mock-up have been built. • A set of test cases representing ITER relevant excitations has been used for validation. • The influence of modeling errors on the force reconstruction has been investigated. - Abstract: In order to reconstruct forces on the test blanket modules in ITER, two force reconstruction methods, the augmented Kalman filter and a model predictive controller, have been selected and developed to estimate the forces based on strain measurements on the attachment system. A dedicated experimental setup with a corresponding mock-up has been designed and built to validate these methods. A set of test cases has been defined to represent possible excitation of the system. It has been shown that the errors in the estimated forces mainly depend on the accuracy of the identified model used by the algorithms. Furthermore, it has been found that a minimum of 10 strain gauges is necessary to allow for a low error in the reconstructed forces.

Iterative reconstruction methods for Thermo-acoustic Tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marinesque, Sebastien

2012-01-01

We define, study and implement various iterative reconstruction methods for Thermo-acoustic Tomography (TAT): the Back and Forth Nudging (BFN), easy to implement and to use, a variational technique (VT) and the Back and Forth SEEK (BF-SEEK), more sophisticated, and a coupling method between Kalman filter (KF) and Time Reversal (TR). A unified formulation is explained for the sequential techniques aforementioned that defines a new class of inverse problem methods: the Back and Forth Filters (BFF). In addition to existence and uniqueness (particularly for backward solutions), we study many frameworks that ensure and characterize the convergence of the algorithms. Thus we give a general theoretical framework for which the BFN is a well-posed problem. Then, in application to TAT, existence and uniqueness of its solutions and geometrical convergence of the algorithm are proved, and an explicit convergence rate and a description of its numerical behaviour are given. Next, theoretical and numerical studies of more general and realistic framework are led, namely different objects, speeds (with or without trapping), various sensor configurations and samplings, attenuated equations or external sources. Then optimal control and best estimate tools are used to characterize the BFN convergence and converging feedbacks for BFF, under observability assumptions. Finally, we compare the most flexible and efficient current techniques (TR and an iterative variant) with our various BFF and the VT in several experiments. Thus, robust, with different possible complexities and flexible, the methods that we propose are very interesting reconstruction techniques, particularly in TAT and when observations are degraded. (author) [fr

Fast GPU-based Monte Carlo code for SPECT/CT reconstructions generates improved 177Lu images.

Science.gov (United States)

Rydén, T; Heydorn Lagerlöf, J; Hemmingsson, J; Marin, I; Svensson, J; Båth, M; Gjertsson, P; Bernhardt, P

2018-01-04

Full Monte Carlo (MC)-based SPECT reconstructions have a strong potential for correcting for image degrading factors, but the reconstruction times are long. The objective of this study was to develop a highly parallel Monte Carlo code for fast, ordered subset expectation maximum (OSEM) reconstructions of SPECT/CT images. The MC code was written in the Compute Unified Device Architecture language for a computer with four graphics processing units (GPUs) (GeForce GTX Titan X, Nvidia, USA). This enabled simulations of parallel photon emissions from the voxels matrix (128 3 or 256 3 ). Each computed tomography (CT) number was converted to attenuation coefficients for photo absorption, coherent scattering, and incoherent scattering. For photon scattering, the deflection angle was determined by the differential scattering cross sections. An angular response function was developed and used to model the accepted angles for photon interaction with the crystal, and a detector scattering kernel was used for modeling the photon scattering in the detector. Predefined energy and spatial resolution kernels for the crystal were used. The MC code was implemented in the OSEM reconstruction of clinical and phantom 177 Lu SPECT/CT images. The Jaszczak image quality phantom was used to evaluate the performance of the MC reconstruction in comparison with attenuated corrected (AC) OSEM reconstructions and attenuated corrected OSEM reconstructions with resolution recovery corrections (RRC). The performance of the MC code was 3200 million photons/s. The required number of photons emitted per voxel to obtain a sufficiently low noise level in the simulated image was 200 for a 128 3 voxel matrix. With this number of emitted photons/voxel, the MC-based OSEM reconstruction with ten subsets was performed within 20 s/iteration. The images converged after around six iterations. Therefore, the reconstruction time was around 3 min. The activity recovery for the spheres in the Jaszczak phantom was

The optimal monochromatic spectral computed tomographic imaging plus adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm can improve the superior mesenteric vessel image quality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yin, Xiao-Ping; Zuo, Zi-Wei; Xu, Ying-Jin; Wang, Jia-Ning [CT/MRI room, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei, 071000 (China); Liu, Huai-Jun, E-mail: hebeiliu@outlook.com [Department of Medical Imaging, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000 (China); Liang, Guang-Lu [CT/MRI room, Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University, Baoding, Hebei, 071000 (China); Gao, Bu-Lang, E-mail: browngao@163.com [Department of Medical Research, Shijiazhuang First Hospital, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050011 (China)

2017-04-15

Objective: To investigate the effect of the optimal monochromatic spectral computed tomography (CT) plus adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction on the improvement of the image quality of the superior mesenteric artery and vein. Materials and methods: The gemstone spectral CT angiographic data of 25 patients were reconstructed in the following three groups: 70 KeV, the optimal monochromatic imaging, and the optimal monochromatic plus 40%iterative reconstruction mode. The CT value, image noises (IN), background CT value and noises, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and image scores of the vessels and surrounding tissues were analyzed. Results: In the 70 KeV, the optimal monochromatic and the optimal monochromatic images plus 40% iterative reconstruction group, the mean scores of image quality were 3.86, 4.24 and 4.25 for the superior mesenteric artery and 3.46, 3.78 and 3.81 for the superior mesenteric vein, respectively. The image quality scores for the optimal monochromatic and the optimal monochromatic plus 40% iterative reconstruction groups were significantly greater than for the 70 KeV group (P < 0.05). The vascular CT value, image noise, background noise, CNR and SNR were significantly (P < 0.001) greater in the optimal monochromatic and the optimal monochromatic images plus 40% iterative reconstruction group than in the 70 KeV group. The optimal monochromatic plus 40% iterative reconstruction group had significantly (P < 0.05) lower image and background noise but higher CNR and SNR than the other two groups. Conclusion: The optimal monochromatic imaging combined with 40% iterative reconstruction using low-contrast agent dosage and low injection rate can significantly improve the image quality of the superior mesenteric artery and vein.

An ART iterative reconstruction algorithm for computed tomography of diffraction enhanced imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zhentian; Zhang Li; Huang Zhifeng; Kang Kejun; Chen Zhiqiang; Fang Qiaoguang; Zhu Peiping

2009-01-01

X-ray diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI) has extremely high sensitivity for weakly absorbing low-Z samples in medical and biological fields. In this paper, we propose an Algebra Reconstruction Technique (ART) iterative reconstruction algorithm for computed tomography of diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI-CT). An Ordered Subsets (OS) technique is used to accelerate the ART reconstruction. Few-view reconstruction is also studied, and a partial differential equation (PDE) type filter which has the ability of edge-preserving and denoising is used to improve the image quality and eliminate the artifacts. The proposed algorithm is validated with both the numerical simulations and the experiment at the Beijing synchrotron radiation facility (BSRF). (authors)

Comparison of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiRTM) and model-based iterative reconstruction (VeoTM) for paediatric abdominal CT examinations: an observer performance study of diagnostic image quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hultenmo, Maria; Caisander, Haakan; Mack, Karsten; Thilander-Klang, Anne

2016-01-01

The diagnostic image quality of 75 paediatric abdominal computed tomography (CT) examinations reconstructed with two different iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms-adaptive statistical IR (ASiR TM ) and model-based IR (Veo TM )-was compared. Axial and coronal images were reconstructed with 70 % ASiR with the Soft TM convolution kernel and with the Veo algorithm. The thickness of the reconstructed images was 2.5 or 5 mm depending on the scanning protocol used. Four radiologists graded the delineation of six abdominal structures and the diagnostic usefulness of the image quality. The Veo reconstruction significantly improved the visibility of most of the structures compared with ASiR in all subgroups of images. For coronal images, the Veo reconstruction resulted in significantly improved ratings of the diagnostic use of the image quality compared with the ASiR reconstruction. This was not seen for the axial images. The greatest improvement using Veo reconstruction was observed for the 2.5 mm coronal slices. (authors)

Application of iterative reconstruction in dynamic studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meikle, S.R.

1998-01-01

Full text: The conventional approach to analysing dynamic tomographic data (SPECT or PET) is to reconstruct projections corresponding to each time interval separately and then fit a suitable tracer kinetic model to the dynamic sequence (method 1 ) . This approach assumes that the tracer distribution remains static during any given time interval and, for practical reasons, filtered back-projection (FBP) is the preferred reconstruction algorithm. However, alternative approaches exist which lend themselves to iterative algorithms, such as EM. One approach is to fit the model directly to the projection data, followed by EM reconstruction of the parameter estimates (method 2). This requires that the tracer model can be expressed as a linear function of the unknown model parameters. A third alternative is to incorporate the tracer model into the reconstruction algorithm (method 3). Such an extension was described during the early development of the EM algorithm, referred to as the EM parametric image reconstruction algorithm (EM-PIRA). We have investigated these various strategies for analysing dynamic data and their relative pros and cons. Tracer modelling was performed using a general model, referred to as spectral analysis, which makes no restriction on the number of physiological compartments and satisfies the linearity requirement of method 2. A kinetic software phantom was created and used to test the convergence and noise properties of the different approaches. In summary, method 2 is the most practical as it reduces the number of reconstructions by at least an order of magnitude and provides improved signal-to-noise ratios compared with method 1. EM-PIRA allows greater flexibility in the choice of parametric images and appears to have a regularising effect on convergence. Methods 2 and 3 are also better suited to dynamic scanning with a rotating camera, as they can potentially account for changes in tracer distribution between projections

Fast generating Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state via iterative interaction pictures

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Bi-Hua; Chen, Ye-Hong; Wu, Qi-Cheng; Song, Jie; Xia, Yan

2016-10-01

We delve a little deeper into the construction of shortcuts to adiabatic passage for three-level systems by iterative interaction picture (multiple Schrödinger dynamics). As an application example, we use the deduced iterative based shortcuts to rapidly generate the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state in a three-atom system with the help of quantum Zeno dynamics. Numerical simulation shows the dynamics designed by the iterative picture method is physically feasible and the shortcut scheme performs much better than that using the conventional adiabatic passage techniques. Also, the influences of various decoherence processes are discussed by numerical simulation and the results prove that the scheme is fast and robust against decoherence and operational imperfection.

Quantitative analysis of emphysema and airway measurements according to iterative reconstruction algorithms: comparison of filtered back projection, adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction and model-based iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choo, Ji Yung; Goo, Jin Mo; Park, Chang Min; Park, Sang Joon; Lee, Chang Hyun; Shim, Mi-Suk

2014-01-01

To evaluate filtered back projection (FBP) and two iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms and their effects on the quantitative analysis of lung parenchyma and airway measurements on computed tomography (CT) images. Low-dose chest CT obtained in 281 adult patients were reconstructed using three algorithms: FBP, adaptive statistical IR (ASIR) and model-based IR (MBIR). Measurements of each dataset were compared: total lung volume, emphysema index (EI), airway measurements of the lumen and wall area as well as average wall thickness. Accuracy of airway measurements of each algorithm was also evaluated using an airway phantom. EI using a threshold of -950 HU was significantly different among the three algorithms in decreasing order of FBP (2.30 %), ASIR (1.49 %) and MBIR (1.20 %) (P < 0.01). Wall thickness was also significantly different among the three algorithms with FBP (2.09 mm) demonstrating thicker walls than ASIR (2.00 mm) and MBIR (1.88 mm) (P < 0.01). Airway phantom analysis revealed that MBIR showed the most accurate value for airway measurements. The three algorithms presented different EIs and wall thicknesses, decreasing in the order of FBP, ASIR and MBIR. Thus, care should be taken in selecting the appropriate IR algorithm on quantitative analysis of the lung. (orig.)

Quantitative analysis of emphysema and airway measurements according to iterative reconstruction algorithms: comparison of filtered back projection, adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction and model-based iterative reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choo, Ji Yung [Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Korea University Ansan Hospital, Ansan-si, Department of Radiology, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Goo, Jin Mo; Park, Chang Min; Park, Sang Joon [Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University, Cancer Research Institute, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Chang Hyun; Shim, Mi-Suk [Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2014-04-15

To evaluate filtered back projection (FBP) and two iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms and their effects on the quantitative analysis of lung parenchyma and airway measurements on computed tomography (CT) images. Low-dose chest CT obtained in 281 adult patients were reconstructed using three algorithms: FBP, adaptive statistical IR (ASIR) and model-based IR (MBIR). Measurements of each dataset were compared: total lung volume, emphysema index (EI), airway measurements of the lumen and wall area as well as average wall thickness. Accuracy of airway measurements of each algorithm was also evaluated using an airway phantom. EI using a threshold of -950 HU was significantly different among the three algorithms in decreasing order of FBP (2.30 %), ASIR (1.49 %) and MBIR (1.20 %) (P < 0.01). Wall thickness was also significantly different among the three algorithms with FBP (2.09 mm) demonstrating thicker walls than ASIR (2.00 mm) and MBIR (1.88 mm) (P < 0.01). Airway phantom analysis revealed that MBIR showed the most accurate value for airway measurements. The three algorithms presented different EIs and wall thicknesses, decreasing in the order of FBP, ASIR and MBIR. Thus, care should be taken in selecting the appropriate IR algorithm on quantitative analysis of the lung. (orig.)

Cardiovascular CT angiography in neonates and children : Image quality and potential for radiation dose reduction with iterative image reconstruction techniques

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tricarico, Francesco; Hlavacek, Anthony M.; Schoepf, U. Joseph; Ebersberger, Ullrich; Nance, John W.; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn; Cho, Young Jun; Spears, J. Reid; Secchi, Francesco; Savino, Giancarlo; Marano, Riccardo; Schoenberg, Stefan O.; Bonomo, Lorenzo; Apfaltrer, Paul

To evaluate image quality (IQ) of low-radiation-dose paediatric cardiovascular CT angiography (CTA), comparing iterative reconstruction in image space (IRIS) and sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) with filtered back-projection (FBP) and estimate the potential for further dose

Application of a dual-resolution voxelization scheme to compressed-sensing (CS)-based iterative reconstruction in digital tomosynthesis (DTS)

Science.gov (United States)

Park, S. Y.; Kim, G. A.; Cho, H. S.; Park, C. K.; Lee, D. Y.; Lim, H. W.; Lee, H. W.; Kim, K. S.; Kang, S. Y.; Park, J. E.; Kim, W. S.; Jeon, D. H.; Je, U. K.; Woo, T. H.; Oh, J. E.

2018-02-01

In recent digital tomosynthesis (DTS), iterative reconstruction methods are often used owing to the potential to provide multiplanar images of superior image quality to conventional filtered-backprojection (FBP)-based methods. However, they require enormous computational cost in the iterative process, which has still been an obstacle to put them to practical use. In this work, we propose a new DTS reconstruction method incorporated with a dual-resolution voxelization scheme in attempt to overcome these difficulties, in which the voxels outside a small region-of-interest (ROI) containing target diagnosis are binned by 2 × 2 × 2 while the voxels inside the ROI remain unbinned. We considered a compressed-sensing (CS)-based iterative algorithm with a dual-constraint strategy for more accurate DTS reconstruction. We implemented the proposed algorithm and performed a systematic simulation and experiment to demonstrate its viability. Our results indicate that the proposed method seems to be effective for reducing computational cost considerably in iterative DTS reconstruction, keeping the image quality inside the ROI not much degraded. A binning size of 2 × 2 × 2 required only about 31.9% computational memory and about 2.6% reconstruction time, compared to those for no binning case. The reconstruction quality was evaluated in terms of the root-mean-square error (RMSE), the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and the universal-quality index (UQI).

Computer-assisted solid lung nodule 3D volumetry on CT. Influence of scan mode and iterative reconstruction. A CT phantom study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coenen, Adriaan; Honda, Osamu; Tomiyama, Noriyuki; Jagt, Eric J. van der

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of high-resolution scan mode and iterative reconstruction on lung nodule 3D volumetry. Solid nodules with various sizes (5, 8, 10 and 12 mm) were placed inside a chest phantom. CT images were obtained with various tube currents, scan modes (conventional mode, high-resolution mode) and iterative reconstructions [0, 50 and 100% blending of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) and filtered back projection]. The nodule volumes were calculated using semiautomatic software and compared with the assumed volume from the nodules. The mean absolute and relative percentage error improved when using iterative reconstruction especially when using the conventional scan mode; however, this effect was not significant. Significant reduction in volume overestimation was observed when using high-resolution scan mode (P=0.011). The high-resolution mode significantly reduces the volume overestimation of 3D volumetry. Iterative reconstruction shows a reduction in volume overestimation and error margin especially with the conventional scan mode; however, this effect was not significant. (author)

X-ray phase laminography with a grating interferometer using iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harasse, Sébastien; Yashiro, Wataru; Momose, Atsushi

2012-01-01

X-ray phase computed laminography is performed using a Talbot interferometer and synchrotron radiation. An iterative reconstruction algorithm which includes prior information about limited support, range of values and sparsity of the imaged object has been developped. It allows the reconstruction of objects with an improved resolution of the unsampled frequencies, compared to the classical filtered backprojection. The imaging method, demonstrated for a nylon mesh sample and a leaf sample, shows promising results for the imaging of flat, laterally extended objects made of low absorbing elements.

Computed tomography imaging with the Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction (ASIR) algorithm: dependence of image quality on the blending level of reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Barca, Patrizio; Giannelli, Marco; Fantacci, Maria Evelina; Caramella, Davide

2018-06-01

Computed tomography (CT) is a useful and widely employed imaging technique, which represents the largest source of population exposure to ionizing radiation in industrialized countries. Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction (ASIR) is an iterative reconstruction algorithm with the potential to allow reduction of radiation exposure while preserving diagnostic information. The aim of this phantom study was to assess the performance of ASIR, in terms of a number of image quality indices, when different reconstruction blending levels are employed. CT images of the Catphan-504 phantom were reconstructed using conventional filtered back-projection (FBP) and ASIR with reconstruction blending levels of 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%. Noise, noise power spectrum (NPS), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and modulation transfer function (MTF) were estimated for different scanning parameters and contrast objects. Noise decreased and CNR increased non-linearly up to 50 and 100%, respectively, with increasing blending level of reconstruction. Also, ASIR has proven to modify the NPS curve shape. The MTF of ASIR reconstructed images depended on tube load/contrast and decreased with increasing blending level of reconstruction. In particular, for low radiation exposure and low contrast acquisitions, ASIR showed lower performance than FBP, in terms of spatial resolution for all blending levels of reconstruction. CT image quality varies substantially with the blending level of reconstruction. ASIR has the potential to reduce noise whilst maintaining diagnostic information in low radiation exposure CT imaging. Given the opposite variation of CNR and spatial resolution with the blending level of reconstruction, it is recommended to use an optimal value of this parameter for each specific clinical application.

Image quality of CT angiography in young children with congenital heart disease: a comparison between the sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) and advanced modelled iterative reconstruction (ADMIRE) algorithms.

Science.gov (United States)

Nam, S B; Jeong, D W; Choo, K S; Nam, K J; Hwang, J-Y; Lee, J W; Kim, J Y; Lim, S J

2017-12-01

To compare the image quality of computed tomography angiography (CTA) reconstructed by sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) with that of advanced modelled iterative reconstruction (ADMIRE) in children with congenital heart disease (CHD). Thirty-one children (8.23±13.92 months) with CHD who underwent CTA were enrolled. Images were reconstructed using SAFIRE (strength 5) and ADMIRE (strength 5). Objective image qualities (attenuation, noise) were measured in the great vessels and heart chambers. Two radiologists independently calculated the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) by measuring the intensity and noise of the myocardial walls. Subjective noise, diagnostic confidence, and sharpness at the level prior to the first branch of the main pulmonary artery were also graded by the two radiologists independently. The objective image noise of ADMIRE was significantly lower than that of SAFIRE in the right atrium, right ventricle, and myocardial wall (p0.05). The mean CNR values were 21.56±10.80 for ADMIRE and 18.21±6.98 for SAFIRE, which were significantly different (p0.05). CTA using ADMIRE was superior to SAFIRE when comparing the objective and subjective image quality in children with CHD. Copyright © 2017 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reconstruction of a cone-beam CT image via forward iterative projection matching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brock, R. Scott; Docef, Alen; Murphy, Martin J.

2010-01-01

Purpose: To demonstrate the feasibility of reconstructing a cone-beam CT (CBCT) image by deformably altering a prior fan-beam CT (FBCT) image such that it matches the anatomy portrayed in the CBCT projection data set. Methods: A prior FBCT image of the patient is assumed to be available as a source image. A CBCT projection data set is obtained and used as a target image set. A parametrized deformation model is applied to the source FBCT image, digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) that emulate the CBCT projection image geometry are calculated and compared to the target CBCT projection data, and the deformation model parameters are adjusted iteratively until the DRRs optimally match the CBCT projection data set. The resulting deformed FBCT image is hypothesized to be an accurate representation of the patient's anatomy imaged by the CBCT system. The process is demonstrated via numerical simulation. A known deformation is applied to a prior FBCT image and used to create a synthetic set of CBCT target projections. The iterative projection matching process is then applied to reconstruct the deformation represented in the synthetic target projections; the reconstructed deformation is then compared to the known deformation. The sensitivity of the process to the number of projections and the DRR/CBCT projection mismatch is explored by systematically adding noise to and perturbing the contrast of the target projections relative to the iterated source DRRs and by reducing the number of projections. Results: When there is no noise or contrast mismatch in the CBCT projection images, a set of 64 projections allows the known deformed CT image to be reconstructed to within a nRMS error of 1% and the known deformation to within a nRMS error of 7%. A CT image nRMS error of less than 4% is maintained at noise levels up to 3% of the mean projection intensity, at which the deformation error is 13%. At 1% noise level, the number of projections can be reduced to 8 while maintaining

Fast iterative censoring CFAR algorithm for ship detection from SAR images

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Dandan; Yue, Hui; Zhang, Yuan; Gao, Pengcheng

2017-11-01

Ship detection is one of the essential techniques for ship recognition from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. This paper presents a fast iterative detection procedure to eliminate the influence of target returns on the estimation of local sea clutter distributions for constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detectors. A fast block detector is first employed to extract potential target sub-images; and then, an iterative censoring CFAR algorithm is used to detect ship candidates from each target blocks adaptively and efficiently, where parallel detection is available, and statistical parameters of G0 distribution fitting local sea clutter well can be quickly estimated based on an integral image operator. Experimental results of TerraSAR-X images demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.

High resolution reconstruction of PET images using the iterative OSEM algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doll, J.; Bublitz, O.; Werling, A.; Haberkorn, U.; Semmler, W.; Adam, L.E.; Pennsylvania Univ., Philadelphia, PA; Brix, G.

2004-01-01

Aim: Improvement of the spatial resolution in positron emission tomography (PET) by incorporation of the image-forming characteristics of the scanner into the process of iterative image reconstruction. Methods: All measurements were performed at the whole-body PET system ECAT EXACT HR + in 3D mode. The acquired 3D sinograms were sorted into 2D sinograms by means of the Fourier rebinning (FORE) algorithm, which allows the usage of 2D algorithms for image reconstruction. The scanner characteristics were described by a spatially variant line-spread function (LSF), which was determined from activated copper-64 line sources. This information was used to model the physical degradation processes in PET measurements during the course of 2D image reconstruction with the iterative OSEM algorithm. To assess the performance of the high-resolution OSEM algorithm, phantom measurements performed at a cylinder phantom, the hotspot Jaszczack phantom, and the 3D Hoffmann brain phantom as well as different patient examinations were analyzed. Results: Scanner characteristics could be described by a Gaussian-shaped LSF with a full-width at half-maximum increasing from 4.8 mm at the center to 5.5 mm at a radial distance of 10.5 cm. Incorporation of the LSF into the iteration formula resulted in a markedly improved resolution of 3.0 and 3.5 mm, respectively. The evaluation of phantom and patient studies showed that the high-resolution OSEM algorithm not only lead to a better contrast resolution in the reconstructed activity distributions but also to an improved accuracy in the quantification of activity concentrations in small structures without leading to an amplification of image noise or even the occurrence of image artifacts. Conclusion: The spatial and contrast resolution of PET scans can markedly be improved by the presented image restauration algorithm, which is of special interest for the examination of both patients with brain disorders and small animals. (orig.)

An attenuated projector-backprojector for iterative SPECT reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gullberg, G.T.; Pelc, N.J.; Huesman, R.H.; Budinger, T.F.; Malko, J.A.

1985-01-01

A new ray-driven projector-backprojector which can easily be adapted for hardware implementation is described and simulated in software. The projector-backprojector discretely models the attenuated Radon transform of a source distributed within an attenuating medium as line integrals of discrete pixels, obtained using the standard sampling technique of averaging the emission source or attenuation distribution over small square regions. Attenuation factors are calculated for each pixel during the projection and backprojection operations instead of using precalculated values. The calculation of the factors requires a specification of the attenuation distribution, estimated either from an assumed constant distribution and an approximate body outline or from transmission measurements. The distribution of attenuation coefficients is stored in memory for efficient access during the projection and backprojection operations. The reconstruction of the source distribution is obtained by using a conjugate gradient or SIRT type iterative algorithm which requires one projection and one backprojection operation for each iteration. (author)

Coronary artery plaques: Cardiac CT with model-based and adaptive-statistical iterative reconstruction technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheffel, Hans; Stolzmann, Paul; Schlett, Christopher L.; Engel, Leif-Christopher; Major, Gyöngi Petra; Károlyi, Mihály; Do, Synho; Maurovich-Horvat, Pál; Hoffmann, Udo

2012-01-01

Objectives: To compare image quality of coronary artery plaque visualization at CT angiography with images reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR), and model based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) techniques. Methods: The coronary arteries of three ex vivo human hearts were imaged by CT and reconstructed with FBP, ASIR and MBIR. Coronary cross-sectional images were co-registered between the different reconstruction techniques and assessed for qualitative and quantitative image quality parameters. Readers were blinded to the reconstruction algorithm. Results: A total of 375 triplets of coronary cross-sectional images were co-registered. Using MBIR, 26% of the images were rated as having excellent overall image quality, which was significantly better as compared to ASIR and FBP (4% and 13%, respectively, all p < 0.001). Qualitative assessment of image noise demonstrated a noise reduction by using ASIR as compared to FBP (p < 0.01) and further noise reduction by using MBIR (p < 0.001). The contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) using MBIR was better as compared to ASIR and FBP (44 ± 19, 29 ± 15, 26 ± 9, respectively; all p < 0.001). Conclusions: Using MBIR improved image quality, reduced image noise and increased CNR as compared to the other available reconstruction techniques. This may further improve the visualization of coronary artery plaque and allow radiation reduction.

Statistical iterative reconstruction to improve image quality for digital breast tomosynthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Shiyu; Chen, Ying; Lu, Jianping; Zhou, Otto

2015-01-01

Purpose: Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is a novel modality with the potential to improve early detection of breast cancer by providing three-dimensional (3D) imaging with a low radiation dose. 3D image reconstruction presents some challenges: cone-beam and flat-panel geometry, and highly incomplete sampling. A promising means to overcome these challenges is statistical iterative reconstruction (IR), since it provides the flexibility of accurate physics modeling and a general description of system geometry. The authors’ goal was to develop techniques for applying statistical IR to tomosynthesis imaging data. Methods: These techniques include the following: a physics model with a local voxel-pair based prior with flexible parameters to fine-tune image quality; a precomputed parameter λ in the prior, to remove data dependence and to achieve a uniform resolution property; an effective ray-driven technique to compute the forward and backprojection; and an oversampled, ray-driven method to perform high resolution reconstruction with a practical region-of-interest technique. To assess the performance of these techniques, the authors acquired phantom data on the stationary DBT prototype system. To solve the estimation problem, the authors proposed an optimization-transfer based algorithm framework that potentially allows fewer iterations to achieve an acceptably converged reconstruction. Results: IR improved the detectability of low-contrast and small microcalcifications, reduced cross-plane artifacts, improved spatial resolution, and lowered noise in reconstructed images. Conclusions: Although the computational load remains a significant challenge for practical development, the superior image quality provided by statistical IR, combined with advancing computational techniques, may bring benefits to screening, diagnostics, and intraoperative imaging in clinical applications

Statistical iterative reconstruction to improve image quality for digital breast tomosynthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Shiyu, E-mail: shiyu.xu@gmail.com; Chen, Ying, E-mail: adachen@siu.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, Illinois 62901 (United States); Lu, Jianping; Zhou, Otto [Department of Physics and Astronomy and Curriculum in Applied Sciences and Engineering, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599 (United States)

2015-09-15

Purpose: Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is a novel modality with the potential to improve early detection of breast cancer by providing three-dimensional (3D) imaging with a low radiation dose. 3D image reconstruction presents some challenges: cone-beam and flat-panel geometry, and highly incomplete sampling. A promising means to overcome these challenges is statistical iterative reconstruction (IR), since it provides the flexibility of accurate physics modeling and a general description of system geometry. The authors’ goal was to develop techniques for applying statistical IR to tomosynthesis imaging data. Methods: These techniques include the following: a physics model with a local voxel-pair based prior with flexible parameters to fine-tune image quality; a precomputed parameter λ in the prior, to remove data dependence and to achieve a uniform resolution property; an effective ray-driven technique to compute the forward and backprojection; and an oversampled, ray-driven method to perform high resolution reconstruction with a practical region-of-interest technique. To assess the performance of these techniques, the authors acquired phantom data on the stationary DBT prototype system. To solve the estimation problem, the authors proposed an optimization-transfer based algorithm framework that potentially allows fewer iterations to achieve an acceptably converged reconstruction. Results: IR improved the detectability of low-contrast and small microcalcifications, reduced cross-plane artifacts, improved spatial resolution, and lowered noise in reconstructed images. Conclusions: Although the computational load remains a significant challenge for practical development, the superior image quality provided by statistical IR, combined with advancing computational techniques, may bring benefits to screening, diagnostics, and intraoperative imaging in clinical applications.

A fast iterative model for discrete velocity calculations on triangular grids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szalmas, Lajos; Valougeorgis, Dimitris

2010-01-01

A fast synthetic type iterative model is proposed to speed up the slow convergence of discrete velocity algorithms for solving linear kinetic equations on triangular lattices. The efficiency of the scheme is verified both theoretically by a discrete Fourier stability analysis and computationally by solving a rarefied gas flow problem. The stability analysis of the discrete kinetic equations yields the spectral radius of the typical and the proposed iterative algorithms and reveal the drastically improved performance of the latter one for any grid resolution. This is the first time that stability analysis of the full discrete kinetic equations related to rarefied gas theory is formulated, providing the detailed dependency of the iteration scheme on the discretization parameters in the phase space. The corresponding characteristics of the model deduced by solving numerically the rarefied gas flow through a duct with triangular cross section are in complete agreement with the theoretical findings. The proposed approach may open a way for fast computation of rarefied gas flows on complex geometries in the whole range of gas rarefaction including the hydrodynamic regime.

Long distance fast data transfer experiments for the ITER Remote Experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamanaka, Kenjiro, E-mail: yamanaka@nii.ac.jp [National Institute of Informatics, 2-1-2 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Japan); The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa (Japan); Nakanishi, Hideya [National Institute of Fusion Science, 322-6 Orochi, Toki, Gifu (Japan); The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa (Japan); Ozeki, Takahisa [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Obuchi-Omotedate 2-166, Rokkasho, Kamikita, Aomori (Japan); Abe, Shunji; Urushidani, Shigeo [National Institute of Informatics, 2-1-2 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Japan); The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa (Japan); Yamamoto, Takashi [National Institute of Fusion Science, 322-6 Orochi, Toki, Gifu (Japan); Ohtsu, Hideo [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Obuchi-Omotedate 2-166, Rokkasho, Kamikita, Aomori (Japan); Nakajima, Noriyoshi [National Institute of Fusion Science, 322-6 Orochi, Toki, Gifu (Japan)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • This paper presents fast data transfer experiments using packet pacing and mmcftp and results. • An upgrade plan of Japanese Academic Network SINET is also described. • To send the huge amount of data from ITER to the ITER Remote Experiment Center (REC), effective transfer method and super high-speed international network are required. • This paper presents a progress of the investigation for fast transfer method. - Abstract: Developing effective and fast data transfer system for the huge amount data between Europe and Japan is a critical issue for the ITER Remote Experimentation Center (REC). To implement the system, effective data transfer methods and wide bandwidth international network are required. This paper describes results of data transfer experiments. We have evaluated two data transfer methods: Packet Pacing and MMCFTP. By using Packet Pacing and 2.4 Gbps line, we achieved 2.2 Gbps data transfer from NIFS to IFERC. By using MMCFTP and 10 Gbps line, we achieved 2.5 Gbps data transfer from NIFS to Dublin, Ireland. Furthermore, by using MMCFTP and 100Gbps line, we successfully achieved the stable transmission of 1PB of data at approximately 84 Gbps, one of the world’s fastest transmission speeds. This paper also describes the upgrade plan of SINET (a Japanese academic backbone network), which is used for ITER and REC communications. SINET will be upgraded to the network based on 100-Gigabit Ethernet technology in April 2016. Furthermore, direct lines of 20 Gbps (10 Gbps × 2) between Japan and Europe will be introduced. These direct lines will reduce latency between Europe and Japan and will realize higher speed data transfer.

Influence of Ultra-Low-Dose and Iterative Reconstructions on the Visualization of Orbital Soft Tissues on Maxillofacial CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Widmann, G; Juranek, D; Waldenberger, F; Schullian, P; Dennhardt, A; Hoermann, R; Steurer, M; Gassner, E-M; Puelacher, W

2017-08-01

Dose reduction on CT scans for surgical planning and postoperative evaluation of midface and orbital fractures is an important concern. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the variability of various low-dose and iterative reconstruction techniques on the visualization of orbital soft tissues. Contrast-to-noise ratios of the optic nerve and inferior rectus muscle and subjective scores of a human cadaver were calculated from CT with a reference dose protocol (CT dose index volume = 36.69 mGy) and a subsequent series of low-dose protocols (LDPs I-4: CT dose index volume = 4.18, 2.64, 0.99, and 0.53 mGy) with filtered back-projection (FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR)-50, ASIR-100, and model-based iterative reconstruction. The Dunn Multiple Comparison Test was used to compare each combination of protocols (α = .05). Compared with the reference dose protocol with FBP, the following statistically significant differences in contrast-to-noise ratios were shown (all, P ≤ .012) for the following: 1) optic nerve: LDP-I with FBP; LDP-II with FBP and ASIR-50; LDP-III with FBP, ASIR-50, and ASIR-100; and LDP-IV with FBP, ASIR-50, and ASIR-100; and 2) inferior rectus muscle: LDP-II with FBP, LDP-III with FBP and ASIR-50, and LDP-IV with FBP, ASIR-50, and ASIR-100. Model-based iterative reconstruction showed the best contrast-to-noise ratio in all images and provided similar subjective scores for LDP-II. ASIR-50 had no remarkable effect, and ASIR-100, a small effect on subjective scores. Compared with a reference dose protocol with FBP, model-based iterative reconstruction may show similar diagnostic visibility of orbital soft tissues at a CT dose index volume of 2.64 mGy. Low-dose technology and iterative reconstruction technology may redefine current reference dose levels in maxillofacial CT. © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Fisher's method of scoring in statistical image reconstruction: comparison of Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel iterative schemes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson, H M; Ma, J; Green, P

1994-01-01

Many algorithms for medical image reconstruction adopt versions of the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. In this approach, parameter estimates are obtained which maximize a complete data likelihood or penalized likelihood, in each iteration. Implicitly (and sometimes explicitly) penalized algorithms require smoothing of the current reconstruction in the image domain as part of their iteration scheme. In this paper, we discuss alternatives to EM which adapt Fisher's method of scoring (FS) and other methods for direct maximization of the incomplete data likelihood. Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel methods for non-linear optimization provide efficient algorithms applying FS in tomography. One approach uses smoothed projection data in its iterations. We investigate the convergence of Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel algorithms with clinical tomographic projection data.

Dose reduction with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction for paediatric CT: phantom study and clinical experience on chest and abdomen CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Gay, F; Pavia, Y; Pierrat, N; Lasalle, S; Neuenschwander, S; Brisse, H J

2014-01-01

To assess the benefit and limits of iterative reconstruction of paediatric chest and abdominal computed tomography (CT). The study compared adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) with filtered back projection (FBP) on 64-channel MDCT. A phantom study was first performed using variable tube potential, tube current and ASIR settings. The assessed image quality indices were the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the noise power spectrum, low contrast detectability (LCD) and spatial resolution. A clinical retrospective study of 26 children (M:F = 14/12, mean age: 4 years, range: 1-9 years) was secondarily performed allowing comparison of 18 chest and 14 abdominal CT pairs, one with a routine CT dose and FBP reconstruction, and the other with 30 % lower dose and 40 % ASIR reconstruction. Two radiologists independently compared the images for overall image quality, noise, sharpness and artefacts, and measured image noise. The phantom study demonstrated a significant increase in SNR without impairment of the LCD or spatial resolution, except for tube current values below 30-50 mA. On clinical images, no significant difference was observed between FBP and reduced dose ASIR images. Iterative reconstruction allows at least 30 % dose reduction in paediatric chest and abdominal CT, without impairment of image quality. • Iterative reconstruction helps lower radiation exposure levels in children undergoing CT. • Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) significantly increases SNR without impairing spatial resolution. • For abdomen and chest CT, ASIR allows at least a 30 % dose reduction.

Performance comparison between total variation (TV)-based compressed sensing and statistical iterative reconstruction algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Jie; Nett, Brian E; Chen Guanghong

2009-01-01

Of all available reconstruction methods, statistical iterative reconstruction algorithms appear particularly promising since they enable accurate physical noise modeling. The newly developed compressive sampling/compressed sensing (CS) algorithm has shown the potential to accurately reconstruct images from highly undersampled data. The CS algorithm can be implemented in the statistical reconstruction framework as well. In this study, we compared the performance of two standard statistical reconstruction algorithms (penalized weighted least squares and q-GGMRF) to the CS algorithm. In assessing the image quality using these iterative reconstructions, it is critical to utilize realistic background anatomy as the reconstruction results are object dependent. A cadaver head was scanned on a Varian Trilogy system at different dose levels. Several figures of merit including the relative root mean square error and a quality factor which accounts for the noise performance and the spatial resolution were introduced to objectively evaluate reconstruction performance. A comparison is presented between the three algorithms for a constant undersampling factor comparing different algorithms at several dose levels. To facilitate this comparison, the original CS method was formulated in the framework of the statistical image reconstruction algorithms. Important conclusions of the measurements from our studies are that (1) for realistic neuro-anatomy, over 100 projections are required to avoid streak artifacts in the reconstructed images even with CS reconstruction, (2) regardless of the algorithm employed, it is beneficial to distribute the total dose to more views as long as each view remains quantum noise limited and (3) the total variation-based CS method is not appropriate for very low dose levels because while it can mitigate streaking artifacts, the images exhibit patchy behavior, which is potentially harmful for medical diagnosis.

A Fast Iterative Bayesian Inference Algorithm for Sparse Channel Estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Niels Lovmand; Manchón, Carles Navarro; Fleury, Bernard Henri

2013-01-01

representation of the Bessel K probability density function; a highly efficient, fast iterative Bayesian inference method is then applied to the proposed model. The resulting estimator outperforms other state-of-the-art Bayesian and non-Bayesian estimators, either by yielding lower mean squared estimation error...

Limiting CT radiation dose in children with craniosynostosis: phantom study using model-based iterative reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaasalainen, Touko; Lampinen, Anniina [University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Radiology, POB 340, Helsinki (Finland); University of Helsinki, Department of Physics, Helsinki (Finland); Palmu, Kirsi [University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Radiology, POB 340, Helsinki (Finland); School of Science, Aalto University, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Computational Science, Helsinki (Finland); Reijonen, Vappu; Kortesniemi, Mika [University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Radiology, POB 340, Helsinki (Finland); Leikola, Junnu [University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Department of Plastic Surgery, Helsinki (Finland); Kivisaari, Riku [University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Helsinki (Finland)

2015-09-15

Medical professionals need to exercise particular caution when developing CT scanning protocols for children who require multiple CT studies, such as those with craniosynostosis. To evaluate the utility of ultra-low-dose CT protocols with model-based iterative reconstruction techniques for craniosynostosis imaging. We scanned two pediatric anthropomorphic phantoms with a 64-slice CT scanner using different low-dose protocols for craniosynostosis. We measured organ doses in the head region with metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) dosimeters. Numerical simulations served to estimate organ and effective doses. We objectively and subjectively evaluated the quality of images produced by adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) 30%, ASiR 50% and Veo (all by GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI). Image noise and contrast were determined for different tissues. Mean organ dose with the newborn phantom was decreased up to 83% compared to the routine protocol when using ultra-low-dose scanning settings. Similarly, for the 5-year phantom the greatest radiation dose reduction was 88%. The numerical simulations supported the findings with MOSFET measurements. The image quality remained adequate with Veo reconstruction, even at the lowest dose level. Craniosynostosis CT with model-based iterative reconstruction could be performed with a 20-μSv effective dose, corresponding to the radiation exposure of plain skull radiography, without compromising required image quality. (orig.)

Optimization of the alpha image reconstruction. An iterative CT-image reconstruction with well-defined image quality metrics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lebedev, Sergej; Sawall, Stefan; Knaup, Michael; Kachelriess, Marc [German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg (Germany).

2017-10-01

Optimization of the AIR-algorithm for improved convergence and performance. TThe AIR method is an iterative algorithm for CT image reconstruction. As a result of its linearity with respect to the basis images, the AIR algorithm possesses well defined, regular image quality metrics, e.g. point spread function (PSF) or modulation transfer function (MTF), unlike other iterative reconstruction algorithms. The AIR algorithm computes weighting images α to blend between a set of basis images that preferably have mutually exclusive properties, e.g. high spatial resolution or low noise. The optimized algorithm uses an approach that alternates between the optimization of rawdata fidelity using an OSSART like update and regularization using gradient descent, as opposed to the initially proposed AIR using a straightforward gradient descent implementation. A regularization strength for a given task is chosen by formulating a requirement for the noise reduction and checking whether it is fulfilled for different regularization strengths, while monitoring the spatial resolution using the voxel-wise defined modulation transfer function for the AIR image. The optimized algorithm computes similar images in a shorter time compared to the initial gradient descent implementation of AIR. The result can be influenced by multiple parameters that can be narrowed down to a relatively simple framework to compute high quality images. The AIR images, for instance, can have at least a 50% lower noise level compared to the sharpest basis image, while the spatial resolution is mostly maintained. The optimization improves performance by a factor of 6, while maintaining image quality. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the spatial resolution for AIR can be determined using regular image quality metrics, given smooth weighting images. This is not possible for other iterative reconstructions as a result of their non linearity. A simple set of parameters for the algorithm is discussed that provides

Optimization of the alpha image reconstruction. An iterative CT-image reconstruction with well-defined image quality metrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebedev, Sergej; Sawall, Stefan; Knaup, Michael; Kachelriess, Marc

2017-01-01

Optimization of the AIR-algorithm for improved convergence and performance. TThe AIR method is an iterative algorithm for CT image reconstruction. As a result of its linearity with respect to the basis images, the AIR algorithm possesses well defined, regular image quality metrics, e.g. point spread function (PSF) or modulation transfer function (MTF), unlike other iterative reconstruction algorithms. The AIR algorithm computes weighting images α to blend between a set of basis images that preferably have mutually exclusive properties, e.g. high spatial resolution or low noise. The optimized algorithm uses an approach that alternates between the optimization of rawdata fidelity using an OSSART like update and regularization using gradient descent, as opposed to the initially proposed AIR using a straightforward gradient descent implementation. A regularization strength for a given task is chosen by formulating a requirement for the noise reduction and checking whether it is fulfilled for different regularization strengths, while monitoring the spatial resolution using the voxel-wise defined modulation transfer function for the AIR image. The optimized algorithm computes similar images in a shorter time compared to the initial gradient descent implementation of AIR. The result can be influenced by multiple parameters that can be narrowed down to a relatively simple framework to compute high quality images. The AIR images, for instance, can have at least a 50% lower noise level compared to the sharpest basis image, while the spatial resolution is mostly maintained. The optimization improves performance by a factor of 6, while maintaining image quality. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the spatial resolution for AIR can be determined using regular image quality metrics, given smooth weighting images. This is not possible for other iterative reconstructions as a result of their non linearity. A simple set of parameters for the algorithm is discussed that provides

Ultra fast, accurate PET image reconstruction for the Siemens hybrid MR/BrainPET scanner using raw LOR data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scheins, Juergen; Lerche, Christoph; Shah, Jon

2015-01-01

Fast PET image reconstruction algorithms usually use a Line-of-Response (LOR) preprocessing step where the detected raw LOR data are interpolated either to evenly spaced sinogram projection bins or alternatively to a generic projection space as for example proposed by the PET Reconstruction Software Toolkit (PRESTO) [1]. In this way, speed-optimised, versatile geometrical projectors can be implemented for iterative image reconstruction independent of the underlying scanner geometry. However, all strategies of projection data interpolation unavoidably lead to a loss of original information and result in some degradation of image quality. Here, direct LOR reconstructions overcome this evident drawback at cost of a massively enhanced computational burden. Therefore, computational optimisation techniques are essential to make such demanding approaches attractive and economical for widespread usage in the clinical environment. In this paper, we demonstrate for the Siemens Hybrid MR/BrainPET with 240 million physical LORs that a very fast quantitative direct LOR reconstruction can be realized using a modified version of PRESTO. Now, PRESTO is also capable to directly use sets of symmetric physical LORs instead of interpolating LORs to a generic projection space. Exploiting basic scanner symmetries together with the technique of Single Instruction Multipe Data (SIMD) and Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) results in an overall calculation time of 2-3 minutes per frame on a single multi-core machine, i.e. neither requiring a cluster of mutliple machines nor Graphics Processing Units (GPUs).

Ultra fast, accurate PET image reconstruction for the Siemens hybrid MR/BrainPET scanner using raw LOR data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scheins, Juergen; Lerche, Christoph; Shah, Jon [Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich (Germany)

2015-05-18

Fast PET image reconstruction algorithms usually use a Line-of-Response (LOR) preprocessing step where the detected raw LOR data are interpolated either to evenly spaced sinogram projection bins or alternatively to a generic projection space as for example proposed by the PET Reconstruction Software Toolkit (PRESTO) [1]. In this way, speed-optimised, versatile geometrical projectors can be implemented for iterative image reconstruction independent of the underlying scanner geometry. However, all strategies of projection data interpolation unavoidably lead to a loss of original information and result in some degradation of image quality. Here, direct LOR reconstructions overcome this evident drawback at cost of a massively enhanced computational burden. Therefore, computational optimisation techniques are essential to make such demanding approaches attractive and economical for widespread usage in the clinical environment. In this paper, we demonstrate for the Siemens Hybrid MR/BrainPET with 240 million physical LORs that a very fast quantitative direct LOR reconstruction can be realized using a modified version of PRESTO. Now, PRESTO is also capable to directly use sets of symmetric physical LORs instead of interpolating LORs to a generic projection space. Exploiting basic scanner symmetries together with the technique of Single Instruction Multipe Data (SIMD) and Simultaneous Multi-Threading (SMT) results in an overall calculation time of 2-3 minutes per frame on a single multi-core machine, i.e. neither requiring a cluster of mutliple machines nor Graphics Processing Units (GPUs).

Effect of Low-Dose MDCT and Iterative Reconstruction on Trabecular Bone Microstructure Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kopp, Felix K; Holzapfel, Konstantin; Baum, Thomas; Nasirudin, Radin A; Mei, Kai; Garcia, Eduardo G; Burgkart, Rainer; Rummeny, Ernst J; Kirschke, Jan S; Noël, Peter B

2016-01-01

We investigated the effects of low-dose multi detector computed tomography (MDCT) in combination with statistical iterative reconstruction algorithms on trabecular bone microstructure parameters. Twelve donated vertebrae were scanned with the routine radiation exposure used in our department (standard-dose) and a low-dose protocol. Reconstructions were performed with filtered backprojection (FBP) and maximum-likelihood based statistical iterative reconstruction (SIR). Trabecular bone microstructure parameters were assessed and statistically compared for each reconstruction. Moreover, fracture loads of the vertebrae were biomechanically determined and correlated to the assessed microstructure parameters. Trabecular bone microstructure parameters based on low-dose MDCT and SIR significantly correlated with vertebral bone strength. There was no significant difference between microstructure parameters calculated on low-dose SIR and standard-dose FBP images. However, the results revealed a strong dependency on the regularization strength applied during SIR. It was observed that stronger regularization might corrupt the microstructure analysis, because the trabecular structure is a very small detail that might get lost during the regularization process. As a consequence, the introduction of SIR for trabecular bone microstructure analysis requires a specific optimization of the regularization parameters. Moreover, in comparison to other approaches, superior noise-resolution trade-offs can be found with the proposed methods.

Image quality of ct angiography using model-based iterative reconstruction in infants with congenital heart disease: Comparison with filtered back projection and hybrid iterative reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jia, Qianjun, E-mail: jiaqianjun@126.com [Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China); Department of Radiology, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China); Department of Catheterization Lab, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of South China Structural Heart Disease, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China); Zhuang, Jian, E-mail: zhuangjian5413@tom.com [Department of Cardiac Surgery, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of South China Structural Heart Disease, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China); Jiang, Jun, E-mail: 81711587@qq.com [Department of Radiology, Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong (China); Li, Jiahua, E-mail: 970872804@qq.com [Department of Catheterization Lab, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of South China Structural Heart Disease, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China); Huang, Meiping, E-mail: huangmeiping_vip@163.com [Department of Catheterization Lab, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of South China Structural Heart Disease, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China); Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China); Liang, Changhong, E-mail: cjr.lchh@vip.163.com [Department of Radiology, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China); Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China)

2017-01-15

Purpose: To compare the image quality, rate of coronary artery visualization and diagnostic accuracy of 256-slice multi-detector computed tomography angiography (CTA) with prospective electrocardiographic (ECG) triggering at a tube voltage of 80 kVp between 3 reconstruction algorithms (filtered back projection (FBP), hybrid iterative reconstruction (iDose{sup 4}) and iterative model reconstruction (IMR)) in infants with congenital heart disease (CHD). Methods: Fifty-one infants with CHD who underwent cardiac CTA in our institution between December 2014 and March 2015 were included. The effective radiation doses were calculated. Imaging data were reconstructed using the FBP, iDose{sup 4} and IMR algorithms. Parameters of objective image quality (noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)); subjective image quality (overall image quality, image noise and margin sharpness); coronary artery visibility; and diagnostic accuracy for the three algorithms were measured and compared. Results: The mean effective radiation dose was 0.61 ± 0.32 mSv. Compared to FBP and iDose{sup 4}, IMR yielded significantly lower noise (P < 0.01), higher SNR and CNR values (P < 0.01), and a greater subjective image quality score (P < 0.01). The total number of coronary segments visualized was significantly higher for both iDose{sup 4} and IMR than for FBP (P = 0.002 and P = 0.025, respectively), but there was no significant difference in this parameter between iDose{sup 4} and IMR (P = 0.397). There was no significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy between the FBP, iDose{sup 4} and IMR algorithms (χ{sup 2} = 0.343, P = 0.842). Conclusions: For infants with CHD undergoing cardiac CTA, the IMR reconstruction algorithm provided significantly increased objective and subjective image quality compared with the FBP and iDose{sup 4} algorithms. However, IMR did not improve the diagnostic accuracy or coronary artery visualization compared with iDose{sup 4}.

A kind of iteration algorithm for fast wave heating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Xueguang; Kuang Guangli; Zhao Yanping; Li Youyi; Xie Jikang

1998-03-01

The standard normal distribution for particles in Tokamak geometry is usually assumed in fast wave heating. In fact, due to the quasi-linear diffusion effect, the parallel and vertical temperature of resonant particles is not equal, so, this will bring some error. For this case, the Fokker-Planck equation is introduced, and iteration algorithm is adopted to solve the problem well

Fast image reconstruction for Compton camera using stochastic origin ensemble approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Andreyev, Andriy; Sitek, Arkadiusz; Celler, Anna

2011-01-01

Compton camera has been proposed as a potential imaging tool in astronomy, industry, homeland security, and medical diagnostics. Due to the inherent geometrical complexity of Compton camera data, image reconstruction of distributed sources can be ineffective and/or time-consuming when using standard techniques such as filtered backprojection or maximum likelihood-expectation maximization (ML-EM). In this article, the authors demonstrate a fast reconstruction of Compton camera data using a novel stochastic origin ensembles (SOE) approach based on Markov chains. During image reconstruction, the origins of the measured events are randomly assigned to locations on conical surfaces, which are the Compton camera analogs of lines-of-responses in PET. Therefore, the image is defined as an ensemble of origin locations of all possible event origins. During the course of reconstruction, the origins of events are stochastically moved and the acceptance of the new event origin is determined by the predefined acceptance probability, which is proportional to the change in event density. For example, if the event density at the new location is higher than in the previous location, the new position is always accepted. After several iterations, the reconstructed distribution of origins converges to a quasistationary state which can be voxelized and displayed. Comparison with the list-mode ML-EM reveals that the postfiltered SOE algorithm has similar performance in terms of image quality while clearly outperforming ML-EM in relation to reconstruction time. In this study, the authors have implemented and tested a new image reconstruction algorithm for the Compton camera based on the stochastic origin ensembles with Markov chains. The algorithm uses list-mode data, is parallelizable, and can be used for any Compton camera geometry. SOE algorithm clearly outperforms list-mode ML-EM for simple Compton camera geometry in terms of reconstruction time. The difference in computational time

A combinational fast algorithm for image reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Zhongquan

1987-01-01

A combinational fast algorithm has been developed in order to increase the speed of reconstruction. First, an interpolation method based on B-spline functions is used in image reconstruction. Next, the influence of the boundary conditions assumed here on the interpolation of filtered projections and on the image reconstruction is discussed. It is shown that this boundary condition has almost no influence on the image in the central region of the image space, because the error of interpolation rapidly decreases by a factor of ten in shifting two pixels from the edge toward the center. In addition, a fast algorithm for computing the detecting angle has been used with the mentioned interpolation algorithm, and the cost for detecting angle computaton is reduced by a factor of two. The implementation results show that in the same subjective and objective fidelity, the computational cost for the interpolation using this algorithm is about one-twelfth of the conventional algorithm

Alpha image reconstruction (AIR): A new iterative CT image reconstruction approach using voxel-wise alpha blending

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofmann, Christian; Sawall, Stefan; Knaup, Michael; Kachelrieß, Marc

2014-01-01

Purpose: Iterative image reconstruction gains more and more interest in clinical routine, as it promises to reduce image noise (and thereby patient dose), to reduce artifacts, or to improve spatial resolution. Among vendors and researchers, however, there is no consensus of how to best achieve these aims. The general approach is to incorporatea priori knowledge into iterative image reconstruction, for example, by adding additional constraints to the cost function, which penalize variations between neighboring voxels. However, this approach to regularization in general poses a resolution noise trade-off because the stronger the regularization, and thus the noise reduction, the stronger the loss of spatial resolution and thus loss of anatomical detail. The authors propose a method which tries to improve this trade-off. The proposed reconstruction algorithm is called alpha image reconstruction (AIR). One starts with generating basis images, which emphasize certain desired image properties, like high resolution or low noise. The AIR algorithm reconstructs voxel-specific weighting coefficients that are applied to combine the basis images. By combining the desired properties of each basis image, one can generate an image with lower noise and maintained high contrast resolution thus improving the resolution noise trade-off. Methods: All simulations and reconstructions are performed in native fan-beam geometry. A water phantom with resolution bar patterns and low contrast disks is simulated. A filtered backprojection (FBP) reconstruction with a Ram-Lak kernel is used as a reference reconstruction. The results of AIR are compared against the FBP results and against a penalized weighted least squares reconstruction which uses total variation as regularization. The simulations are based on the geometry of the Siemens Somatom Definition Flash scanner. To quantitatively assess image quality, the authors analyze line profiles through resolution patterns to define a contrast

Iterative model reconstruction reduces calcified plaque volume in coronary CT angiography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Károlyi, Mihály, E-mail: mihaly.karolyi@cirg.hu [MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 68. Varosmajor st, 1122, Budapest (Hungary); Szilveszter, Bálint, E-mail: szilveszter.balint@gmail.com [MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 68. Varosmajor st, 1122, Budapest (Hungary); Kolossváry, Márton, E-mail: martonandko@gmail.com [MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 68. Varosmajor st, 1122, Budapest (Hungary); Takx, Richard A.P, E-mail: richard.takx@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 100 Heidelberglaan, 3584, CX Utrecht (Netherlands); Celeng, Csilla, E-mail: celengcsilla@gmail.com [MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 68. Varosmajor st, 1122, Budapest (Hungary); Bartykowszki, Andrea, E-mail: bartyandi@gmail.com [MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 68. Varosmajor st, 1122, Budapest (Hungary); Jermendy, Ádám L., E-mail: adam.jermendy@gmail.com [MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 68. Varosmajor st, 1122, Budapest (Hungary); Panajotu, Alexisz, E-mail: panajotualexisz@gmail.com [MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 68. Varosmajor st, 1122, Budapest (Hungary); Karády, Júlia, E-mail: karadyjulia@gmail.com [MTA-SE Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group, Heart and Vascular Center, Semmelweis University, 68. Varosmajor st, 1122, Budapest (Hungary); and others

2017-02-15

Objective: To assess the impact of iterative model reconstruction (IMR) on calcified plaque quantification as compared to filtered back projection reconstruction (FBP) and hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR) in coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA). Methods: Raw image data of 52 patients who underwent 256-slice CTA were reconstructed with IMR, HIR and FBP. We evaluated qualitative, quantitative image quality parameters and quantified calcified and partially calcified plaque volumes using automated software. Results: Overall qualitative image quality significantly improved with HIR as compared to FBP, and further improved with IMR (p < 0.01 all). Contrast-to-noise ratios were improved with IMR, compared to HIR and FBP (51.0 [43.5–59.9], 20.3 [16.2–25.9] and 14.0 [11.2–17.7], respectively, all p < 0.01) Overall plaque volumes were lowest with IMR and highest with FBP (121.7 [79.3–168.4], 138.7 [90.6–191.7], 147.0 [100.7–183.6]). Similarly, calcified volumes (>130 HU) were decreased with IMR as compared to HIR and FBP (105.9 [62.1–144.6], 110.2 [63.8–166.6], 115.9 [81.7–164.2], respectively, p < 0.05 all). High-attenuation non-calcified volumes (90–129 HU) yielded similar values with FBP and HIR (p = 0.81), however it was lower with IMR (p < 0.05 both). Intermediate- (30–89 HU) and low-attenuation (<30 HU) non-calcified volumes showed no significant difference (p = 0.22 and p = 0.67, respectively). Conclusions: IMR improves image quality of coronary CTA and decreases calcified plaque volumes.

Modelling the physics in iterative reconstruction for transmission computed tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Nuyts, Johan; De Man, Bruno; Fessler, Jeffrey A.; Zbijewski, Wojciech; Beekman, Freek J.

2013-01-01

There is an increasing interest in iterative reconstruction (IR) as a key tool to improve quality and increase applicability of X-ray CT imaging. IR has the ability to significantly reduce patient dose, it provides the flexibility to reconstruct images from arbitrary X-ray system geometries and it allows to include detailed models of photon transport and detection physics, to accurately correct for a wide variety of image degrading effects. This paper reviews discretisation issues and modelling of finite spatial resolution, Compton scatter in the scanned object, data noise and the energy spectrum. Widespread implementation of IR with highly accurate model-based correction, however, still requires significant effort. In addition, new hardware will provide new opportunities and challenges to improve CT with new modelling. PMID:23739261

Projection matrix acquisition for cone-beam computed tomography iterative reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Fuqiang; Zhang, Dinghua; Huang, Kuidong; Shi, Wenlong; Zhang, Caixin; Gao, Zongzhao

2017-02-01

Projection matrix is an essential and time-consuming part in computed tomography (CT) iterative reconstruction. In this article a novel calculation algorithm of three-dimensional (3D) projection matrix is proposed to quickly acquire the matrix for cone-beam CT (CBCT). The CT data needed to be reconstructed is considered as consisting of the three orthogonal sets of equally spaced and parallel planes, rather than the individual voxels. After getting the intersections the rays with the surfaces of the voxels, the coordinate points and vertex is compared to obtain the index value that the ray traversed. Without considering ray-slope to voxel, it just need comparing the position of two points. Finally, the computer simulation is used to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm.

Comparison of computational to human observer detection for evaluation of CT low dose iterative reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Eck, Brendan; Fahmi, Rachid; Brown, Kevin M.; Raihani, Nilgoun; Wilson, David L.

2014-03-01

Model observers were created and compared to human observers for the detection of low contrast targets in computed tomography (CT) images reconstructed with an advanced, knowledge-based, iterative image reconstruction method for low x-ray dose imaging. A 5-channel Laguerre-Gauss Hotelling Observer (CHO) was used with internal noise added to the decision variable (DV) and/or channel outputs (CO). Models were defined by parameters: (k1) DV-noise with standard deviation (std) proportional to DV std; (k2) DV-noise with constant std; (k3) CO-noise with constant std across channels; and (k4) CO-noise in each channel with std proportional to CO variance. Four-alternative forced choice (4AFC) human observer studies were performed on sub-images extracted from phantom images with and without a "pin" target. Model parameters were estimated using maximum likelihood comparison to human probability correct (PC) data. PC in human and all model observers increased with dose, contrast, and size, and was much higher for advanced iterative reconstruction (IMR) as compared to filtered back projection (FBP). Detection in IMR was better than FPB at 1/3 dose, suggesting significant dose savings. Model(k1,k2,k3,k4) gave the best overall fit to humans across independent variables (dose, size, contrast, and reconstruction) at fixed display window. However Model(k1) performed better when considering model complexity using the Akaike information criterion. Model(k1) fit the extraordinary detectability difference between IMR and FBP, despite the different noise quality. It is anticipated that the model observer will predict results from iterative reconstruction methods having similar noise characteristics, enabling rapid comparison of methods.

Bias in iterative reconstruction of low-statistics PET data: benefits of a resolution model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walker, M D; Asselin, M-C; Julyan, P J; Feldmann, M; Matthews, J C [School of Cancer and Enabling Sciences, Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre, MAHSC, University of Manchester, Manchester M20 3LJ (United Kingdom); Talbot, P S [Mental Health and Neurodegeneration Research Group, Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre, MAHSC, University of Manchester, Manchester M20 3LJ (United Kingdom); Jones, T, E-mail: matthew.walker@manchester.ac.uk [Academic Department of Radiation Oncology, Christie Hospital, University of Manchester, Manchester M20 4BX (United Kingdom)

2011-02-21

Iterative image reconstruction methods such as ordered-subset expectation maximization (OSEM) are widely used in PET. Reconstructions via OSEM are however reported to be biased for low-count data. We investigated this and considered the impact for dynamic PET. Patient listmode data were acquired in [{sup 11}C]DASB and [{sup 15}O]H{sub 2}O scans on the HRRT brain PET scanner. These data were subsampled to create many independent, low-count replicates. The data were reconstructed and the images from low-count data were compared to the high-count originals (from the same reconstruction method). This comparison enabled low-statistics bias to be calculated for the given reconstruction, as a function of the noise-equivalent counts (NEC). Two iterative reconstruction methods were tested, one with and one without an image-based resolution model (RM). Significant bias was observed when reconstructing data of low statistical quality, for both subsampled human and simulated data. For human data, this bias was substantially reduced by including a RM. For [{sup 11}C]DASB the low-statistics bias in the caudate head at 1.7 M NEC (approx. 30 s) was -5.5% and -13% with and without RM, respectively. We predicted biases in the binding potential of -4% and -10%. For quantification of cerebral blood flow for the whole-brain grey- or white-matter, using [{sup 15}O]H{sub 2}O and the PET autoradiographic method, a low-statistics bias of <2.5% and <4% was predicted for reconstruction with and without the RM. The use of a resolution model reduces low-statistics bias and can hence be beneficial for quantitative dynamic PET.

Iterative reconstruction of magnetic induction using Lorentz transmission electron tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phatak, C.; Gürsoy, D.

2015-01-01

Intense ongoing research on complex nanomagnetic structures requires a fundamental understanding of the 3D magnetization and the stray fields around the nano-objects. 3D visualization of such fields offers the best way to achieve this. Lorentz transmission electron microscopy provides a suitable combination of high resolution and ability to quantitatively visualize the magnetization vectors using phase retrieval methods. In this paper, we present a formalism to represent the magnetic phase shift of electrons as a Radon transform of the magnetic induction of the sample. Using this formalism, we then present the application of common tomographic methods particularly the iterative methods, to reconstruct the 3D components of the vector field. We present an analysis of the effect of missing wedge and the limited angular sampling as well as reconstruction of complex 3D magnetization in a nanowire using simulations. - Highlights: • We present a formalism to represent electron-optical magnetic phase shift as a Radon transform of the 3D magnetic induction of the nano-object. • We have analyzed four different tomographic reconstruction methods for vectorial data reconstruction. • Reconstruction methods were tested for varying experimental limitations such as limited tilt range and limited angular sampling. • The analysis showed that Gridrec and SIRT methods performed better with lower errors than other reconstruction methods

A framelet-based iterative maximum-likelihood reconstruction algorithm for spectral CT

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Wang, Yingmei; Wang, Ge; Mao, Shuwei; Cong, Wenxiang; Ji, Zhilong; Cai, Jian-Feng; Ye, Yangbo

2016-11-01

Standard computed tomography (CT) cannot reproduce spectral information of an object. Hardware solutions include dual-energy CT which scans the object twice in different x-ray energy levels, and energy-discriminative detectors which can separate lower and higher energy levels from a single x-ray scan. In this paper, we propose a software solution and give an iterative algorithm that reconstructs an image with spectral information from just one scan with a standard energy-integrating detector. The spectral information obtained can be used to produce color CT images, spectral curves of the attenuation coefficient μ (r,E) at points inside the object, and photoelectric images, which are all valuable imaging tools in cancerous diagnosis. Our software solution requires no change on hardware of a CT machine. With the Shepp-Logan phantom, we have found that although the photoelectric and Compton components were not perfectly reconstructed, their composite effect was very accurately reconstructed as compared to the ground truth and the dual-energy CT counterpart. This means that our proposed method has an intrinsic benefit in beam hardening correction and metal artifact reduction. The algorithm is based on a nonlinear polychromatic acquisition model for x-ray CT. The key technique is a sparse representation of iterations in a framelet system. Convergence of the algorithm is studied. This is believed to be the first application of framelet imaging tools to a nonlinear inverse problem.

Iterative reconstruction with attenuation compensation from cone-beam projections acquired via nonplanar orbits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng, G.L.; Weng, Y.; Gullberg, G.T.

1997-01-01

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging with cone-beam collimators provides improved sensitivity and spatial resolution for imaging small objects with large field-of-view detectors. It is known that Tuy's cone-beam data sufficiency condition must be met to obtain artifact-free reconstructions. Even though Tuy's condition was derived for an attenuation-free situation, the authors hypothesize that an artifact-free reconstruction can be obtained even if the cone-beam data are attenuated, provided the imaging orbit satisfies Tuy's condition and the exact attenuation map is known. In the authors' studies, emission data are acquired using nonplanar circle-and-line orbits to acquire cone-beam data for tomographic reconstructions. An extended iterative ML-EM (maximum likelihood-expectation maximization) reconstruction algorithm is derived and used to reconstruct projection data with either a pre-acquired or assumed attenuation map. Quantitative accuracy of the attenuation corrected emission reconstruction is significantly improved

A fast iterative scheme for the linearized Boltzmann equation

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Wu, Lei; Zhang, Jun; Liu, Haihu; Zhang, Yonghao; Reese, Jason M.

2017-06-01

Iterative schemes to find steady-state solutions to the Boltzmann equation are efficient for highly rarefied gas flows, but can be very slow to converge in the near-continuum flow regime. In this paper, a synthetic iterative scheme is developed to speed up the solution of the linearized Boltzmann equation by penalizing the collision operator L into the form L = (L + Nδh) - Nδh, where δ is the gas rarefaction parameter, h is the velocity distribution function, and N is a tuning parameter controlling the convergence rate. The velocity distribution function is first solved by the conventional iterative scheme, then it is corrected such that the macroscopic flow velocity is governed by a diffusion-type equation that is asymptotic-preserving into the Navier-Stokes limit. The efficiency of this new scheme is assessed by calculating the eigenvalue of the iteration, as well as solving for Poiseuille and thermal transpiration flows. We find that the fastest convergence of our synthetic scheme for the linearized Boltzmann equation is achieved when Nδ is close to the average collision frequency. The synthetic iterative scheme is significantly faster than the conventional iterative scheme in both the transition and the near-continuum gas flow regimes. Moreover, due to its asymptotic-preserving properties, the synthetic iterative scheme does not need high spatial resolution in the near-continuum flow regime, which makes it even faster than the conventional iterative scheme. Using this synthetic scheme, with the fast spectral approximation of the linearized Boltzmann collision operator, Poiseuille and thermal transpiration flows between two parallel plates, through channels of circular/rectangular cross sections and various porous media are calculated over the whole range of gas rarefaction. Finally, the flow of a Ne-Ar gas mixture is solved based on the linearized Boltzmann equation with the Lennard-Jones intermolecular potential for the first time, and the difference

Comparison of adaptive statistical iterative and filtered back projection reconstruction techniques in quantifying coronary calcium.

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Takahashi, Masahiro; Kimura, Fumiko; Umezawa, Tatsuya; Watanabe, Yusuke; Ogawa, Harumi

2016-01-01

Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) has been used to reduce radiation dose in cardiac computed tomography. However, change of image parameters by ASIR as compared to filtered back projection (FBP) may influence quantification of coronary calcium. To investigate the influence of ASIR on calcium quantification in comparison to FBP. In 352 patients, CT images were reconstructed using FBP alone, FBP combined with ASIR 30%, 50%, 70%, and ASIR 100% based on the same raw data. Image noise, plaque density, Agatston scores and calcium volumes were compared among the techniques. Image noise, Agatston score, and calcium volume decreased significantly with ASIR compared to FBP (each P ASIR reduced Agatston score by 10.5% to 31.0%. In calcified plaques both of patients and a phantom, ASIR decreased maximum CT values and calcified plaque size. In comparison to FBP, adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) may significantly decrease Agatston scores and calcium volumes. Copyright © 2016 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Impact to Z-score Mapping of Hyperacute Stroke Images by Computed Tomography in Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction].

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Watanabe, Shota; Sakaguchi, Kenta; Hosono, Makoto; Ishii, Kazunari; Murakami, Takamichi; Ichikawa, Katsuhiro

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a hybrid-type iterative reconstruction method on Z-score mapping of hyperacute stroke in unenhanced computed tomography (CT) images. We used a hybrid-type iterative reconstruction [adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR)] implemented in a CT system (Optima CT660 Pro advance, GE Healthcare). With 15 normal brain cases, we reconstructed CT images with a filtered back projection (FBP) and ASiR with a blending factor of 100% (ASiR100%). Two standardized normal brain data were created from normal databases of FBP images (FBP-NDB) and ASiR100% images (ASiR-NDB), and standard deviation (SD) values in basal ganglia were measured. The Z-score mapping was performed for 12 hyperacute stroke cases by using FBP-NDB and ASiR-NDB, and compared Z-score value on hyperacute stroke area and normal area between FBP-NDB and ASiR-NDB. By using ASiR-NDB, the SD value of standardized brain was decreased by 16%. The Z-score value of ASiR-NDB on hyperacute stroke area was significantly higher than FBP-NDB (pASiR100% for Z-score mapping had potential to improve the accuracy of Z-score mapping.

Full dose reduction potential of statistical iterative reconstruction for head CT protocols in a predominantly pediatric population

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Mirro, Amy E.; Brady, Samuel L.; Kaufman, Robert. A.

2016-01-01

Purpose To implement the maximum level of statistical iterative reconstruction that can be used to establish dose-reduced head CT protocols in a primarily pediatric population. Methods Select head examinations (brain, orbits, sinus, maxilla and temporal bones) were investigated. Dose-reduced head protocols using an adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) were compared for image quality with the original filtered back projection (FBP) reconstructed protocols in phantom using the following metrics: image noise frequency (change in perceived appearance of noise texture), image noise magnitude, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and spatial resolution. Dose reduction estimates were based on computed tomography dose index (CTDIvol) values. Patient CTDIvol and image noise magnitude were assessed in 737 pre and post dose reduced examinations. Results Image noise texture was acceptable up to 60% ASiR for Soft reconstruction kernel (at both 100 and 120 kVp), and up to 40% ASiR for Standard reconstruction kernel. Implementation of 40% and 60% ASiR led to an average reduction in CTDIvol of 43% for brain, 41% for orbits, 30% maxilla, 43% for sinus, and 42% for temporal bone protocols for patients between 1 month and 26 years, while maintaining an average noise magnitude difference of 0.1% (range: −3% to 5%), improving CNR of low contrast soft tissue targets, and improving spatial resolution of high contrast bony anatomy, as compared to FBP. Conclusion The methodology in this study demonstrates a methodology for maximizing patient dose reduction and maintaining image quality using statistical iterative reconstruction for a primarily pediatric population undergoing head CT examination. PMID:27056425

Statistical iterative reconstruction for streak artefact reduction when using multidetector CT to image the dento-alveolar structures.

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Dong, J; Hayakawa, Y; Kober, C

2014-01-01

When metallic prosthetic appliances and dental fillings exist in the oral cavity, the appearance of metal-induced streak artefacts is not avoidable in CT images. The aim of this study was to develop a method for artefact reduction using the statistical reconstruction on multidetector row CT images. Adjacent CT images often depict similar anatomical structures. Therefore, reconstructed images with weak artefacts were attempted using projection data of an artefact-free image in a neighbouring thin slice. Images with moderate and strong artefacts were continuously processed in sequence by successive iterative restoration where the projection data was generated from the adjacent reconstructed slice. First, the basic maximum likelihood-expectation maximization algorithm was applied. Next, the ordered subset-expectation maximization algorithm was examined. Alternatively, a small region of interest setting was designated. Finally, the general purpose graphic processing unit machine was applied in both situations. The algorithms reduced the metal-induced streak artefacts on multidetector row CT images when the sequential processing method was applied. The ordered subset-expectation maximization and small region of interest reduced the processing duration without apparent detriments. A general-purpose graphic processing unit realized the high performance. A statistical reconstruction method was applied for the streak artefact reduction. The alternative algorithms applied were effective. Both software and hardware tools, such as ordered subset-expectation maximization, small region of interest and general-purpose graphic processing unit achieved fast artefact correction.

Ultralow-dose CT of the craniofacial bone for navigated surgery using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction and model-based iterative reconstruction: 2D and 3D image quality.

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Widmann, Gerlig; Schullian, Peter; Gassner, Eva-Maria; Hoermann, Romed; Bale, Reto; Puelacher, Wolfgang

2015-03-01

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to evaluate 2D and 3D image quality of high-resolution ultralow-dose CT images of the craniofacial bone for navigated surgery using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) in comparison with standard filtered backprojection (FBP). MATERIALS AND METHODS. A formalin-fixed human cadaver head was scanned using a clinical reference protocol at a CT dose index volume of 30.48 mGy and a series of five ultralow-dose protocols at 3.48, 2.19, 0.82, 0.44, and 0.22 mGy using FBP and ASIR at 50% (ASIR-50), ASIR at 100% (ASIR-100), and MBIR. Blinded 2D axial and 3D volume-rendered images were compared with each other by three readers using top-down scoring. Scores were analyzed per protocol or dose and reconstruction. All images were compared with the FBP reference at 30.48 mGy. A nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test was used. Statistical significance was set at p ASIR-100 at 3.48 mGy, ASIR-100 at 2.19 mGy, and MBIR at 0.82 mGy. MBIR at 2.19 and 3.48 mGy scored statistically significantly better than the FBP reference (p = 0.032 and 0.001, respectively). For 3D images, the FBP reference at 30.48 mGy did not statistically significantly differ from all reconstructions at 3.48 mGy; FBP and ASIR-100 at 2.19 mGy; FBP, ASIR-100, and MBIR at 0.82 mGy; MBIR at 0.44 mGy; and MBIR at 0.22 mGy. CONCLUSION. MBIR (2D and 3D) and ASIR-100 (2D) may significantly improve subjective image quality of ultralow-dose images and may allow more than 90% dose reductions.

Initial phantom study comparing image quality in computed tomography using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction and new adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction v.

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Kyungjae; Kwon, Heejin; Cho, Jinhan; Oh, Jongyoung; Yoon, Seongkuk; Kang, Myungjin; Ha, Dongho; Lee, Jinhwa; Kang, Eunju

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the image quality of a novel advanced iterative reconstruction (IR) method called as "adaptive statistical IR V" (ASIR-V) by comparing the image noise, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and spatial resolution from those of filtered back projection (FBP) and adaptive statistical IR (ASIR) on computed tomography (CT) phantom image. We performed CT scans at 5 different tube currents (50, 70, 100, 150, and 200 mA) using 3 types of CT phantoms. Scanned images were subsequently reconstructed in 7 different scan settings, such as FBP, and 3 levels of ASIR and ASIR-V (30%, 50%, and 70%). The image noise was measured in the first study using body phantom. The CNR was measured in the second study using contrast phantom and the spatial resolutions were measured in the third study using a high-resolution phantom. We compared the image noise, CNR, and spatial resolution among the 7 reconstructed image scan settings to determine whether noise reduction, high CNR, and high spatial resolution could be achieved at ASIR-V. At quantitative analysis of the first and second studies, it showed that the images reconstructed using ASIR-V had reduced image noise and improved CNR compared with those of FBP and ASIR (P ASIR-V had significantly improved spatial resolution than those of FBP and ASIR (P ASIR-V provides a significant reduction in image noise and a significant improvement in CNR as well as spatial resolution. Therefore, this technique has the potential to reduce the radiation dose further without compromising image quality.

The effect of iterative reconstruction on computed tomography assessment of emphysema, air trapping and airway dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mets, Onno M.; Willemink, Martin J.; Kort, Freek P.L. de; Leiner, Tim; Jong, Pim A. de; Mol, Christian P.; Oudkerk, Matthijs; Prokop, Mathias

2012-01-01

To determine the influence of iterative reconstruction (IR) on quantitative computed tomography (CT) measurements of emphysema, air trapping, and airway wall and lumen dimensions, compared to filtered back-projection (FBP). Inspiratory and expiratory chest CTs of 75 patients (37 male, 38 female; mean age 64.0 ± 5.7 years) were reconstructed using FBP and IR. CT emphysema, CT air trapping and airway dimensions of a segmental bronchus were quantified using several commonly used quantification methods. The two algorithms were compared using the concordance correlation coefficient (p c ) and Wilcoxon signed rank test. Only the E/I-ratio MLD as a measure of CT air trapping and airway dimensions showed no significant differences between the algorithms, whereas all CT emphysema and the other CT air trapping measures were significantly different at IR when compared to FBP (P MLD as a measure of CT air trapping, as well as the airway measurements, is unaffected by this reconstruction method. Quantitative CT of the lungs should be performed with careful attention to the CT protocol, especially when iterative reconstruction is introduced. (orig.)

Novel iterative reconstruction method with optimal dose usage for partially redundant CT-acquisition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruder, H; Raupach, R; Sunnegardh, J; Allmendinger, T; Klotz, E; Stierstorfer, K; Flohr, T

2015-01-01

In CT imaging, a variety of applications exist which are strongly SNR limited. However, in some cases redundant data of the same body region provide additional quanta.Examples: in dual energy CT, the spatial resolution has to be compromised to provide good SNR for material decomposition. However, the respective spectral dataset of the same body region provides additional quanta which might be utilized to improve SNR of each spectral component. Perfusion CT is a high dose application, and dose reduction is highly desirable. However, a meaningful evaluation of perfusion parameters might be impaired by noisy time frames. On the other hand, the SNR of the average of all time frames is extremely high.In redundant CT acquisitions, multiple image datasets can be reconstructed and averaged to composite image data. These composite image data, however, might be compromised with respect to contrast resolution and/or spatial resolution and/or temporal resolution. These observations bring us to the idea of transferring high SNR of composite image data to low SNR ‘source’ image data, while maintaining their resolution.It has been shown that the noise characteristics of CT image data can be improved by iterative reconstruction (Popescu et al 2012 Book of Abstracts, 2nd CT Meeting (Salt Lake City, UT) p 148). In case of data dependent Gaussian noise it can be modelled with image-based iterative reconstruction at least in an approximate manner (Bruder et al 2011 Proc. SPIE 7961 79610J).We present a generalized update equation in image space, consisting of a linear combination of the previous update, a correction term which is constrained by the source image data, and a regularization prior, which is initialized by the composite image data. This iterative reconstruction approach we call bimodal reconstruction (BMR).Based on simulation data it is shown that BMR can improve low contrast detectability, substantially reduces the noise power and has the potential to recover spatial

Novel iterative reconstruction method with optimal dose usage for partially redundant CT-acquisition

Science.gov (United States)

Bruder, H.; Raupach, R.; Sunnegardh, J.; Allmendinger, T.; Klotz, E.; Stierstorfer, K.; Flohr, T.

2015-11-01

In CT imaging, a variety of applications exist which are strongly SNR limited. However, in some cases redundant data of the same body region provide additional quanta. Examples: in dual energy CT, the spatial resolution has to be compromised to provide good SNR for material decomposition. However, the respective spectral dataset of the same body region provides additional quanta which might be utilized to improve SNR of each spectral component. Perfusion CT is a high dose application, and dose reduction is highly desirable. However, a meaningful evaluation of perfusion parameters might be impaired by noisy time frames. On the other hand, the SNR of the average of all time frames is extremely high. In redundant CT acquisitions, multiple image datasets can be reconstructed and averaged to composite image data. These composite image data, however, might be compromised with respect to contrast resolution and/or spatial resolution and/or temporal resolution. These observations bring us to the idea of transferring high SNR of composite image data to low SNR ‘source’ image data, while maintaining their resolution. It has been shown that the noise characteristics of CT image data can be improved by iterative reconstruction (Popescu et al 2012 Book of Abstracts, 2nd CT Meeting (Salt Lake City, UT) p 148). In case of data dependent Gaussian noise it can be modelled with image-based iterative reconstruction at least in an approximate manner (Bruder et al 2011 Proc. SPIE 7961 79610J). We present a generalized update equation in image space, consisting of a linear combination of the previous update, a correction term which is constrained by the source image data, and a regularization prior, which is initialized by the composite image data. This iterative reconstruction approach we call bimodal reconstruction (BMR). Based on simulation data it is shown that BMR can improve low contrast detectability, substantially reduces the noise power and has the potential to recover

The effects of iterative reconstruction in CT on low-contrast liver lesion volumetry: a phantom study

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Li, Qin; Berman, Benjamin P.; Schumacher, Justin; Liang, Yongguang; Gavrielides, Marios A.; Yang, Hao; Zhao, Binsheng; Petrick, Nicholas

2017-03-01

Tumor volume measured from computed tomography images is considered a biomarker for disease progression or treatment response. The estimation of the tumor volume depends on the imaging system parameters selected, as well as lesion characteristics. In this study, we examined how different image reconstruction methods affect the measurement of lesions in an anthropomorphic liver phantom with a non-uniform background. Iterative statistics-based and model-based reconstructions, as well as filtered back-projection, were evaluated and compared in this study. Statistics-based and filtered back-projection yielded similar estimation performance, while model-based yielded higher precision but lower accuracy in the case of small lesions. Iterative reconstructions exhibited higher signal-to-noise ratio but slightly lower contrast of the lesion relative to the background. A better understanding of lesion volumetry performance as a function of acquisition parameters and lesion characteristics can lead to its incorporation as a routine sizing tool.

Iterative CT reconstruction with small pixel size: distance-driven forward projector versus Joseph's

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Hahn, K.; Rassner, U.; Davidson, H. C.; Schöndube, H.; Stierstorfer, K.; Hornegger, J.; Noo, F.

2015-03-01

Over the last few years, iterative reconstruction methods have become an important research topic in x-ray CT imaging. This effort is motivated by increasing evidence that such methods may enable significant savings in terms of dose imparted to the patient. Conceptually, iterative reconstruction methods involve two important ingredients: the statistical model, which includes the forward projector, and a priori information in the image domain, which is expressed using a regularizer. Most often, the image pixel size is chosen to be equal (or close) to the detector pixel size (at field-of-view center). However, there are applications for which a smaller pixel size is desired. In this investigation, we focus on reconstruction with a pixel size that is twice smaller than the detector pixel size. Using such a small pixel size implies a large increase in computational effort when using the distance-driven method for forward projection, which models the detector size. On the other hand, the more efficient method of Joseph will create imbalances in the reconstruction of each pixel, in the sense that there will be large differences in the way each projection contributes to the pixels. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the impact of these imbalances on image quality in comparison with utilization of the distance-driven method. The evaluation involves computational effort, bias and noise metrics, and LROC analysis using human observers. The results show that Joseph's method largely remains attractive.

Three-dimensional focus of attention for iterative cone-beam micro-CT reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benson, T M; Gregor, J

2006-01-01

Three-dimensional iterative reconstruction of high-resolution, circular orbit cone-beam x-ray CT data is often considered impractical due to the demand for vast amounts of computer cycles and associated memory. In this paper, we show that the computational burden can be reduced by limiting the reconstruction to a small, well-defined portion of the image volume. We first discuss using the support region defined by the set of voxels covered by all of the projection views. We then present a data-driven preprocessing technique called focus of attention that heuristically separates both image and projection data into object and background before reconstruction, thereby further reducing the reconstruction region of interest. We present experimental results for both methods based on mouse data and a parallelized implementation of the SIRT algorithm. The computational savings associated with the support region are substantial. However, the results for focus of attention are even more impressive in that only about one quarter of the computer cycles and memory are needed compared with reconstruction of the entire image volume. The image quality is not compromised by either method

3D fast reconstruction in positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Egger, M.L.; Scheurer, A. Hermann; Joseph, C.; Morel, C.

1996-01-01

The issue of long reconstruction times in positron emission tomography (PET) has been addressed from several points of view, resulting in an affordable dedicated system capable of handling routine 3D reconstructions in a few minutes per frame : on the hardware side using fast processors and a parallel architecture, and on the software side, using efficient implementation of computationally less intensive algorithms

SU-F-I-49: Vendor-Independent, Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction On a Rotating Grid with Coordinate-Descent Optimization for CT Imaging Investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, S; Hoffman, J; McNitt-Gray, M; Noo, F

2016-01-01

Purpose: Iterative reconstruction methods show promise for improving image quality and lowering the dose in helical CT. We aim to develop a novel model-based reconstruction method that offers potential for dose reduction with reasonable computation speed and storage requirements for vendor-independent reconstruction from clinical data on a normal desktop computer. Methods: In 2012, Xu proposed reconstructing on rotating slices to exploit helical symmetry and reduce the storage requirements for the CT system matrix. Inspired by this concept, we have developed a novel reconstruction method incorporating the stored-system-matrix approach together with iterative coordinate-descent (ICD) optimization. A penalized-least-squares objective function with a quadratic penalty term is solved analytically voxel-by-voxel, sequentially iterating along the axial direction first, followed by the transaxial direction. 8 in-plane (transaxial) neighbors are used for the ICD algorithm. The forward problem is modeled via a unique approach that combines the principle of Joseph’s method with trilinear B-spline interpolation to enable accurate reconstruction with low storage requirements. Iterations are accelerated with multi-CPU OpenMP libraries. For preliminary evaluations, we reconstructed (1) a simulated 3D ellipse phantom and (2) an ACR accreditation phantom dataset exported from a clinical scanner (Definition AS, Siemens Healthcare). Image quality was evaluated in the resolution module. Results: Image quality was excellent for the ellipse phantom. For the ACR phantom, image quality was comparable to clinical reconstructions and reconstructions using open-source FreeCT-wFBP software. Also, we did not observe any deleterious impact associated with the utilization of rotating slices. The system matrix storage requirement was only 4.5GB, and reconstruction time was 50 seconds per iteration. Conclusion: Our reconstruction method shows potential for furthering research in low

SU-F-I-49: Vendor-Independent, Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction On a Rotating Grid with Coordinate-Descent Optimization for CT Imaging Investigations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Young, S; Hoffman, J; McNitt-Gray, M [UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Noo, F [University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Iterative reconstruction methods show promise for improving image quality and lowering the dose in helical CT. We aim to develop a novel model-based reconstruction method that offers potential for dose reduction with reasonable computation speed and storage requirements for vendor-independent reconstruction from clinical data on a normal desktop computer. Methods: In 2012, Xu proposed reconstructing on rotating slices to exploit helical symmetry and reduce the storage requirements for the CT system matrix. Inspired by this concept, we have developed a novel reconstruction method incorporating the stored-system-matrix approach together with iterative coordinate-descent (ICD) optimization. A penalized-least-squares objective function with a quadratic penalty term is solved analytically voxel-by-voxel, sequentially iterating along the axial direction first, followed by the transaxial direction. 8 in-plane (transaxial) neighbors are used for the ICD algorithm. The forward problem is modeled via a unique approach that combines the principle of Joseph’s method with trilinear B-spline interpolation to enable accurate reconstruction with low storage requirements. Iterations are accelerated with multi-CPU OpenMP libraries. For preliminary evaluations, we reconstructed (1) a simulated 3D ellipse phantom and (2) an ACR accreditation phantom dataset exported from a clinical scanner (Definition AS, Siemens Healthcare). Image quality was evaluated in the resolution module. Results: Image quality was excellent for the ellipse phantom. For the ACR phantom, image quality was comparable to clinical reconstructions and reconstructions using open-source FreeCT-wFBP software. Also, we did not observe any deleterious impact associated with the utilization of rotating slices. The system matrix storage requirement was only 4.5GB, and reconstruction time was 50 seconds per iteration. Conclusion: Our reconstruction method shows potential for furthering research in low

Rapid alignment of nanotomography data using joint iterative reconstruction and reprojection.

Science.gov (United States)

Gürsoy, Doğa; Hong, Young P; He, Kuan; Hujsak, Karl; Yoo, Seunghwan; Chen, Si; Li, Yue; Ge, Mingyuan; Miller, Lisa M; Chu, Yong S; De Andrade, Vincent; He, Kai; Cossairt, Oliver; Katsaggelos, Aggelos K; Jacobsen, Chris

2017-09-18

As x-ray and electron tomography is pushed further into the nanoscale, the limitations of rotation stages become more apparent, leading to challenges in the alignment of the acquired projection images. Here we present an approach for rapid post-acquisition alignment of these projections to obtain high quality three-dimensional images. Our approach is based on a joint estimation of alignment errors, and the object, using an iterative refinement procedure. With simulated data where we know the alignment error of each projection image, our approach shows a residual alignment error that is a factor of a thousand smaller, and it reaches the same error level in the reconstructed image in less than half the number of iterations. We then show its application to experimental data in x-ray and electron nanotomography.

Investigation of vessel visibility of iterative reconstruction method in coronary computed tomography angiography using simulated vessel phantom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, Takeshi; Uto, Fumiaki; Ichikawa, Katsuhiro; Hara, Takanori; Urikura, Atsushi; Hoshino, Takashi; Miura, Youhei; Terakawa, Syouichi

2012-01-01

Iterative reconstruction methods can reduce the noise of computed tomography (CT) images, which are expected to contribute to the reduction of patient dose CT examinations. The purpose of this study was to investigate impact of an iterative reconstruction method (iDose 4 , Philips Healthcare) on vessel visibility in coronary CT angiography (CTA) by using phantom studies. A simulated phantom was scanned by a CT system (iCT, Philips Healthcare), and the axial images were reconstructed by filtered back projection (FBP) and given a level of 1 to 7 (L1-L7) of the iterative reconstruction (IR). The vessel visibility was evaluated by a quantitative analysis using profiles across a 1.5-mm diameter simulated vessel as well as visual evaluation for multi planar reformation (MPR) images and volume rendering (VR) images in terms of the normalized-rank method with analysis of variance. The peak CT value of the profiles decreased with IR level and full width at half maximum of the profile also decreased with the IR level. For normalized-rank method, there was no statistical difference between FBP and L1 (20% dose reduction) for both MPR and VR images. The IR levels higher than L1 sacrificed the spatial resolution for the 1.5-mm simulated vessel, and their visual vessel visibilities were significantly inferior to that of the FBP. (author)

Radiation dose reduction in soft tissue neck CT using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR)

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Vachha, Behroze, E-mail: bvachha@partners.org [Neuroradiology Division, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114 (United States); Brodoefel, Harald; Wilcox, Carol; Hackney, David B.; Moonis, Gul [Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 (United States)

2013-12-01

Purpose: To compare objective and subjective image quality in neck CT images acquired at different tube current–time products (275 mA s and 340 mA s) and reconstructed with filtered-back-projection (FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). Materials and methods: HIPAA-compliant study with IRB approval and waiver of informed consent. 66 consecutive patients were randomly assigned to undergo contrast-enhanced neck CT at a standard tube-current–time-product (340 mA s; n = 33) or reduced tube-current–time-product (275 mA s, n = 33). Data sets were reconstructed with FBP and 2 levels (30%, 40%) of ASIR-FBP blending at 340 mA s and 275 mA s. Two neuroradiologists assessed subjective image quality in a blinded and randomized manner. Volume CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length-product (DLP), effective dose, and objective image noise were recorded. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was computed as mean attenuation in a region of interest in the sternocleidomastoid muscle divided by image noise. Results: Compared with FBP, ASIR resulted in a reduction of image noise at both 340 mA s and 275 mA s. Reduction of tube current from 340 mA s to 275 mA s resulted in an increase in mean objective image noise (p = 0.02) and a decrease in SNR (p = 0.03) when images were reconstructed with FBP. However, when the 275 mA s images were reconstructed using ASIR, the mean objective image noise and SNR were similar to those of the standard 340 mA s CT images reconstructed with FBP (p > 0.05). Subjective image noise was ranked by both raters as either average or less-than-average irrespective of the tube current and iterative reconstruction technique. Conclusion: Adapting ASIR into neck CT protocols reduced effective dose by 17% without compromising image quality.

Radiation dose reduction in soft tissue neck CT using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vachha, Behroze; Brodoefel, Harald; Wilcox, Carol; Hackney, David B.; Moonis, Gul

2013-01-01

Purpose: To compare objective and subjective image quality in neck CT images acquired at different tube current–time products (275 mA s and 340 mA s) and reconstructed with filtered-back-projection (FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). Materials and methods: HIPAA-compliant study with IRB approval and waiver of informed consent. 66 consecutive patients were randomly assigned to undergo contrast-enhanced neck CT at a standard tube-current–time-product (340 mA s; n = 33) or reduced tube-current–time-product (275 mA s, n = 33). Data sets were reconstructed with FBP and 2 levels (30%, 40%) of ASIR-FBP blending at 340 mA s and 275 mA s. Two neuroradiologists assessed subjective image quality in a blinded and randomized manner. Volume CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length-product (DLP), effective dose, and objective image noise were recorded. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was computed as mean attenuation in a region of interest in the sternocleidomastoid muscle divided by image noise. Results: Compared with FBP, ASIR resulted in a reduction of image noise at both 340 mA s and 275 mA s. Reduction of tube current from 340 mA s to 275 mA s resulted in an increase in mean objective image noise (p = 0.02) and a decrease in SNR (p = 0.03) when images were reconstructed with FBP. However, when the 275 mA s images were reconstructed using ASIR, the mean objective image noise and SNR were similar to those of the standard 340 mA s CT images reconstructed with FBP (p > 0.05). Subjective image noise was ranked by both raters as either average or less-than-average irrespective of the tube current and iterative reconstruction technique. Conclusion: Adapting ASIR into neck CT protocols reduced effective dose by 17% without compromising image quality

Radiation dose reduction in soft tissue neck CT using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR).

Science.gov (United States)

Vachha, Behroze; Brodoefel, Harald; Wilcox, Carol; Hackney, David B; Moonis, Gul

2013-12-01

To compare objective and subjective image quality in neck CT images acquired at different tube current-time products (275 mAs and 340 mAs) and reconstructed with filtered-back-projection (FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). HIPAA-compliant study with IRB approval and waiver of informed consent. 66 consecutive patients were randomly assigned to undergo contrast-enhanced neck CT at a standard tube-current-time-product (340 mAs; n = 33) or reduced tube-current-time-product (275 mAs, n = 33). Data sets were reconstructed with FBP and 2 levels (30%, 40%) of ASIR-FBP blending at 340 mAs and 275 mAs. Two neuroradiologists assessed subjective image quality in a blinded and randomized manner. Volume CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length-product (DLP), effective dose, and objective image noise were recorded. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was computed as mean attenuation in a region of interest in the sternocleidomastoid muscle divided by image noise. Compared with FBP, ASIR resulted in a reduction of image noise at both 340 mAs and 275 mAs. Reduction of tube current from 340 mAs to 275 mAs resulted in an increase in mean objective image noise (p=0.02) and a decrease in SNR (p = 0.03) when images were reconstructed with FBP. However, when the 275 mAs images were reconstructed using ASIR, the mean objective image noise and SNR were similar to those of the standard 340 mAs CT images reconstructed with FBP (p>0.05). Subjective image noise was ranked by both raters as either average or less-than-average irrespective of the tube current and iterative reconstruction technique. Adapting ASIR into neck CT protocols reduced effective dose by 17% without compromising image quality. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fully 3D GPU PET reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herraiz, J.L., E-mail: joaquin@nuclear.fis.ucm.es [Grupo de Fisica Nuclear, Departmento Fisica Atomica, Molecular y Nuclear, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain); Espana, S. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States); Cal-Gonzalez, J. [Grupo de Fisica Nuclear, Departmento Fisica Atomica, Molecular y Nuclear, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain); Vaquero, J.J. [Departmento de Bioingenieria e Ingenieria Espacial, Universidad Carlos III, Madrid (Spain); Desco, M. [Departmento de Bioingenieria e Ingenieria Espacial, Universidad Carlos III, Madrid (Spain); Unidad de Medicina y Cirugia Experimental, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Maranon, Madrid (Spain); Udias, J.M. [Grupo de Fisica Nuclear, Departmento Fisica Atomica, Molecular y Nuclear, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain)

2011-08-21

Fully 3D iterative tomographic image reconstruction is computationally very demanding. Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) has been proposed for many years as potential accelerators in complex scientific problems, but it has not been used until the recent advances in the programmability of GPUs that the best available reconstruction codes have started to be implemented to be run on GPUs. This work presents a GPU-based fully 3D PET iterative reconstruction software. This new code may reconstruct sinogram data from several commercially available PET scanners. The most important and time-consuming parts of the code, the forward and backward projection operations, are based on an accurate model of the scanner obtained with the Monte Carlo code PeneloPET and they have been massively parallelized on the GPU. For the PET scanners considered, the GPU-based code is more than 70 times faster than a similar code running on a single core of a fast CPU, obtaining in both cases the same images. The code has been designed to be easily adapted to reconstruct sinograms from any other PET scanner, including scanner prototypes.

Fully 3D GPU PET reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herraiz, J.L.; Espana, S.; Cal-Gonzalez, J.; Vaquero, J.J.; Desco, M.; Udias, J.M.

2011-01-01

Fully 3D iterative tomographic image reconstruction is computationally very demanding. Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) has been proposed for many years as potential accelerators in complex scientific problems, but it has not been used until the recent advances in the programmability of GPUs that the best available reconstruction codes have started to be implemented to be run on GPUs. This work presents a GPU-based fully 3D PET iterative reconstruction software. This new code may reconstruct sinogram data from several commercially available PET scanners. The most important and time-consuming parts of the code, the forward and backward projection operations, are based on an accurate model of the scanner obtained with the Monte Carlo code PeneloPET and they have been massively parallelized on the GPU. For the PET scanners considered, the GPU-based code is more than 70 times faster than a similar code running on a single core of a fast CPU, obtaining in both cases the same images. The code has been designed to be easily adapted to reconstruct sinograms from any other PET scanner, including scanner prototypes.

Optimization of PET image quality by means of 3D data acquisition and iterative image reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doll, J.; Zaers, J.; Trojan, H.; Bellemann, M.E.; Adam, L.E.; Haberkorn, U.; Brix, G.

1998-01-01

The experiments were performed at the latest-generation whole-body PET system ECAT EXACT HR + . For 2D data acquisition, a collimator of thin tungsten septa was positioned in the field-of-view. Prior to image reconstruction, the measured 3D data were sorted into 2D sinograms by using the Fourier rebinning (FORE) algorithm developed by M. Defrise. The standard filtered backprojection (FBP) method and an optimized ML/EM algorithm with overrelaxation for accelerated convergence were employed for image reconstruction. The spatial resolution of both methods as well as the convergence and noise properties of the ML/EM algorithm were studied in phantom measurements. Furthermore, patient data were acquired in the 2D mode as well as in the 3D mode and reconstructed with both techniques. At the same spatial resolution, the ML/EM-reconstructed images showed fewer and less prominent artefacts than the FBP-reconstructed images. The resulting improved detail conspicuously was achieved for the data acquired in the 2D mode as well as in the 3D mode. The best image quality was obtained by iterative 2D reconstruction of 3D data sets which were previously rebinned into 2D sinograms with help of the FORE algorithm. The phantom measurements revealed that 50 iteration steps with the otpimized ML/EM algorithm were sufficient to keep the relative quantitation error below 5%. (orig./MG) [de

A noise power spectrum study of a new model-based iterative reconstruction system: Veo 3.0.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Guang; Liu, Xinming; Dodge, Cristina T; Jensen, Corey T; Rong, X John

2016-09-08

The purpose of this study was to evaluate performance of the third generation of model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) system, Veo 3.0, based on noise power spectrum (NPS) analysis with various clinical presets over a wide range of clinically applicable dose levels. A CatPhan 600 surrounded by an oval, fat-equivalent ring to mimic patient size/shape was scanned 10 times at each of six dose levels on a GE HD 750 scanner. NPS analysis was performed on images reconstructed with various Veo 3.0 preset combinations for comparisons of those images reconstructed using Veo 2.0, filtered back projection (FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruc-tion (ASiR). The new Target Thickness setting resulted in higher noise in thicker axial images. The new Texture Enhancement function achieved a more isotropic noise behavior with less image artifacts. Veo 3.0 provides additional reconstruction options designed to allow the user choice of balance between spatial resolution and image noise, relative to Veo 2.0. Veo 3.0 provides more user selectable options and in general improved isotropic noise behavior in comparison to Veo 2.0. The overall noise reduction performance of both versions of MBIR was improved in comparison to FBP and ASiR, especially at low-dose levels. © 2016 The Authors.

Impact of the algorithm of iterative reconstruction ASIR in the CTDI of studies in TCHMC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ambroa Rey, E. M.; Vazquez Vazquez, R.; Gimenez Insua, M.; Sanchez Garcia, M.; Otero Martinez, C.; Luna Vega, V.; Mosquera Sueiro, J.; Lobato Busto, R.; Pombar Camean, M.

2013-01-01

The objective of this work is to make a comparison of the doses in the 10 protocols most commonly used in our Center, before and after the commissioning of the software ASIR (Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction). (Author)

Phase reconstruction by a multilevel iteratively regularized Gauss–Newton method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Langemann, Dirk; Tasche, Manfred

2008-01-01

In this paper we consider the numerical solution of a phase retrieval problem for a compactly supported, linear spline f : R → C with the Fourier transform f-circumflex, where values of |f| and |f-circumflex| at finitely many equispaced nodes are given. The unknown phases of complex spline coefficients fulfil a well-structured system of nonlinear equations. Thus the phase reconstruction leads to a nonlinear inverse problem, which is solved by a multilevel strategy and iterative Tikhonov regularization. The multilevel strategy concentrates the main effort of the solution of the phase retrieval problem in the coarse, less expensive levels and provides convenient initial guesses at the next finer level. On each level, the corresponding nonlinear system is solved by an iteratively regularized Gauss–Newton method. The multilevel strategy is motivated by convergence results of IRGN. This method is applicable to a wide range of examples as shown in several numerical tests for noiseless and noisy data

Reduction of radiation exposure and improvement of image quality with BMI-adapted prospective cardiac computed tomography and iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosch, Waldemar; Stiller, Wolfram; Mueller, Dirk; Gitsioudis, Gitsios; Welzel, Johanna; Dadrich, Monika; Buss, Sebastian J.; Giannitsis, Evangelos; Kauczor, Hans U.; Katus, Hugo A.; Korosoglou, Grigorios

2012-01-01

Purpose: To assess the impact of body mass index (BMI)-adapted protocols and iterative reconstruction algorithms (iDose) on patient radiation exposure and image quality in patients undergoing prospective ECG-triggered 256-slice coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). Methods: Image quality and radiation exposure were systematically analyzed in 100 patients. 60 Patients underwent prospective ECG-triggered CCTA using a non-tailored protocol and served as a ‘control’ group (Group 1: 120 kV, 200 mA s). 40 Consecutive patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) underwent prospective CCTA, using BMI-adapted tube voltage and standard (Group 2: 100/120 kV, 100–200 mA s) versus reduced tube current (Group 3: 100/120 kV, 75–150 mA s). Iterative reconstructions were provided with different iDose levels and were compared to filtered back projection (FBP) reconstructions. Image quality was assessed in consensus of 2 experienced observers and using a 5-grade scale (1 = best to 5 = worse), and signal- and contrast-to-noise ratios (SNR and CNR) were quantified. Results: CCTA was performed without adverse events in all patients (n = 100, heart rate of 47–87 bpm and BMI of 19–38 kg/m 2 ). Patients examined using the non-tailored protocol in Group 1 had the highest radiation exposure (3.2 ± 0.4 mSv), followed by Group 2 (1.7 ± 0.7 mSv) and Group 3 (1.2 ± 0.6 mSv) (radiation savings of 47% and 63%, respectively, p < 0.001). Iterative reconstructions provided increased SNR and CNR, particularly when higher iDose level 5 was applied with Multi-Frequency reconstruction (iDose5 MFR) (14.1 ± 4.6 versus 21.2 ± 7.3 for SNR and 12.0 ± 4.2 versus 18.1 ± 6.6 for CNR, for FBP versus iDose5 MFR, respectively, p < 0.001). The combination of BMI adaptation with iterative reconstruction reduced radiation exposure and simultaneously improved image quality (subjective image quality of 1.4 ± 0.4 versus 1.9 ± 0.5 for Group 2 reconstructed using iDose5 MFR versus

Comparison of iterative model, hybrid iterative, and filtered back projection reconstruction techniques in low-dose brain CT: impact of thin-slice imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakaura, Takeshi; Iyama, Yuji; Kidoh, Masafumi; Yokoyama, Koichi [Amakusa Medical Center, Diagnostic Radiology, Amakusa, Kumamoto (Japan); Kumamoto University, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto (Japan); Oda, Seitaro; Yamashita, Yasuyuki [Kumamoto University, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto (Japan); Tokuyasu, Shinichi [Philips Electronics, Kumamoto (Japan); Harada, Kazunori [Amakusa Medical Center, Department of Surgery, Kumamoto (Japan)

2016-03-15

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of iterative model reconstruction (IMR) in brain CT especially with thin-slice images. This prospective study received institutional review board approval, and prior informed consent to participate was obtained from all patients. We enrolled 34 patients who underwent brain CT and reconstructed axial images with filtered back projection (FBP), hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR) and IMR with 1 and 5 mm slice thicknesses. The CT number, image noise, contrast, and contrast noise ratio (CNR) between the thalamus and internal capsule, and the rate of increase of image noise in 1 and 5 mm thickness images between the reconstruction methods, were assessed. Two independent radiologists assessed image contrast, image noise, image sharpness, and overall image quality on a 4-point scale. The CNRs in 1 and 5 mm slice thickness were significantly higher with IMR (1.2 ± 0.6 and 2.2 ± 0.8, respectively) than with FBP (0.4 ± 0.3 and 1.0 ± 0.4, respectively) and HIR (0.5 ± 0.3 and 1.2 ± 0.4, respectively) (p < 0.01). The mean rate of increasing noise from 5 to 1 mm thickness images was significantly lower with IMR (1.7 ± 0.3) than with FBP (2.3 ± 0.3) and HIR (2.3 ± 0.4) (p < 0.01). There were no significant differences in qualitative analysis of unfamiliar image texture between the reconstruction techniques. IMR offers significant noise reduction and higher contrast and CNR in brain CT, especially for thin-slice images, when compared to FBP and HIR. (orig.)

Projector and backprojector for iterative CT reconstruction with blobs using CUDA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bippus, Rolf-Dieter; Koehler, Thomas; Bergner, Frank; Brendel, Bernhard; Proksa, Roland [Philips Research Laboratories, Hamburg (Germany); Hansis, Eberhard [Philips Healthcare, Nuclear Medicine, San Jose, CA (United States)

2011-07-01

Using blobs allows modeling the CT system's geometry more correctly within an iterative reconstruction framework. However their application comes with an increased computational demand. This led us to use blobs for image representation and a dedicated GPU hardware implementation to counteract their computational demand. Making extensive use of the texture interpolation capabilities of CUDA and implementing an asymmetric projector/backprojector pair we achieve reasonable processing times and good system modeling at the same time. (orig.)

The ITER Fast Plant System Controller ATCA prototype Real-Time Software Architecture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carvalho, B.B.; Santos, B.; Carvalho, P.F.; Neto, A.; Boncagni, L.; Batista, A.J.N.; Correia, M.; Sousa, J.; Gonçalves, B.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► High performance ATCA systems for fast control and data acquisition. ► IEEE1588 timing system and synchronization. ► Plasma control algorithms. ► Real-time control software frameworks. ► Targeted for nuclear fusion experiments with long duration discharges. -- Abstract: IPFN is developing a prototype Fast Plant System Controller (FPSC) based in ATCA embedded technologies dedicated to ITER CODAC data acquisition and control tasks in the sub-millisecond range. The main goal is to demonstrate the usability of the ATCA standard and its enhanced specifications for the high speed, very high density parallel data acquisition needs of the most demanding ITER tokamak plasma Instrumentation and Control (I and C) systems. This effort included the in-house development of a new family of high performance ATCA I/O and timing boards. The standard ITER software system CODAC Core System (CCS) v3.1, with the control based in the EPICS system does not cover yet the real-time requirements fulfilled by this hardware, so a new set of software components was developed for this specific platform, attempting to integrate and leverage the new features in CSS, for example the Multithreaded Application Real Time executor (MARTe) software framework, the new Data Archiving Network (DAN) solution, an ATCA IEEE-1588-2008 timing interface, and the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) for system monitoring and remote management. This paper presents the overall software architecture for the ATCA FPSC, as well a discussion on the ITER constrains and design choices and finally a detailed description of the software components already developed

The ITER Fast Plant System Controller ATCA prototype Real-Time Software Architecture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carvalho, B.B., E-mail: bernardo@ipfn.ist.utl.pt [Associacao EURATOM/IST Instituto de Plasmas e Fusao Nuclear, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, P-1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Santos, B.; Carvalho, P.F.; Neto, A. [Associacao EURATOM/IST Instituto de Plasmas e Fusao Nuclear, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, P-1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal); Boncagni, L. [Associazione Euratom-ENEA sulla Fusione, Frascati Research Centre, Division of Fusion Physics, Frascati, Rome (Italy); Batista, A.J.N.; Correia, M.; Sousa, J.; Gonçalves, B. [Associacao EURATOM/IST Instituto de Plasmas e Fusao Nuclear, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, P-1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal)

2013-10-15

Highlights: ► High performance ATCA systems for fast control and data acquisition. ► IEEE1588 timing system and synchronization. ► Plasma control algorithms. ► Real-time control software frameworks. ► Targeted for nuclear fusion experiments with long duration discharges. -- Abstract: IPFN is developing a prototype Fast Plant System Controller (FPSC) based in ATCA embedded technologies dedicated to ITER CODAC data acquisition and control tasks in the sub-millisecond range. The main goal is to demonstrate the usability of the ATCA standard and its enhanced specifications for the high speed, very high density parallel data acquisition needs of the most demanding ITER tokamak plasma Instrumentation and Control (I and C) systems. This effort included the in-house development of a new family of high performance ATCA I/O and timing boards. The standard ITER software system CODAC Core System (CCS) v3.1, with the control based in the EPICS system does not cover yet the real-time requirements fulfilled by this hardware, so a new set of software components was developed for this specific platform, attempting to integrate and leverage the new features in CSS, for example the Multithreaded Application Real Time executor (MARTe) software framework, the new Data Archiving Network (DAN) solution, an ATCA IEEE-1588-2008 timing interface, and the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) for system monitoring and remote management. This paper presents the overall software architecture for the ATCA FPSC, as well a discussion on the ITER constrains and design choices and finally a detailed description of the software components already developed.

Dose reduction with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction for paediatric CT: phantom study and clinical experience on chest and abdomen CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gay, F.; Lasalle, S.; Neuenschwander, S.; Brisse, H.J. [Institut Curie, Imaging Department, Paris (France); Pavia, Y.; Pierrat, N. [Institut Curie, Medical Physics Department, Paris (France)

2014-01-15

To assess the benefit and limits of iterative reconstruction of paediatric chest and abdominal computed tomography (CT). The study compared adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) with filtered back projection (FBP) on 64-channel MDCT. A phantom study was first performed using variable tube potential, tube current and ASIR settings. The assessed image quality indices were the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the noise power spectrum, low contrast detectability (LCD) and spatial resolution. A clinical retrospective study of 26 children (M:F = 14/12, mean age: 4 years, range: 1-9 years) was secondarily performed allowing comparison of 18 chest and 14 abdominal CT pairs, one with a routine CT dose and FBP reconstruction, and the other with 30 % lower dose and 40 % ASIR reconstruction. Two radiologists independently compared the images for overall image quality, noise, sharpness and artefacts, and measured image noise. The phantom study demonstrated a significant increase in SNR without impairment of the LCD or spatial resolution, except for tube current values below 30-50 mA. On clinical images, no significant difference was observed between FBP and reduced dose ASIR images. Iterative reconstruction allows at least 30 % dose reduction in paediatric chest and abdominal CT, without impairment of image quality. (orig.)

Dose reduction with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction for paediatric CT: phantom study and clinical experience on chest and abdomen CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gay, F.; Lasalle, S.; Neuenschwander, S.; Brisse, H.J.; Pavia, Y.; Pierrat, N.

2014-01-01

To assess the benefit and limits of iterative reconstruction of paediatric chest and abdominal computed tomography (CT). The study compared adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) with filtered back projection (FBP) on 64-channel MDCT. A phantom study was first performed using variable tube potential, tube current and ASIR settings. The assessed image quality indices were the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the noise power spectrum, low contrast detectability (LCD) and spatial resolution. A clinical retrospective study of 26 children (M:F = 14/12, mean age: 4 years, range: 1-9 years) was secondarily performed allowing comparison of 18 chest and 14 abdominal CT pairs, one with a routine CT dose and FBP reconstruction, and the other with 30 % lower dose and 40 % ASIR reconstruction. Two radiologists independently compared the images for overall image quality, noise, sharpness and artefacts, and measured image noise. The phantom study demonstrated a significant increase in SNR without impairment of the LCD or spatial resolution, except for tube current values below 30-50 mA. On clinical images, no significant difference was observed between FBP and reduced dose ASIR images. Iterative reconstruction allows at least 30 % dose reduction in paediatric chest and abdominal CT, without impairment of image quality. (orig.)

3D dictionary learning based iterative cone beam CT reconstruction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ti Bai

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose: This work is to develop a 3D dictionary learning based cone beam CT (CBCT reconstruction algorithm on graphic processing units (GPU to improve the quality of sparse-view CBCT reconstruction with high efficiency. Methods: A 3D dictionary containing 256 small volumes (atoms of 3 × 3 × 3 was trained from a large number of blocks extracted from a high quality volume image. On the basis, we utilized cholesky decomposition based orthogonal matching pursuit algorithm to find the sparse representation of each block. To accelerate the time-consuming sparse coding in the 3D case, we implemented the sparse coding in a parallel fashion by taking advantage of the tremendous computational power of GPU. Conjugate gradient least square algorithm was adopted to minimize the data fidelity term. Evaluations are performed based on a head-neck patient case. FDK reconstruction with full dataset of 364 projections is used as the reference. We compared the proposed 3D dictionary learning based method with tight frame (TF by performing reconstructions on a subset data of 121 projections. Results: Compared to TF based CBCT reconstruction that shows good overall performance, our experiments indicated that 3D dictionary learning based CBCT reconstruction is able to recover finer structures, remove more streaking artifacts and also induce less blocky artifacts. Conclusion: 3D dictionary learning based CBCT reconstruction algorithm is able to sense the structural information while suppress the noise, and hence to achieve high quality reconstruction under the case of sparse view. The GPU realization of the whole algorithm offers a significant efficiency enhancement, making this algorithm more feasible for potential clinical application.-------------------------------Cite this article as: Bai T, Yan H, Shi F, Jia X, Lou Y, Xu Q, Jiang S, Mou X. 3D dictionary learning based iterative cone beam CT reconstruction. Int J Cancer Ther Oncol 2014; 2(2:020240. DOI: 10

Fast wave current drive on ITER in the presence of energetic alphas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mau, T.K.

1989-01-01

The impact of energetic alpha particle wave absorption on the range of frequencies for efficient fast wave current drive in an ITER-like fusion reactor core is investigated. The energetic alpha damping decrement is calculated, using an exact slowing down distribution function, and compared to electron and fuel ion damping over a wide range of frequencies. A combination of strong alpha damping and edge electron absorption in the higher ion harmonic regime limits efficient core fast wave current drive to the lower harmonics (1=2.3). However, high frequency fast waves may be employed to generate current in the outer plasma region. 11 refs., 7 figs

Noise-based tube current reduction method with iterative reconstruction for reduction of radiation exposure in coronary CT angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shen, Junlin; Du, Xiangying; Guo, Daode; Cao, Lizhen; Gao, Yan; Bai, Mei; Li, Pengyu; Liu, Jiabin; Li, Kuncheng

2013-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the potential of noise-based tube current reduction method with iterative reconstruction to reduce radiation exposure while achieving consistent image quality in coronary CT angiography (CCTA). Materials and methods: 294 patients underwent CCTA on a 64-detector row CT equipped with iterative reconstruction. 102 patients with fixed tube current were assigned to Group 1, which was used to establish noise-based tube current modulation formulas, where tube current was modulated by the noise of test bolus image. 192 patients with noise-based tube current were randomly assigned to Group 2 and Group 3. Filtered back projection was applied for Group 2 and iterative reconstruction for Group 3. Qualitative image quality was assessed with a 5 point score. Image noise, signal intensity, volume CT dose index, and dose-length product were measured. Results: The noise-based tube current modulation formulas were established through regression analysis using image noise measurements in Group 1. Image noise was precisely maintained at the target value of 35.00 HU with small interquartile ranges for Group 2 (34.17–35.08 HU) and Group 3 (34.34–35.03 HU), while it was from 28.41 to 36.49 HU for Group 1. All images in the three groups were acceptable for diagnosis. A relative 14% and 41% reduction in effective dose for Group 2 and Group 3 were observed compared with Group 1. Conclusion: Adequate image quality could be maintained at a desired and consistent noise level with overall 14% dose reduction using noise-based tube current reduction method. The use of iterative reconstruction further achieved approximately 40% reduction in effective dose

Design of 4D x-ray tomography experiments for reconstruction using regularized iterative algorithms

Science.gov (United States)

Mohan, K. Aditya

2017-10-01

4D X-ray computed tomography (4D-XCT) is widely used to perform non-destructive characterization of time varying physical processes in various materials. The conventional approach to improving temporal resolution in 4D-XCT involves the development of expensive and complex instrumentation that acquire data faster with reduced noise. It is customary to acquire data with many tomographic views at a high signal to noise ratio. Instead, temporal resolution can be improved using regularized iterative algorithms that are less sensitive to noise and limited views. These algorithms benefit from optimization of other parameters such as the view sampling strategy while improving temporal resolution by reducing the total number of views or the detector exposure time. This paper presents the design principles of 4D-XCT experiments when using regularized iterative algorithms derived using the framework of model-based reconstruction. A strategy for performing 4D-XCT experiments is presented that allows for improving the temporal resolution by progressively reducing the number of views or the detector exposure time. Theoretical analysis of the effect of the data acquisition parameters on the detector signal to noise ratio, spatial reconstruction resolution, and temporal reconstruction resolution is also presented in this paper.

Real-time SPARSE-SENSE cardiac cine MR imaging: optimization of image reconstruction and sequence validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Goebel, Juliane; Nensa, Felix; Bomas, Bettina; Schemuth, Haemi P; Maderwald, Stefan; Gratz, Marcel; Quick, Harald H; Schlosser, Thomas; Nassenstein, Kai

2016-12-01

Improved real-time cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) sequences have currently been introduced, but so far only limited practical experience exists. This study aimed at image reconstruction optimization and clinical validation of a new highly accelerated real-time cine SPARSE-SENSE sequence. Left ventricular (LV) short-axis stacks of a real-time free-breathing SPARSE-SENSE sequence with high spatiotemporal resolution and of a standard segmented cine SSFP sequence were acquired at 1.5 T in 11 volunteers and 15 patients. To determine the optimal iterations, all volunteers' SPARSE-SENSE images were reconstructed using 10-200 iterations, and contrast ratios, image entropies, and reconstruction times were assessed. Subsequently, the patients' SPARSE-SENSE images were reconstructed with the clinically optimal iterations. LV volumetric values were evaluated and compared between both sequences. Sufficient image quality and acceptable reconstruction times were achieved when using 80 iterations. Bland-Altman plots and Passing-Bablok regression showed good agreement for all volumetric parameters. 80 iterations are recommended for iterative SPARSE-SENSE image reconstruction in clinical routine. Real-time cine SPARSE-SENSE yielded comparable volumetric results as the current standard SSFP sequence. Due to its intrinsic low image acquisition times, real-time cine SPARSE-SENSE imaging with iterative image reconstruction seems to be an attractive alternative for LV function analysis. • A highly accelerated real-time CMR sequence using SPARSE-SENSE was evaluated. • SPARSE-SENSE allows free breathing in real-time cardiac cine imaging. • For clinically optimal SPARSE-SENSE image reconstruction, 80 iterations are recommended. • Real-time SPARSE-SENSE imaging yielded comparable volumetric results as the reference SSFP sequence. • The fast SPARSE-SENSE sequence is an attractive alternative to standard SSFP sequences.

Iterative reconstruction of transcriptional regulatory networks: an algorithmic approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian L Barrett

2006-05-01

Full Text Available The number of complete, publicly available genome sequences is now greater than 200, and this number is expected to rapidly grow in the near future as metagenomic and environmental sequencing efforts escalate and the cost of sequencing drops. In order to make use of this data for understanding particular organisms and for discerning general principles about how organisms function, it will be necessary to reconstruct their various biochemical reaction networks. Principal among these will be transcriptional regulatory networks. Given the physical and logical complexity of these networks, the various sources of (often noisy data that can be utilized for their elucidation, the monetary costs involved, and the huge number of potential experiments approximately 10(12 that can be performed, experiment design algorithms will be necessary for synthesizing the various computational and experimental data to maximize the efficiency of regulatory network reconstruction. This paper presents an algorithm for experimental design to systematically and efficiently reconstruct transcriptional regulatory networks. It is meant to be applied iteratively in conjunction with an experimental laboratory component. The algorithm is presented here in the context of reconstructing transcriptional regulation for metabolism in Escherichia coli, and, through a retrospective analysis with previously performed experiments, we show that the produced experiment designs conform to how a human would design experiments. The algorithm is able to utilize probability estimates based on a wide range of computational and experimental sources to suggest experiments with the highest potential of discovering the greatest amount of new regulatory knowledge.

Computed Tomography Imaging of a Hip Prosthesis Using Iterative Model-Based Reconstruction and Orthopaedic Metal Artefact Reduction: A Quantitative Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wellenberg, Ruud H H; Boomsma, Martijn F; van Osch, Jochen A C; Vlassenbroek, Alain; Milles, Julien; Edens, Mireille A; Streekstra, Geert J; Slump, Cornelis H; Maas, Mario

To quantify the combined use of iterative model-based reconstruction (IMR) and orthopaedic metal artefact reduction (O-MAR) in reducing metal artefacts and improving image quality in a total hip arthroplasty phantom. Scans acquired at several dose levels and kVps were reconstructed with filtered back-projection (FBP), iterative reconstruction (iDose) and IMR, with and without O-MAR. Computed tomography (CT) numbers, noise levels, signal-to-noise-ratios and contrast-to-noise-ratios were analysed. Iterative model-based reconstruction results in overall improved image quality compared to iDose and FBP (P < 0.001). Orthopaedic metal artefact reduction is most effective in reducing severe metal artefacts improving CT number accuracy by 50%, 60%, and 63% (P < 0.05) and reducing noise by 1%, 62%, and 85% (P < 0.001) whereas improving signal-to-noise-ratios by 27%, 47%, and 46% (P < 0.001) and contrast-to-noise-ratios by 16%, 25%, and 19% (P < 0.001) with FBP, iDose, and IMR, respectively. The combined use of IMR and O-MAR strongly improves overall image quality and strongly reduces metal artefacts in the CT imaging of a total hip arthroplasty phantom.

Fast emulation of track reconstruction in the CMS simulation

CERN Document Server

Komm, Matthias

2017-01-01

Simulated samples of various physics processes are a key ingredient within analyses to unlock the physics behind LHC collision data. Samples with more and more statistics are required to keep up with the increasing amounts of recorded data. During sample generation, significant computing time is spent on the reconstruction of charged particle tracks from energy deposits which additionally scales with the pileup conditions. In CMS, the FastSimulation package is developed for providing a fast alternative to the standard simulation and reconstruction workflow. It employs various techniques to emulate track reconstruction effects in particle collision events. Several analysis groups in CMS are utilizing the package, in particular those requiring many samples to scan the parameter space of physics models (e.g. SUSY) or for the purpose of estimating systematic uncertainties. The strategies for and recent developments in this emulation are presented, including a novel, flexible implementation of tracking emulation w...

Development of an iterative 3D reconstruction method for the control of heavy-ion oncotherapy with PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauckner, K.

1999-06-01

The dissertation reports the approach and work for developing and implementing an image space reconstruction method that allows to check the 3D activity distribution and detect possible deviations from irradiation planning data. Other than usual PET scanners, the BASTEI instrument is equipped with two detectors positioned at opposite sides above and below the patient, so that there is enough space for suitable positioning of patient and radiation source. Due to the restricted field of view of the positron camera, the 3D imaging process is subject to displacement-dependent variations, creating bad reconstruction conditions. In addition, the counting rate is lower by two or three orders of magnitude than the usual counting rates of nuclear-medicine PET applications. This is why an iterative 3D algorithm is needed. Two iterative methods known from conventional PET were examined for their suitability and compared with respect to results. The MLEM algorithm proposed by Shepp and Vardi interprets the measured data as a random sample of independent variables of Poisson distributions, to be used for assessing the unknown activity distribution. A disadvantage of this algorithm is the considerable calculation effort required. For minimizing the calculation effort, and in order to make iterative statistical methods applicable to measured 3D data, Daube-Whitherspoon and Muehllehner developed the Iterative Image Space Reconstruction Algorithm, ISRA, derived through modification of the sequence of development steps of the MLEM algorithm. Problem solution with ISRA is based on least square deviation method, other than with the MLEM algorithm which uses the best probability method. (orig./CB) [de

Incorporating HYPR de-noising within iterative PET reconstruction (HYPR-OSEM)

Science.gov (United States)

(Kevin Cheng, Ju-Chieh; Matthews, Julian; Sossi, Vesna; Anton-Rodriguez, Jose; Salomon, André; Boellaard, Ronald

2017-08-01

HighlY constrained back-PRojection (HYPR) is a post-processing de-noising technique originally developed for time-resolved magnetic resonance imaging. It has been recently applied to dynamic imaging for positron emission tomography and shown promising results. In this work, we have developed an iterative reconstruction algorithm (HYPR-OSEM) which improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in static imaging (i.e. single frame reconstruction) by incorporating HYPR de-noising directly within the ordered subsets expectation maximization (OSEM) algorithm. The proposed HYPR operator in this work operates on the target image(s) from each subset of OSEM and uses the sum of the preceding subset images as the composite which is updated every iteration. Three strategies were used to apply the HYPR operator in OSEM: (i) within the image space modeling component of the system matrix in forward-projection only, (ii) within the image space modeling component in both forward-projection and back-projection, and (iii) on the image estimate after the OSEM update for each subset thus generating three forms: (i) HYPR-F-OSEM, (ii) HYPR-FB-OSEM, and (iii) HYPR-AU-OSEM. Resolution and contrast phantom simulations with various sizes of hot and cold regions as well as experimental phantom and patient data were used to evaluate the performance of the three forms of HYPR-OSEM, and the results were compared to OSEM with and without a post reconstruction filter. It was observed that the convergence in contrast recovery coefficients (CRC) obtained from all forms of HYPR-OSEM was slower than that obtained from OSEM. Nevertheless, HYPR-OSEM improved SNR without degrading accuracy in terms of resolution and contrast. It achieved better accuracy in CRC at equivalent noise level and better precision than OSEM and better accuracy than filtered OSEM in general. In addition, HYPR-AU-OSEM has been determined to be the more effective form of HYPR-OSEM in terms of accuracy and precision based on the studies

First experiences with model based iterative reconstructions influence on quantitative plaque volume and intensity measurements in coronary computed tomography angiography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Precht, Helle; Kitslaar, Pieter H.; Broersen, Alexander

2017-01-01

Purpose: Investigate the influence of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and the model- based IR (Veo) reconstruction algorithm in coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) im- ages on quantitative measurements in coronary arteries for plaque volumes and intensities. Methods...

SU-G-IeP2-12: The Effect of Iterative Reconstruction and CT Tube Voltage On Hounsfield Unit Values of Iodinated Contrast

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ogden, K; Greene-Donnelly, K; Vallabhaneni, D; Scalzetti, E [SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To investigate the effects of changing iterative reconstruction strength and tube voltage on Hounsfield Unit (HU) values of varying concentrations of Iodinated contrast medium in a phantom. Method: Iodinated contrast (Omnipaque 300, GE Healthcare, Princeton NJ) was diluted with distilled water to concentrations of 0.6, 0.9, 1.8, 3.6, 7.2, and 10.8 mg/mL of Iodine. The solutions were scanned in a patient equivalent water phantom on two MDCT scanners: VCT 64 slice (GE Medical Systems, Waukesha, WI) and an Aquilion One 320 slice scanner (Toshiba America Medical Systems, Tustin CA). The phantom was scanned at 80, 100, 120, 140 kV using 400, 255, 180, and 130 mAs, respectively, for the VCT scanner, and 80, 100, 120, and 135 kV using 400, 250, 200, and 150 mAs, respectively, on the Aquilion One. Images were reconstructed at 2.5 mm (VCT) and 0.5 mm (Aquilion One). The VCT images were reconstructed using Advanced Statistical Iterative Reconstruction (ASIR) at 6 different strengths: 0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%. Aquilion One images were reconstructed using Adaptive Iterative Dose Reduction (AIDR) at 4 strengths: no AIDR, Weak AIDR, Standard AIDR, and Strong AIDR. Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn on the images to measure the HU values and standard deviations of the diluted contrast. Second order polynomials were used to fit the HU values as a function of Iodine concentration. Results: For both scanners, there was no significant effect of changing the iterative reconstruction strength. The polynomial fits yielded goodness-of-fit (R2) values averaging 0.997. Conclusion: Changing the strength of the iterative reconstruction has no significant effect on the HU values of Iodinated contrast in a tissue-equivalent phantom. Fit values of HU vs Iodine concentration are useful in quantitative imaging protocols such as the determination of cardiac output from time-density curves in the main pulmonary artery.

The effect of iterative reconstruction on computed tomography assessment of emphysema, air trapping and airway dimensions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mets, Onno M.; Willemink, Martin J.; Kort, Freek P.L. de; Leiner, Tim; Jong, Pim A. de [UMC Utrecht, Department of Radiology, P.O. Box 85500, GA, Utrecht (Netherlands); Mol, Christian P. [Utrecht University Medical Center, Image Sciences Institute, Utrecht (Netherlands); Oudkerk, Matthijs [Groningen University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Groningen (Netherlands); Prokop, Mathias [Nijmegen University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Nijmegen (Netherlands)

2012-10-15

To determine the influence of iterative reconstruction (IR) on quantitative computed tomography (CT) measurements of emphysema, air trapping, and airway wall and lumen dimensions, compared to filtered back-projection (FBP). Inspiratory and expiratory chest CTs of 75 patients (37 male, 38 female; mean age 64.0 {+-} 5.7 years) were reconstructed using FBP and IR. CT emphysema, CT air trapping and airway dimensions of a segmental bronchus were quantified using several commonly used quantification methods. The two algorithms were compared using the concordance correlation coefficient (p{sub c}) and Wilcoxon signed rank test. Only the E/I-ratio{sub MLD} as a measure of CT air trapping and airway dimensions showed no significant differences between the algorithms, whereas all CT emphysema and the other CT air trapping measures were significantly different at IR when compared to FBP (P < 0.001). The evaluated IR algorithm significantly influences quantitative CT measures in the assessment of emphysema and air trapping. However, the E/I-ratio{sub MLD} as a measure of CT air trapping, as well as the airway measurements, is unaffected by this reconstruction method. Quantitative CT of the lungs should be performed with careful attention to the CT protocol, especially when iterative reconstruction is introduced. (orig.)

Use of scanner characteristics in iterative image reconstruction for high-resolution positron emission tomography studies of small animals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brix, G. [Research Program ``Radiological Diagnostics and Therapy``, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg (Germany); Doll, J. [Research Program ``Radiological Diagnostics and Therapy``, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg (Germany); Bellemann, M.E. [Research Program ``Radiological Diagnostics and Therapy``, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg (Germany); Trojan, H. [Research Program ``Radiological Diagnostics and Therapy``, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg (Germany); Haberkorn, U. [Research Program ``Radiological Diagnostics and Therapy``, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg (Germany); Schmidlin, P. [Research Program ``Radiological Diagnostics and Therapy``, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg (Germany); Ostertag, H. [Research Program ``Radiological Diagnostics and Therapy``, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg (Germany)

1997-07-01

The purpose of this work was to improve of the spatial resolution of a whole-body PET system for experimental studies of small animals by incorporation of scanner characteristics into the process of iterative image reconstruction. The image-forming characteristics of the PET camera were characterized by a spatially variant line-spread function (LSF), which was determined from 49 activated copper-64 line sources positioned over a field of view (FOV) of 21.0 cm. During the course of iterative image reconstruction, the forward projection of the estimated image was blurred with the LSF at each iteration step before the estimated projections were compared with the measured projections. Moreover, imaging studies of a rat and two nude mice were performed to evaluate the imaging properties of our approach in vivo. The spatial resolution of the scanner perpendicular to the direction of projection could be approximated by a one-dimensional Gaussian-shaped LSF with a full-width at half-maximum increasing from 6.5 mm at the centre to 6.7 mm at a radial distance of 10.5 cm. The incorporation of this blurring kernel into the iteration formula resulted in a significantly improved spatial resolution of about 3.9 mm over the examined FOV. As demonstrated by the phantom and the animal experiments, the high-resolution algorithm not only led to a better contrast resolution in the reconstructed emission scans but also improved the accuracy for quantitating activity concentrations in small tissue structures without leading to an amplification of image noise or image mottle. The presented data-handling strategy incorporates the image restoration step directly into the process of algebraic image reconstruction and obviates the need for ill-conditioned ``deconvolution`` procedures to be performed on the projections or on the reconstructed image. In our experience, the proposed algorithm is of special interest in experimental studies of small animals. (orig./AJ). With 9 figs.

Use of scanner characteristics in iterative image reconstruction for high-resolution positron emission tomography studies of small animals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brix, G.; Doll, J.; Bellemann, M.E.; Trojan, H.; Haberkorn, U.; Schmidlin, P.; Ostertag, H.

1997-01-01

The purpose of this work was to improve of the spatial resolution of a whole-body PET system for experimental studies of small animals by incorporation of scanner characteristics into the process of iterative image reconstruction. The image-forming characteristics of the PET camera were characterized by a spatially variant line-spread function (LSF), which was determined from 49 activated copper-64 line sources positioned over a field of view (FOV) of 21.0 cm. During the course of iterative image reconstruction, the forward projection of the estimated image was blurred with the LSF at each iteration step before the estimated projections were compared with the measured projections. Moreover, imaging studies of a rat and two nude mice were performed to evaluate the imaging properties of our approach in vivo. The spatial resolution of the scanner perpendicular to the direction of projection could be approximated by a one-dimensional Gaussian-shaped LSF with a full-width at half-maximum increasing from 6.5 mm at the centre to 6.7 mm at a radial distance of 10.5 cm. The incorporation of this blurring kernel into the iteration formula resulted in a significantly improved spatial resolution of about 3.9 mm over the examined FOV. As demonstrated by the phantom and the animal experiments, the high-resolution algorithm not only led to a better contrast resolution in the reconstructed emission scans but also improved the accuracy for quantitating activity concentrations in small tissue structures without leading to an amplification of image noise or image mottle. The presented data-handling strategy incorporates the image restoration step directly into the process of algebraic image reconstruction and obviates the need for ill-conditioned ''deconvolution'' procedures to be performed on the projections or on the reconstructed image. In our experience, the proposed algorithm is of special interest in experimental studies of small animals. (orig./AJ). With 9 figs

HeinzelCluster: accelerated reconstruction for FORE and OSEM3D.

Science.gov (United States)

Vollmar, S; Michel, C; Treffert, J T; Newport, D F; Casey, M; Knöss, C; Wienhard, K; Liu, X; Defrise, M; Heiss, W D

2002-08-07

Using iterative three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction techniques for reconstruction of positron emission tomography (PET) is not feasible on most single-processor machines due to the excessive computing time needed, especially so for the large sinogram sizes of our high-resolution research tomograph (HRRT). In our first approach to speed up reconstruction time we transform the 3D scan into the format of a two-dimensional (2D) scan with sinograms that can be reconstructed independently using Fourier rebinning (FORE) and a fast 2D reconstruction method. On our dedicated reconstruction cluster (seven four-processor systems, Intel PIII@700 MHz, switched fast ethernet and Myrinet, Windows NT Server), we process these 2D sinograms in parallel. We have achieved a speedup > 23 using 26 processors and also compared results for different communication methods (RPC, Syngo, Myrinet GM). The other approach is to parallelize OSEM3D (implementation of C Michel), which has produced the best results for HRRT data so far and is more suitable for an adequate treatment of the sinogram gaps that result from the detector geometry of the HRRT. We have implemented two levels of parallelization for four dedicated cluster (a shared memory fine-grain level on each node utilizing all four processors and a coarse-grain level allowing for 15 nodes) reducing the time for one core iteration from over 7 h to about 35 min.

Coronary stent on coronary CT angiography: Assessment with model-based iterative reconstruction technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Eun Chae; Kim, Yeo Koon; Chun, Eun Ju; Choi, Sang IL [Dept. of of Radiology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

To assess the performance of model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) technique for evaluation of coronary artery stents on coronary CT angiography (CCTA). Twenty-two patients with coronary stent implantation who underwent CCTA were retrospectively enrolled for comparison of image quality between filtered back projection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and MBIR. In each data set, image noise was measured as the standard deviation of the measured attenuation units within circular regions of interest in the ascending aorta (AA) and left main coronary artery (LM). To objectively assess the noise and blooming artifacts in coronary stent, we additionally measured the standard deviation of the measured attenuation and intra-luminal stent diameters of total 35 stents with dedicated software. All image noise measured in the AA (all p < 0.001), LM (p < 0.001, p = 0.001) and coronary stent (all p < 0.001) were significantly lower with MBIR in comparison to those with FBP or ASIR. Intraluminal stent diameter was significantly higher with MBIR, as compared with ASIR or FBP (p < 0.001, p = 0.001). MBIR can reduce image noise and blooming artifact from the stent, leading to better in-stent assessment in patients with coronary artery stent.

Fast 4D cone-beam CT from 60 s acquisitions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David C. Hansen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background & purpose: Four dimensional Cone beam CT (CBCT has many potential benefits for radiotherapy but suffers from poor image quality, long acquisition times, and/or long reconstruction times. In this work we present a fast iterative reconstruction algorithm for 4D reconstruction of fast acquisition cone beam CT, as well as a new method for temporal regularization and compare to state of the art methods for 4D CBCT. Materials & methods: Regularization parameters for the iterative algorithms were found automatically via computer optimization on 60 s acquisitions using the XCAT phantom. Nineteen lung cancer patients were scanned with 60 s arcs using the onboard image on a Varian trilogy linear accelerator. Images were reconstructed using an accelerated ordered subset algorithm. A frequency based temporal regularization algorithm was developed and compared to the McKinnon-Bates algorithm, 4D total variation and prior images compressed sensing (PICCS. Results: All reconstructions were completed in 60 s or less. The proposed method provided a structural similarity of 0.915, compared with 0.786 for the classic McKinnon-bates method. For the patient study, it provided fewer image artefacts than PICCS, and better spatial resolution than 4D TV. Conclusion: Four dimensional iterative CBCT reconstruction was done in less than 60 s, demonstrating the clinical feasibility. The frequency based method outperformed 4D total variation and PICCS on the simulated data, and for patients allowed for tumor location based on 60 s acquisitions, even for slowly breathing patients. It should thus be suitable for routine clinical use.

ITER Fast Plant System Controller prototype based on PXIe platform

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruiz, M.; Vega, J.; Castro, R.; Sanz, D.; López, J.M.; Arcas, G. de; Barrera, E.; Nieto, J.; Gonçalves, B.; Sousa, J.; Carvalho, B.; Utzel, N.; Makijarvi, P.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Implementation of Fast Plant System Controller (FPSC) for ITER CODAC. ► Efficient data acquisition and data movement using EPICS. ► Performance of PCIe technologies in the implementation of FPSC. - Abstract: The ITER Fast Plant System Controller (FPSC) is based on embedded technologies. The FPSC will be devoted to both data acquisition tasks (sampling rates higher than 1 kHz) and control purposes (feedback loop actuators). Some of the essential requirements of these systems are: (a) data acquisition and data preprocessing; (b) interfacing with different networks and high speed links (Plant Operation Network, timing network based on IEEE1588, synchronous data transference and streaming/archiving networks); and (c) system setup and operation using EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System) process variables. CIEMAT and UPM have implemented a prototype of FPSC using a PXIe (PCI eXtension for Instrumentation) form factor in a R and D project developed in two phases. The paper presents the main features of the two prototypes developed that have been named alpha and beta. The former was implemented using LabVIEW development tools as it was focused on modeling the FPSC software modules, using the graphical features of LabVIEW applications, and measuring the basic performance in the system. The alpha version prototype implements data acquisition with time-stamping, EPICS monitoring using waveform process variables (PVs), and archiving. The beta version prototype is a complete IOC implemented using EPICS with different software functional blocks. These functional blocks are integrated and managed using an ASYN driver solution and provide the basic functionalities required by ITER FPSC such as data acquisition, data archiving, data pre-processing (using both CPU and GPU) and streaming.

Development of acoustic model-based iterative reconstruction technique for thick-concrete imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Almansouri, Hani; Clayton, Dwight; Kisner, Roger; Polsky, Yarom; Bouman, Charles; Santos-Villalobos, Hector

2016-02-01

Ultrasound signals have been used extensively for non-destructive evaluation (NDE). However, typical reconstruction techniques, such as the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT), are limited to quasi-homogenous thin media. New ultrasonic systems and reconstruction algorithms are in need for one-sided NDE of non-homogenous thick objects. An application example space is imaging of reinforced concrete structures for commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs). These structures provide important foundation, support, shielding, and containment functions. Identification and management of aging and degradation of concrete structures is fundamental to the proposed long-term operation of NPPs. Another example is geothermal and oil/gas production wells. These multi-layered structures are composed of steel, cement, and several types of soil and rocks. Ultrasound systems with greater penetration range and image quality will allow for better monitoring of the well's health and prediction of high-pressure hydraulic fracturing of the rock. These application challenges need to be addressed with an integrated imaging approach, where the application, hardware, and reconstruction software are highly integrated and optimized. Therefore, we are developing an ultrasonic system with Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction (MBIR) as the image reconstruction backbone. As the first implementation of MBIR for ultrasonic signals, this paper document the first implementation of the algorithm and show reconstruction results for synthetically generated data.1

Development of Acoustic Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction Technique for Thick-Concrete Imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almansouri, Hani [Purdue University; Clayton, Dwight A [ORNL; Kisner, Roger A [ORNL; Polsky, Yarom [ORNL; Bouman, Charlie [Purdue University; Santos-Villalobos, Hector J [ORNL

2016-01-01

Ultrasound signals have been used extensively for non-destructive evaluation (NDE). However, typical reconstruction techniques, such as the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT), are limited to quasi-homogenous thin media. New ultrasonic systems and reconstruction algorithms are in need for one-sided NDE of non-homogenous thick objects. An application example space is imaging of reinforced concrete structures for commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs). These structures provide important foundation, support, shielding, and containment functions. Identification and management of aging and degradation of concrete structures is fundamental to the proposed long-term operation of NPPs. Another example is geothermal and oil/gas production wells. These multi-layered structures are composed of steel, cement, and several types of soil and rocks. Ultrasound systems with greater penetration range and image quality will allow for better monitoring of the well's health and prediction of high-pressure hydraulic fracturing of the rock. These application challenges need to be addressed with an integrated imaging approach, where the application, hardware, and reconstruction software are highly integrated and optimized. Therefore, we are developing an ultrasonic system with Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction (MBIR) as the image reconstruction backbone. As the first implementation of MBIR for ultrasonic signals, this paper document the first implementation of the algorithm and show reconstruction results for synthetically generated data.

Development of Acoustic Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction Technique for Thick-Concrete Imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almansouri, Hani [Purdue University; Clayton, Dwight A [ORNL; Kisner, Roger A [ORNL; Polsky, Yarom [ORNL; Bouman, Charlie [Purdue University; Santos-Villalobos, Hector J [ORNL

2015-01-01

Ultrasound signals have been used extensively for non-destructive evaluation (NDE). However, typical reconstruction techniques, such as the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT), are limited to quasi-homogenous thin media. New ultrasonic systems and reconstruction algorithms are in need for one-sided NDE of non-homogenous thick objects. An application example space is imaging of reinforced concrete structures for commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs). These structures provide important foundation, support, shielding, and containment functions. Identification and management of aging and degradation of concrete structures is fundamental to the proposed long-term operation of NPPs. Another example is geothermal and oil/gas production wells. These multi-layered structures are composed of steel, cement, and several types of soil and rocks. Ultrasound systems with greater penetration range and image quality will allow for better monitoring of the well s health and prediction of high-pressure hydraulic fracturing of the rock. These application challenges need to be addressed with an integrated imaging approach, where the application, hardware, and reconstruction software are highly integrated and optimized. Therefore, we are developing an ultrasonic system with Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction (MBIR) as the image reconstruction backbone. As the first implementation of MBIR for ultrasonic signals, this paper document the first implementation of the algorithm and show reconstruction results for synthetically generated data.

A noise power spectrum study of a new model‐based iterative reconstruction system: Veo 3.0

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Guang; Liu, Xinming; Dodge, Cristina T.; Jensen, Corey T.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate performance of the third generation of model‐based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) system, Veo 3.0, based on noise power spectrum (NPS) analysis with various clinical presets over a wide range of clinically applicable dose levels. A CatPhan 600 surrounded by an oval, fat‐equivalent ring to mimic patient size/shape was scanned 10 times at each of six dose levels on a GE HD 750 scanner. NPS analysis was performed on images reconstructed with various Veo 3.0 preset combinations for comparisons of those images reconstructed using Veo 2.0, filtered back projection (FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR). The new Target Thickness setting resulted in higher noise in thicker axial images. The new Texture Enhancement function achieved a more isotropic noise behavior with less image artifacts. Veo 3.0 provides additional reconstruction options designed to allow the user choice of balance between spatial resolution and image noise, relative to Veo 2.0. Veo 3.0 provides more user selectable options and in general improved isotropic noise behavior in comparison to Veo 2.0. The overall noise reduction performance of both versions of MBIR was improved in comparison to FBP and ASiR, especially at low‐dose levels. PACS number(s): 87.57.‐s, 87.57.Q‐, 87.57.C‐, 87.57.nf, 87.57.C‐, 87.57.cm PMID:27685118

An analysis of JET fast-wave heating and current drive experiments directly related to ITER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhatnagar, V P; Eriksson, L; Gormezano, C; Jacquinot, J; Kaye, A; Start, D F.H. [Commission of the European Communities, Abingdon (United Kingdom). JET Joint Undertaking

1994-07-01

The ITER fast-wave system is required to serve a variety of purposes, in particular, plasma heating to ignition, current profile and burn control and eventually, in conjunction with other schemes, a central non-inductive current drive (CD) for the steady-state operation of ITER. The ICRF heating and current drive data that has been obtained in JET are analyzed in terms of dimensionless parameters, with a view to ascertaining its direct relevance to key ITER requirements. The analysis is then used to identify areas both in physics and technological aspects of ion-cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) and CD that require further experimentation in ITER-relevant devices such as JET to establish the required data base. (authors). 12 refs., 8 figs.

An analysis of JET fast-wave heating and current drive experiments directly related to ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatnagar, V.P.; Eriksson, L.; Gormezano, C.; Jacquinot, J.; Kaye, A.; Start, D.F.H.

1994-01-01

The ITER fast-wave system is required to serve a variety of purposes, in particular, plasma heating to ignition, current profile and burn control and eventually, in conjunction with other schemes, a central non-inductive current drive (CD) for the steady-state operation of ITER. The ICRF heating and current drive data that has been obtained in JET are analyzed in terms of dimensionless parameters, with a view to ascertaining its direct relevance to key ITER requirements. The analysis is then used to identify areas both in physics and technological aspects of ion-cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) and CD that require further experimentation in ITER-relevant devices such as JET to establish the required data base. (authors). 12 refs., 8 figs

Comparison of collective Thomson scattering signals due to fast ions in ITER scenarios with fusion and auxiliary heating

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salewski, Mirko; Asunta, O.; Eriksson, L.-G.

2009-01-01

Auxiliary heating such as neutral beam injection (NBI) and ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) will accelerate ions in ITER up to energies in the MeV range, i.e. energies which are also typical for alpha particles. Fast ions of any of these populations will elevate the collective Thomson...... functions of fast ions generated by NBI and ICRH are calculated for a steady-state ITER burning plasma equilibrium with the ASCOT and PION codes, respectively. The parameters for the auxiliary heating systems correspond to the design currently foreseen for ITER. The geometry of the CTS system for ITER...... is chosen such that near perpendicular and near parallel velocity components are resolved. In the investigated ICRH scenario, waves at 50MHz resonate with tritium at the second harmonic off-axis on the low field side. Effects of a minority heating scheme with He-3 are also considered. CTS scattering...

Reconstruction of sparse-view X-ray computed tomography using adaptive iterative algorithms.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Li; Lin, Weikai; Jin, Mingwu

2015-01-01

In this paper, we propose two reconstruction algorithms for sparse-view X-ray computed tomography (CT). Treating the reconstruction problems as data fidelity constrained total variation (TV) minimization, both algorithms adapt the alternate two-stage strategy: projection onto convex sets (POCS) for data fidelity and non-negativity constraints and steepest descent for TV minimization. The novelty of this work is to determine iterative parameters automatically from data, thus avoiding tedious manual parameter tuning. In TV minimization, the step sizes of steepest descent are adaptively adjusted according to the difference from POCS update in either the projection domain or the image domain, while the step size of algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) in POCS is determined based on the data noise level. In addition, projection errors are used to compare with the error bound to decide whether to perform ART so as to reduce computational costs. The performance of the proposed methods is studied and evaluated using both simulated and physical phantom data. Our methods with automatic parameter tuning achieve similar, if not better, reconstruction performance compared to a representative two-stage algorithm. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Image quality of multiplanar reconstruction of pulmonary CT scans using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Honda, O; Yanagawa, M; Inoue, A; Kikuyama, A; Yoshida, S; Sumikawa, H; Tobino, K; Koyama, M; Tomiyama, N

2011-04-01

We investigated the image quality of multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). Inflated and fixed lungs were scanned with a garnet detector CT in high-resolution mode (HR mode) or non-high-resolution (HR) mode, and MPR images were then reconstructed. Observers compared 15 MPR images of ASIR (40%) and ASIR (80%) with those of ASIR (0%), and assessed image quality using a visual five-point scale (1, definitely inferior; 5, definitely superior), with particular emphasis on normal pulmonary structures, artefacts, noise and overall image quality. The mean overall image quality scores in HR mode were 3.67 with ASIR (40%) and 4.97 with ASIR (80%). Those in non-HR mode were 3.27 with ASIR (40%) and 3.90 with ASIR (80%). The mean artefact scores in HR mode were 3.13 with ASIR (40%) and 3.63 with ASIR (80%), but those in non-HR mode were 2.87 with ASIR (40%) and 2.53 with ASIR (80%). The mean scores of the other parameters were greater than 3, whereas those in HR mode were higher than those in non-HR mode. There were significant differences between ASIR (40%) and ASIR (80%) in overall image quality (pASIR did not suppress the severe artefacts of contrast medium. In general, MPR image quality with ASIR (80%) was superior to that with ASIR (40%). However, there was an increased incidence of artefacts by ASIR when CT images were obtained in non-HR mode.

Influence of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm on image quality in coronary computed tomography angiography.

Science.gov (United States)

Precht, Helle; Thygesen, Jesper; Gerke, Oke; Egstrup, Kenneth; Waaler, Dag; Lambrechtsen, Jess

2016-12-01

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) requires high spatial and temporal resolution, increased low contrast resolution for the assessment of coronary artery stenosis, plaque detection, and/or non-coronary pathology. Therefore, new reconstruction algorithms, particularly iterative reconstruction (IR) techniques, have been developed in an attempt to improve image quality with no cost in radiation exposure. To evaluate whether adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) enhances perceived image quality in CCTA compared to filtered back projection (FBP). Thirty patients underwent CCTA due to suspected coronary artery disease. Images were reconstructed using FBP, 30% ASIR, and 60% ASIR. Ninety image sets were evaluated by five observers using the subjective visual grading analysis (VGA) and assessed by proportional odds modeling. Objective quality assessment (contrast, noise, and the contrast-to-noise ratio [CNR]) was analyzed with linear mixed effects modeling on log-transformed data. The need for ethical approval was waived by the local ethics committee as the study only involved anonymously collected clinical data. VGA showed significant improvements in sharpness by comparing FBP with ASIR, resulting in odds ratios of 1.54 for 30% ASIR and 1.89 for 60% ASIR ( P  = 0.004). The objective measures showed significant differences between FBP and 60% ASIR ( P  < 0.0001) for noise, with an estimated ratio of 0.82, and for CNR, with an estimated ratio of 1.26. ASIR improved the subjective image quality of parameter sharpness and, objectively, reduced noise and increased CNR.

Fourier-based reconstruction via alternating direction total variation minimization in linear scan CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai, Ailong; Wang, Linyuan; Yan, Bin; Zhang, Hanming; Li, Lei; Xi, Xiaoqi; Li, Jianxin

2015-01-01

In this study, we consider a novel form of computed tomography (CT), that is, linear scan CT (LCT), which applies a straight line trajectory. Furthermore, an iterative algorithm is proposed for pseudo-polar Fourier reconstruction through total variation minimization (PPF-TVM). Considering that the sampled Fourier data are distributed in pseudo-polar coordinates, the reconstruction model minimizes the TV of the image subject to the constraint that the estimated 2D Fourier data for the image are consistent with the 1D Fourier transform of the projection data. PPF-TVM employs the alternating direction method (ADM) to develop a robust and efficient iteration scheme, which ensures stable convergence provided that appropriate parameter values are given. In the ADM scheme, PPF-TVM applies the pseudo-polar fast Fourier transform and its adjoint to iterate back and forth between the image and frequency domains. Thus, there is no interpolation in the Fourier domain, which makes the algorithm both fast and accurate. PPF-TVM is particularly useful for limited angle reconstruction in LCT and it appears to be robust against artifacts. The PPF-TVM algorithm was tested with the FORBILD head phantom and real data in comparisons with state-of-the-art algorithms. Simulation studies and real data verification suggest that PPF-TVM can reconstruct higher accuracy images with lower time consumption

The effect of iterative reconstruction on computed tomography assessment of emphysema, air trapping and airway dimensions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mets, Onno M.; Willemink, Martin J.; de Kort, Freek P. L.; Mol, Christian P.; Leiner, Tim; Oudkerk, Matthijs; Prokop, Mathias; de Jong, Pim A.

2012-01-01

To determine the influence of iterative reconstruction (IR) on quantitative computed tomography (CT) measurements of emphysema, air trapping, and airway wall and lumen dimensions, compared to filtered back-projection (FBP). Inspiratory and expiratory chest CTs of 75 patients (37 male, 38 female;

Determination of the optimal dose reduction level via iterative reconstruction using 640-slice volume chest CT in a pig model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xingli Liu

Full Text Available To determine the optimal dose reduction level of iterative reconstruction technique for paediatric chest CT in pig models.27 infant pigs underwent 640-slice volume chest CT with 80kVp and different mAs. Automatic exposure control technique was used, and the index of noise was set to SD10 (Group A, routine dose, SD12.5, SD15, SD17.5, SD20 (Groups from B to E to reduce dose respectively. Group A was reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP, and Groups from B to E were reconstructed using iterative reconstruction (IR. Objective and subjective image quality (IQ among groups were compared to determine an optimal radiation reduction level.The noise and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR in Group D had no significant statistical difference from that in Group A (P = 1.0. The scores of subjective IQ in Group A were not significantly different from those in Group D (P>0.05. There were no obvious statistical differences in the objective and subjective index values among the subgroups (small, medium and large subgroups of Group D. The effective dose (ED of Group D was 58.9% lower than that of Group A (0.20±0.05mSv vs 0.48±0.10mSv, p <0.001.In infant pig chest CT, using iterative reconstruction can provide diagnostic image quality; furthermore, it can reduce the dosage by 58.9%.

Development of an iterative reconstruction method to overcome 2D detector low resolution limitations in MLC leaf position error detection for 3D dose verification in IMRT

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Visser, Ruurd; J., Godart; Wauben, D.J.L.; Langendijk, J.; van 't Veld, A.A.; Korevaar, E.W.

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to introduce a new iterative method to reconstruct multi leaf collimator (MLC) positions based on low resolution ionization detector array measurements and to evaluate its error detection performance. The iterative reconstruction method consists of a fluence model, a

Fast in vivo volume dose reconstruction via reference dose perturbation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Weiguo; Chen, Mingli; Mo, Xiaohu; Parnell, Donald; Olivera, Gustavo; Galmarini, Daniel

2014-01-01

Purpose: Accurate on-line reconstruction of in-vivo volume dose that accounts for both machine and patient discrepancy is not clinically available. We present a simple reference-dose-perturbation algorithm that reconstructs in-vivo volume dose fast and accurately. Methods: We modelled the volume dose as a function of the fluence map and density image. Machine (output variation, jaw/leaf position errors, etc.) and patient (setup error, weight loss, etc.) discrepancies between the plan and delivery were modelled as perturbation of the fluence map and density image, respectively. Delivered dose is modelled as perturbation of the reference dose due to change of the fluence map and density image. We used both simulated and clinical data to validate the algorithm. The planned dose was used as the reference. The reconstruction was perturbed from the reference and accounted for output-variations and the registered daily image. The reconstruction was compared with the ground truth via isodose lines and the Gamma Index. Results: For various plans and geometries, the volume doses were reconstructed in few seconds. The reconstruction generally matched well with the ground truth. For the 3%/3mm criteria, the Gamma pass rates were 98% for simulations and 95% for clinical data. The differences mainly appeared on the surface of the phantom/patient. Conclusions: A novel reference-dose-perturbation dose reconstruction model is presented. The model accounts for machine and patient discrepancy from planning. The algorithm is simple, fast, yet accurate, which makes online in-vivo 3D dose reconstruction clinically feasible.

Impact of the adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction technique on image quality in ultra-low-dose CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Yan; He, Wen; Chen, Hui; Hu, Zhihai; Li, Juan; Zhang, Tingting

2013-01-01

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between different noise indices (NIs) and radiation dose and to compare the effect of different reconstruction algorithm applications for ultra-low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) on image quality improvement and the accuracy of volumetric measurement of ground-glass opacity (GGO) nodules using a phantom study. Materials and methods: A 11 cm thick transverse phantom section with a chest wall, mediastinum, and 14 artificial GGO nodules with known volumes (919.93 ± 64.05 mm 3 ) was constructed. The phantom was scanned on a Discovery CT 750HD scanner with five different NIs (NIs = 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60). All data were reconstructed with a 0.625 mm section thickness using the filtered back-projection (FBP), 50% adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR), and Veo model-base iterative reconstruction algorithms. Image noise was measured in six regions of interest (ROIs). Nodule volumes were measured using a commercial volumetric software package. The image quality and the volume measurement errors were analysed. Results: Image noise increased dramatically from 30.7 HU at NI 20 to 122.4 HU at NI 60, with FBP reconstruction. Conversely, Veo reconstruction effectively controlled the noise increase, with an increase from 9.97 HU at NI 20 to only 15.1 HU at NI 60. Image noise at NI 60 with Veo was even lower (50.8%) than that at NI 20 with FBP. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of Veo at NI 40 was similar to that of FBP at NI 20. All artificial GGO nodules were successfully identified and measured with an average relative volume measurement error with Veo at NI 60 of 4.24%, comparable to a value of 10.41% with FBP at NI 20. At NI 60, the radiation dose was only one-tenth that at NI 20. Conclusion: The Veo reconstruction algorithms very effectively reduced image noise compared with the conventional FBP reconstructions. Using ultra-low-dose CT scanning and Veo reconstruction, GGOs can be detected and quantified with an acceptable

Multichannel algorithm for fast 3D reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodet, Thomas; Grangeat, Pierre; Desbat, Laurent

2002-01-01

Some recent medical imaging applications such as functional imaging (PET and SPECT) or interventional imaging (CT fluoroscopy) involve increasing amounts of data. In order to reduce the image reconstruction time, we develop a new fast 3D reconstruction algorithm based on a divide and conquer approach. The proposed multichannel algorithm performs an indirect frequential subband decomposition of the image f to be reconstructed (f=Σf j ) through the filtering of the projections Rf. The subband images f j are reconstructed on a downsampled grid without information suppression. In order to reduce the computation time, we do not backproject the null filtered projections and we downsample the number of projections according to the Shannon conditions associated with the subband image. Our algorithm is based on filtering and backprojection operators. Using the same algorithms for these basic operators, our approach is three and a half times faster than a classical FBP algorithm for a 2D image 512x512 and six times faster for a 3D image 32x512x512. (author)

Feasibility of low-dose CT with model-based iterative image reconstruction in follow-up of patients with testicular cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, Kevin P.; Crush, Lee; O’Neill, Siobhan B.; Foody, James; Breen, Micheál; Brady, Adrian; Kelly, Paul J.; Power, Derek G.; Sweeney, Paul; Bye, Jackie; O’Connor, Owen J.; Maher, Michael M.; O’Regan, Kevin N.

2016-01-01

•Radiologists should endeavour to minimise radiation exposure to patients with testicular cancer.•Iterative reconstruction algorithms permit CT imaging at lower radiation doses.•Image quality for reduced-dose CT–MBIR is at least comparable to conventional dose.•No loss of diagnostic accuracy apparent with reduced-dose CT–MBIR. Radiologists should endeavour to minimise radiation exposure to patients with testicular cancer. Iterative reconstruction algorithms permit CT imaging at lower radiation doses. Image quality for reduced-dose CT–MBIR is at least comparable to conventional dose. No loss of diagnostic accuracy apparent with reduced-dose CT–MBIR. We examine the performance of pure model-based iterative reconstruction with reduced-dose CT in follow-up of patients with early-stage testicular cancer. Sixteen patients (mean age 35.6 ± 7.4 years) with stage I or II testicular cancer underwent conventional dose (CD) and low-dose (LD) CT acquisition during CT surveillance. LD data was reconstructed with model-based iterative reconstruction (LD–MBIR). Datasets were objectively and subjectively analysed at 8 anatomical levels. Two blinded clinical reads were compared to gold-standard assessment for diagnostic accuracy. Mean radiation dose reduction of 67.1% was recorded. Mean dose measurements for LD–MBIR were: thorax – 66 ± 11 mGy cm (DLP), 1.0 ± 0.2 mSv (ED), 2.0 ± 0.4 mGy (SSDE); abdominopelvic – 128 ± 38 mGy cm (DLP), 1.9 ± 0.6 mSv (ED), 3.0 ± 0.6 mGy (SSDE). Objective noise and signal-to-noise ratio values were comparable between the CD and LD–MBIR images. LD–MBIR images were superior (p < 0.001) with regard to subjective noise, streak artefact, 2-plane contrast resolution, 2-plane spatial resolution and diagnostic acceptability. All patients were correctly categorised as positive, indeterminate or negative for metastatic disease by 2 readers on LD–MBIR and CD datasets. MBIR facilitated a 67% reduction in radiation dose whilst

The impact of iterative reconstruction in low-dose computed tomography on the evaluation of diffuse interstitial lung disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lim, Hyun Ju; Chung, Myung Jin; Shin, Kyung Eun; Hwang, Hye Sun; Lee, Kyung Soo [Dept. of Radiology nd Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-11-15

To evaluate the impact of iterative reconstruction (IR) on the assessment of diffuse interstitial lung disease (DILD) using CT. An American College of Radiology (ACR) phantom (module 4 to assess spatial resolution) was scanned with 10-100 effective mAs at 120 kVp. The images were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR), with blending ratios of 0%, 30%, 70% and 100%, and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR), and their spatial resolution was objectively assessed by the line pair structure method. The patient study was based on retrospective interpretation of prospectively acquired data, and it was approved by the institutional review board. Chest CT scans of 23 patients (mean age 64 years) were performed at 120 kVp using 1) standard dose protocol applying 142-275 mA with dose modulation (high-resolution computed tomography [HRCT]) and 2) low-dose protocol applying 20 mA (low dose CT, LDCT). HRCT images were reconstructed with FBP, and LDCT images were reconstructed using FBP, ASIR, and MBIR. Matching images were randomized and independently reviewed by chest radiologists. Subjective assessment of disease presence and radiological diagnosis was made on a 10-point scale. In addition, semi-quantitative results were compared for the extent of abnormalities estimated to the nearest 5% of parenchymal involvement. In the phantom study, ASIR was comparable to FBP in terms of spatial resolution. However, for MBIR, the spatial resolution was greatly decreased under 10 mA. In the patient study, the detection of the presence of disease was not significantly different. The values for area under the curve for detection of DILD by HRCT, FBP, ASIR, and MBIR were as follows: 0.978, 0.979, 0.972, and 0.963. LDCT images reconstructed with FBP, ASIR, and MBIR tended to underestimate reticular or honeycombing opacities (-2.8%, -4.1%, and -5.3%, respectively) and overestimate ground glass opacities (+4.6%, +8.9%, and

A filtered backprojection reconstruction algorithm for Compton camera

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lojacono, Xavier; Maxim, Voichita; Peyrin, Francoise; Prost, Remy [Lyon Univ., Villeurbanne (France). CNRS, Inserm, INSA-Lyon, CREATIS, UMR5220; Zoglauer, Andreas [California Univ., Berkeley, CA (United States). Space Sciences Lab.

2011-07-01

In this paper we present a filtered backprojection reconstruction algorithm for Compton Camera detectors of particles. Compared to iterative methods, widely used for the reconstruction of images from Compton camera data, analytical methods are fast, easy to implement and avoid convergence issues. The method we propose is exact for an idealized Compton camera composed of two parallel plates of infinite dimension. We show that it copes well with low number of detected photons simulated from a realistic device. Images reconstructed from both synthetic data and realistic ones obtained with Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the efficiency of the algorithm. (orig.)

Technical Note: FreeCT_ICD: An Open Source Implementation of a Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction Method using Coordinate Descent Optimization for CT Imaging Investigations.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, John M; Noo, Frédéric; Young, Stefano; Hsieh, Scott S; McNitt-Gray, Michael

2018-06-01

To facilitate investigations into the impacts of acquisition and reconstruction parameters on quantitative imaging, radiomics and CAD using CT imaging, we previously released an open source implementation of a conventional weighted filtered backprojection reconstruction called FreeCT_wFBP. Our purpose was to extend that work by providing an open-source implementation of a model-based iterative reconstruction method using coordinate descent optimization, called FreeCT_ICD. Model-based iterative reconstruction offers the potential for substantial radiation dose reduction, but can impose substantial computational processing and storage requirements. FreeCT_ICD is an open source implementation of a model-based iterative reconstruction method that provides a reasonable tradeoff between these requirements. This was accomplished by adapting a previously proposed method that allows the system matrix to be stored with a reasonable memory requirement. The method amounts to describing the attenuation coefficient using rotating slices that follow the helical geometry. In the initially-proposed version, the rotating slices are themselves described using blobs. We have replaced this description by a unique model that relies on tri-linear interpolation together with the principles of Joseph's method. This model offers an improvement in memory requirement while still allowing highly accurate reconstruction for conventional CT geometries. The system matrix is stored column-wise and combined with an iterative coordinate descent (ICD) optimization. The result is FreeCT_ICD, which is a reconstruction program developed on the Linux platform using C++ libraries and the open source GNU GPL v2.0 license. The software is capable of reconstructing raw projection data of helical CT scans. In this work, the software has been described and evaluated by reconstructing datasets exported from a clinical scanner which consisted of an ACR accreditation phantom dataset and a clinical pediatric

Image Reconstruction. Chapter 13

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nuyts, J. [Department of Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging Research Center, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven (Belgium); Matej, S. [Medical Image Processing Group, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

2014-12-15

This chapter discusses how 2‑D or 3‑D images of tracer distribution can be reconstructed from a series of so-called projection images acquired with a gamma camera or a positron emission tomography (PET) system [13.1]. This is often called an ‘inverse problem’. The reconstruction is the inverse of the acquisition. The reconstruction is called an inverse problem because making software to compute the true tracer distribution from the acquired data turns out to be more difficult than the ‘forward’ direction, i.e. making software to simulate the acquisition. There are basically two approaches to image reconstruction: analytical reconstruction and iterative reconstruction. The analytical approach is based on mathematical inversion, yielding efficient, non-iterative reconstruction algorithms. In the iterative approach, the reconstruction problem is reduced to computing a finite number of image values from a finite number of measurements. That simplification enables the use of iterative instead of mathematical inversion. Iterative inversion tends to require more computer power, but it can cope with more complex (and hopefully more accurate) models of the acquisition process.

Implementation of non-linear filters for iterative penalized maximum likelihood image reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang, Z.; Gilland, D.; Jaszczak, R.; Coleman, R.

1990-01-01

In this paper, the authors report on the implementation of six edge-preserving, noise-smoothing, non-linear filters applied in image space for iterative penalized maximum-likelihood (ML) SPECT image reconstruction. The non-linear smoothing filters implemented were the median filter, the E 6 filter, the sigma filter, the edge-line filter, the gradient-inverse filter, and the 3-point edge filter with gradient-inverse filter, and the 3-point edge filter with gradient-inverse weight. A 3 x 3 window was used for all these filters. The best image obtained, by viewing the profiles through the image in terms of noise-smoothing, edge-sharpening, and contrast, was the one smoothed with the 3-point edge filter. The computation time for the smoothing was less than 1% of one iteration, and the memory space for the smoothing was negligible. These images were compared with the results obtained using Bayesian analysis

GPU based Monte Carlo for PET image reconstruction: parameter optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cserkaszky, Á; Légrády, D.; Wirth, A.; Bükki, T.; Patay, G.

2011-01-01

This paper presents the optimization of a fully Monte Carlo (MC) based iterative image reconstruction of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) measurements. With our MC re- construction method all the physical effects in a PET system are taken into account thus superior image quality is achieved in exchange for increased computational effort. The method is feasible because we utilize the enormous processing power of Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) to solve the inherently parallel problem of photon transport. The MC approach regards the simulated positron decays as samples in mathematical sums required in the iterative reconstruction algorithm, so to complement the fast architecture, our work of optimization focuses on the number of simulated positron decays required to obtain sufficient image quality. We have achieved significant results in determining the optimal number of samples for arbitrary measurement data, this allows to achieve the best image quality with the least possible computational effort. Based on this research recommendations can be given for effective partitioning of computational effort into the iterations in limited time reconstructions. (author)

Influence of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm on image quality in coronary computed tomography angiography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helle Precht

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Background Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA requires high spatial and temporal resolution, increased low contrast resolution for the assessment of coronary artery stenosis, plaque detection, and/or non-coronary pathology. Therefore, new reconstruction algorithms, particularly iterative reconstruction (IR techniques, have been developed in an attempt to improve image quality with no cost in radiation exposure. Purpose To evaluate whether adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR enhances perceived image quality in CCTA compared to filtered back projection (FBP. Material and Methods Thirty patients underwent CCTA due to suspected coronary artery disease. Images were reconstructed using FBP, 30% ASIR, and 60% ASIR. Ninety image sets were evaluated by five observers using the subjective visual grading analysis (VGA and assessed by proportional odds modeling. Objective quality assessment (contrast, noise, and the contrast-to-noise ratio [CNR] was analyzed with linear mixed effects modeling on log-transformed data. The need for ethical approval was waived by the local ethics committee as the study only involved anonymously collected clinical data. Results VGA showed significant improvements in sharpness by comparing FBP with ASIR, resulting in odds ratios of 1.54 for 30% ASIR and 1.89 for 60% ASIR (P = 0.004. The objective measures showed significant differences between FBP and 60% ASIR (P < 0.0001 for noise, with an estimated ratio of 0.82, and for CNR, with an estimated ratio of 1.26. Conclusion ASIR improved the subjective image quality of parameter sharpness and, objectively, reduced noise and increased CNR.

ISTA-Net: Iterative Shrinkage-Thresholding Algorithm Inspired Deep Network for Image Compressive Sensing

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Jian

2017-06-24

Traditional methods for image compressive sensing (CS) reconstruction solve a well-defined inverse problem that is based on a predefined CS model, which defines the underlying structure of the problem and is generally solved by employing convergent iterative solvers. These optimization-based CS methods face the challenge of choosing optimal transforms and tuning parameters in their solvers, while also suffering from high computational complexity in most cases. Recently, some deep network based CS algorithms have been proposed to improve CS reconstruction performance, while dramatically reducing time complexity as compared to optimization-based methods. Despite their impressive results, the proposed networks (either with fully-connected or repetitive convolutional layers) lack any structural diversity and they are trained as a black box, void of any insights from the CS domain. In this paper, we combine the merits of both types of CS methods: the structure insights of optimization-based method and the performance/speed of network-based ones. We propose a novel structured deep network, dubbed ISTA-Net, which is inspired by the Iterative Shrinkage-Thresholding Algorithm (ISTA) for optimizing a general $l_1$ norm CS reconstruction model. ISTA-Net essentially implements a truncated form of ISTA, where all ISTA-Net parameters are learned end-to-end to minimize a reconstruction error in training. Borrowing more insights from the optimization realm, we propose an accelerated version of ISTA-Net, dubbed FISTA-Net, which is inspired by the fast iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm (FISTA). Interestingly, this acceleration naturally leads to skip connections in the underlying network design. Extensive CS experiments demonstrate that the proposed ISTA-Net and FISTA-Net outperform existing optimization-based and network-based CS methods by large margins, while maintaining a fast runtime.

Computed tomography of the chest with model-based iterative reconstruction using a radiation exposure similar to chest X-ray examination: preliminary observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neroladaki, Angeliki; Botsikas, Diomidis; Boudabbous, Sana; Becker, Christoph D.; Montet, Xavier [Geneva University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Geneva 4 (Switzerland)

2013-02-15

The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic image quality of ultra-low-dose chest computed tomography (ULD-CT) obtained with a radiation dose comparable to chest radiography and reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) in comparison with standard dose diagnostic CT (SDD-CT) or low-dose diagnostic CT (LDD-CT) reconstructed with FBP alone. Unenhanced chest CT images of 42 patients acquired with ULD-CT were compared with images obtained with SDD-CT or LDD-CT in the same examination. Noise measurements and image quality, based on conspicuity of chest lesions on all CT data sets were assessed on a five-point scale. The radiation dose of ULD-CT was 0.16 {+-} 0.006 mSv compared with 11.2 {+-} 2.7 mSv for SDD-CT (P < 0.0001) and 2.7 {+-} 0.9 mSv for LDD-CT. Image quality of ULD-CT increased significantly when using MBIR compared with FBP or ASIR (P < 0.001). ULD-CT reconstructed with MBIR enabled to detect as many non-calcified pulmonary nodules as seen on SDD-CT or LDD-CT. However, image quality of ULD-CT was clearly inferior for characterisation of ground glass opacities or emphysema. Model-based iterative reconstruction allows detection of pulmonary nodules with ULD-CT with radiation exposure in the range of a posterior to anterior (PA) and lateral chest X-ray. (orig.)

Adaptive algebraic reconstruction technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu Wenkai; Yin Fangfang

2004-01-01

Algebraic reconstruction techniques (ART) are iterative procedures for reconstructing objects from their projections. It is proven that ART can be computationally efficient by carefully arranging the order in which the collected data are accessed during the reconstruction procedure and adaptively adjusting the relaxation parameters. In this paper, an adaptive algebraic reconstruction technique (AART), which adopts the same projection access scheme in multilevel scheme algebraic reconstruction technique (MLS-ART), is proposed. By introducing adaptive adjustment of the relaxation parameters during the reconstruction procedure, one-iteration AART can produce reconstructions with better quality, in comparison with one-iteration MLS-ART. Furthermore, AART outperforms MLS-ART with improved computational efficiency

Image Reconstruction Algorithm For Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arko

2001-01-01

). Most image reconstruction algorithms for electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) use sensitivity maps as weighting factors. The computation is fast, involving a simple multiply-and- accumulate (MAC) operation, but the resulting image suffers from blurring due to the soft-field effect of the sensor. This paper presents a low cost iterative method employing proportional thresholding, which improves image quality dramatically. The strategy for implementation, computational cost, and achievable speed is examined when using a personal computer (PC) and Digital Signal Processor (DSP). For PC implementation, Watcom C++ 10.6 and Visual C++ 5.0 compilers were used. The experimental results are compared to the images reconstructed by commercially available software. The new algorithm improves the image quality significantly at a cost of a few iterations. This technique can be readily exploited for online applications

Ultralow dose computed tomography attenuation correction for pediatric PET CT using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brady, Samuel L.; Shulkin, Barry L.

2015-01-01

Purpose: To develop ultralow dose computed tomography (CT) attenuation correction (CTAC) acquisition protocols for pediatric positron emission tomography CT (PET CT). Methods: A GE Discovery 690 PET CT hybrid scanner was used to investigate the change to quantitative PET and CT measurements when operated at ultralow doses (10–35 mA s). CT quantitation: noise, low-contrast resolution, and CT numbers for 11 tissue substitutes were analyzed in-phantom. CT quantitation was analyzed to a reduction of 90% volume computed tomography dose index (0.39/3.64; mGy) from baseline. To minimize noise infiltration, 100% adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) was used for CT reconstruction. PET images were reconstructed with the lower-dose CTAC iterations and analyzed for: maximum body weight standardized uptake value (SUV bw ) of various diameter targets (range 8–37 mm), background uniformity, and spatial resolution. Radiation dose and CTAC noise magnitude were compared for 140 patient examinations (76 post-ASiR implementation) to determine relative dose reduction and noise control. Results: CT numbers were constant to within 10% from the nondose reduced CTAC image for 90% dose reduction. No change in SUV bw , background percent uniformity, or spatial resolution for PET images reconstructed with CTAC protocols was found down to 90% dose reduction. Patient population effective dose analysis demonstrated relative CTAC dose reductions between 62% and 86% (3.2/8.3–0.9/6.2). Noise magnitude in dose-reduced patient images increased but was not statistically different from predose-reduced patient images. Conclusions: Using ASiR allowed for aggressive reduction in CT dose with no change in PET reconstructed images while maintaining sufficient image quality for colocalization of hybrid CT anatomy and PET radioisotope uptake

Ultralow dose computed tomography attenuation correction for pediatric PET CT using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brady, Samuel L., E-mail: samuel.brady@stjude.org [Division of Diagnostic Imaging, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105 (United States); Shulkin, Barry L. [Nuclear Medicine and Department of Radiological Sciences, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105 (United States)

2015-02-15

Purpose: To develop ultralow dose computed tomography (CT) attenuation correction (CTAC) acquisition protocols for pediatric positron emission tomography CT (PET CT). Methods: A GE Discovery 690 PET CT hybrid scanner was used to investigate the change to quantitative PET and CT measurements when operated at ultralow doses (10–35 mA s). CT quantitation: noise, low-contrast resolution, and CT numbers for 11 tissue substitutes were analyzed in-phantom. CT quantitation was analyzed to a reduction of 90% volume computed tomography dose index (0.39/3.64; mGy) from baseline. To minimize noise infiltration, 100% adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) was used for CT reconstruction. PET images were reconstructed with the lower-dose CTAC iterations and analyzed for: maximum body weight standardized uptake value (SUV{sub bw}) of various diameter targets (range 8–37 mm), background uniformity, and spatial resolution. Radiation dose and CTAC noise magnitude were compared for 140 patient examinations (76 post-ASiR implementation) to determine relative dose reduction and noise control. Results: CT numbers were constant to within 10% from the nondose reduced CTAC image for 90% dose reduction. No change in SUV{sub bw}, background percent uniformity, or spatial resolution for PET images reconstructed with CTAC protocols was found down to 90% dose reduction. Patient population effective dose analysis demonstrated relative CTAC dose reductions between 62% and 86% (3.2/8.3–0.9/6.2). Noise magnitude in dose-reduced patient images increased but was not statistically different from predose-reduced patient images. Conclusions: Using ASiR allowed for aggressive reduction in CT dose with no change in PET reconstructed images while maintaining sufficient image quality for colocalization of hybrid CT anatomy and PET radioisotope uptake.

Air-cooled fast discharge resistors for ITER magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanchuk, Victor; Grigoriev, Sergey; Lokiev, Vladimir; Roshal, Alexander; Song, Inho; Buzykin, Oleg

2011-01-01

The ITER superconducting magnets will store up to 50 GJ of magnetic energy per operation cycle. In case of coil quench the energy stored in the coils must be extracted rapidly with a time constant from 7.5 to 14 s. It will be achieved by fast discharge resistors (FDR) normally bridged by circuit breakers and inserted in series with the superconducting coils. The fast discharge of the coils results practically in adiabatic heating of the resistive elements up to 200-300 deg. C. The resistors need to be cooled to the initial temperature over 6-8 h. Natural air circulation is proposed as a cooling method. In order to simulate the temperature response of the resistors to energy released in the resistive plates and to demonstrate their cooling capability within the required time by natural air circulation the numerical model of the resistor cooling circuit has been developed. As the calculations have shown, the developed FDR cooling system based on cooling by natural air circulation is capable of providing the required temperature operation regime of FDRs, but the supply channels are to be optimized so that the cooling time does not exceed the permissible one.

Image quality at low tube voltage (70 kV) and sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction for computed tomography in infants with congenital heart disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakagawa, Motoo; Ozawa, Yoshiyuki; Sakurai, Keita; Shimohira, Masashi; Shibamoto, Yuta; Ohashi, Kazuya; Asano, Miki; Yamaguchi, Sachiko

2015-01-01

Lower tube voltage has advantages for CT angiography, such as improved contrast To evaluate the image quality of low-voltage (70 kV) CT for congenital heart disease and the ability of sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction to improve image quality. Forty-six children with congenital heart disease (median age: 109 days) were examined using dual-source CT. Scans were performed at 80 kV and 70 kV in 21 and 25 children, respectively. A nonionic iodinated contrast medium (300 mg I/ml) was used for the 80-kV protocol. The contrast medium was diluted to 75% (225 mgI/mL) with saline for the 70-kV protocol. Image noise was measured in the two protocols for each group by extracting the standard deviations of a region of interest placed on the descending aorta. We then determined whether sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction reduced the image noise at 70 kV. There was more noise at 70 kV than at 80 kV (29 ± 12 vs 20 ± 4.8; P < 0.01). Sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction with grade 4 strength settings improved the noise (20 ± 5.9; P < 0.01) for the 70-kV group. Sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction improved the image quality of CT in congenital heart disease. (orig.)

Image quality at low tube voltage (70 kV) and sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction for computed tomography in infants with congenital heart disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakagawa, Motoo; Ozawa, Yoshiyuki; Sakurai, Keita; Shimohira, Masashi; Shibamoto, Yuta [Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Department of Radiology, Nagoya (Japan); Ohashi, Kazuya [Nagoya City University Hospital, Division of Central Radiology, Nagoya (Japan); Asano, Miki [Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Nagoya (Japan); Yamaguchi, Sachiko [Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Nagoya (Japan)

2015-09-15

Lower tube voltage has advantages for CT angiography, such as improved contrast To evaluate the image quality of low-voltage (70 kV) CT for congenital heart disease and the ability of sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction to improve image quality. Forty-six children with congenital heart disease (median age: 109 days) were examined using dual-source CT. Scans were performed at 80 kV and 70 kV in 21 and 25 children, respectively. A nonionic iodinated contrast medium (300 mg I/ml) was used for the 80-kV protocol. The contrast medium was diluted to 75% (225 mgI/mL) with saline for the 70-kV protocol. Image noise was measured in the two protocols for each group by extracting the standard deviations of a region of interest placed on the descending aorta. We then determined whether sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction reduced the image noise at 70 kV. There was more noise at 70 kV than at 80 kV (29 ± 12 vs 20 ± 4.8; P < 0.01). Sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction with grade 4 strength settings improved the noise (20 ± 5.9; P < 0.01) for the 70-kV group. Sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction improved the image quality of CT in congenital heart disease. (orig.)

Fast cross-projection algorithm for reconstruction of seeds in prostate brachytherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narayanan, Sreeram; Cho, Paul S.; Marks, Robert J. II

2002-01-01

A fast method of seed matching and reconstruction in prostrate brachytherapy is proposed. Previous approaches have required all seeds to be matched with all other seeds in other projections. The fast cross-projection algorithm for the reconstruction of seeds (Fast-CARS) allows for matching of a given seed with a subset of seeds in other projections. This subset lies in a proximal region centered about the projection of a line, connecting the seed to its source, onto other projection planes. The proposed technique permits a significant reduction in computational overhead, as measured by the required number of matching tests. The number of multiplications and additions is also vastly reduced at no trade-off in accuracy. Because of its speed, Fast-CARS can be used in applications requiring real-time performance such as intraoperative dosimetry of prostate brachytherapy. Furthermore, the proposed method makes practical the use of a larger number of views as opposed to previous techniques limited to a maximum use of three views

Submillisievert coronary calcium quantification using model-based iterative reconstruction: A within-patient analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harder, Annemarie M. den, E-mail: a.m.denharder@umcutrecht.nl [Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht (Netherlands); Wolterink, Jelmer M. [Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht (Netherlands); Willemink, Martin J.; Schilham, Arnold M.R.; Jong, Pim A. de [Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht (Netherlands); Budde, Ricardo P.J. [Department of Radiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Nathoe, Hendrik M. [Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht (Netherlands); Išgum, Ivana [Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht (Netherlands); Leiner, Tim [Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht (Netherlands)

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Iterative reconstruction (IR) allows for low dose coronary calcium scoring (CCS). • Radiation dose can be safely reduced to 0.4 mSv with hybrid and model-based IR. • FBP is not feasible at these dose levels due to excessive noise. - Abstract: Purpose: To determine the effect of model-based iterative reconstruction (IR) on coronary calcium quantification using different submillisievert CT acquisition protocols. Methods: Twenty-eight patients received a clinically indicated non contrast-enhanced cardiac CT. After the routine dose acquisition, low-dose acquisitions were performed with 60%, 40% and 20% of the routine dose mAs. Images were reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP), hybrid IR (HIR) and model-based IR (MIR) and Agatston scores, calcium volumes and calcium mass scores were determined. Results: Effective dose was 0.9, 0.5, 0.4 and 0.2 mSv, respectively. At 0.5 and 0.4 mSv, differences in Agatston scores with both HIR and MIR compared to FBP at routine dose were small (−0.1 to −2.9%), while at 0.2 mSv, differences in Agatston scores of −12.6 to −14.6% occurred. Reclassification of risk category at reduced dose levels was more frequent with MIR (21–25%) than with HIR (18%). Conclusions: Radiation dose for coronary calcium scoring can be safely reduced to 0.4 mSv using both HIR and MIR, while FBP is not feasible at these dose levels due to excessive noise. Further dose reduction can lead to an underestimation in Agatston score and subsequent reclassification to lower risk categories. Mass scores were unaffected by dose reductions.

MO-FG-204-04: How Iterative Reconstruction Algorithms Affect the NPS of CT Images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, G; Liu, X; Dodge, C; Jensen, C; Rong, J

2015-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate how the third generation model based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) compares with filtered back-projection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR), and the second generation MBIR based on noise power spectrum (NPS) analysis over a wide range of clinically applicable dose levels. Methods: The Catphan 600 CTP515 module, surrounded by an oval, fat-equivalent ring to mimic patient size/shape, was scanned on a GE HD750 CT scanner at 1, 2, 3, 6, 12 and 19mGy CTDIvol levels with typical patient scan parameters: 120kVp, 0.8s, 40mm beam width, large SFOV, 0.984 pitch and reconstructed thickness 2.5mm (VEO3.0: Abd/Pelvis with Texture and NR05). At each CTDIvol level, 10 repeated scans were acquired for achieving sufficient data sampling. The images were reconstructed using Standard kernel with FBP; 20%, 40% and 70% ASiR; and two versions of MBIR (VEO2.0 and 3.0). For evaluating the effect of the ROI spatial location to the Result of NPS, 4 ROI groups were categorized based on their distances from the center of the phantom. Results: VEO3.0 performed inferiorly comparing to VEO2.0 over all dose levels. On the other hand, at low dose levels (less than 3 mGy), it clearly outperformed ASiR and FBP, in NPS values. Therefore, the lower the dose level, the relative performance of MBIR improves. However, the shapes of the NPS show substantial differences in horizontal and vertical sampling dimensions. These differences may determine the characteristics of the noise/texture features in images, and hence, play an important role in image interpretation. Conclusion: The third generation MBIR did not improve over the second generation MBIR in term of NPS analysis. The overall performance of both versions of MBIR improved as compared to other reconstruction algorithms when dose was reduced. The shapes of the NPS curves provided additional value for future characterization of the image noise/texture features

MO-FG-204-04: How Iterative Reconstruction Algorithms Affect the NPS of CT Images

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, G; Liu, X; Dodge, C; Jensen, C; Rong, J [UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: To evaluate how the third generation model based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) compares with filtered back-projection (FBP), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR), and the second generation MBIR based on noise power spectrum (NPS) analysis over a wide range of clinically applicable dose levels. Methods: The Catphan 600 CTP515 module, surrounded by an oval, fat-equivalent ring to mimic patient size/shape, was scanned on a GE HD750 CT scanner at 1, 2, 3, 6, 12 and 19mGy CTDIvol levels with typical patient scan parameters: 120kVp, 0.8s, 40mm beam width, large SFOV, 0.984 pitch and reconstructed thickness 2.5mm (VEO3.0: Abd/Pelvis with Texture and NR05). At each CTDIvol level, 10 repeated scans were acquired for achieving sufficient data sampling. The images were reconstructed using Standard kernel with FBP; 20%, 40% and 70% ASiR; and two versions of MBIR (VEO2.0 and 3.0). For evaluating the effect of the ROI spatial location to the Result of NPS, 4 ROI groups were categorized based on their distances from the center of the phantom. Results: VEO3.0 performed inferiorly comparing to VEO2.0 over all dose levels. On the other hand, at low dose levels (less than 3 mGy), it clearly outperformed ASiR and FBP, in NPS values. Therefore, the lower the dose level, the relative performance of MBIR improves. However, the shapes of the NPS show substantial differences in horizontal and vertical sampling dimensions. These differences may determine the characteristics of the noise/texture features in images, and hence, play an important role in image interpretation. Conclusion: The third generation MBIR did not improve over the second generation MBIR in term of NPS analysis. The overall performance of both versions of MBIR improved as compared to other reconstruction algorithms when dose was reduced. The shapes of the NPS curves provided additional value for future characterization of the image noise/texture features.

Upgrade to iterative image reconstruction (IR) in abdominal MDCT imaging. A clinical study for detailed parameter optimization beyond vendor recommendations using the adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction environment (ASIR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueck, F.G.; Koerner, M.; Scherr, M.K.; Geyer, L.L.; Deak, Z.; Linsenmaier, U.; Reiser, M.; Wirth, S.

2012-01-01

To compare the image quality of dose-reduced 64-row abdominal CT reconstructed at different levels of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) to full-dose baseline examinations reconstructed with filtered back-projection (FBP) in a clinical setting and upgrade situation. Abdominal baseline examinations (noise index NI = 29; LightSpeed VCT XT, GE) were intra-individually compared to follow-up studies on a CT with an ASIR option (NI = 43; Discovery HD750, GE), n = 42. Standard-kernel images were calculated with ASIR blendings of 0 - 100 % in slice and volume mode, respectively. Three experienced radiologists compared the image quality of these 567 sets to their corresponding full-dose baseline examination (-2: diagnostically inferior, -1: inferior, 0: equal, +1: superior, +2: diagnostically superior). Furthermore, a phantom was scanned. Statistical analysis used the Wilcoxon - the Mann-Whitney U-test and the intra-class correlation (ICC). The mean CTDIvol decreased from 19.7 ± 5.5 to 12.2 ± 4.7 mGy (p 0.10). Volume mode performed 73 % slower than slice mode (p < 0.01). After the system upgrade, the vendor recommendation of ASIR 50 % in slice mode allowed for a dose reduction of 38 % in abdominal CT with comparable image quality and time expenditure. However, there is still further dose reduction potential for more complex reconstruction settings. (orig.)

Cardiac CT for planning redo cardiac surgery: effect of knowledge-based iterative model reconstruction on image quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oda, Seitaro; Weissman, Gaby; Weigold, W. Guy; Vembar, Mani

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of knowledge-based iterative model reconstruction (IMR) on image quality in cardiac CT performed for the planning of redo cardiac surgery by comparing IMR images with images reconstructed with filtered back-projection (FBP) and hybrid iterative reconstruction (HIR). We studied 31 patients (23 men, 8 women; mean age 65.1 ± 16.5 years) referred for redo cardiac surgery who underwent cardiac CT. Paired image sets were created using three types of reconstruction: FBP, HIR, and IMR. Quantitative parameters including CT attenuation, image noise, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of each cardiovascular structure were calculated. The visual image quality - graininess, streak artefact, margin sharpness of each cardiovascular structure, and overall image quality - was scored on a five-point scale. The mean image noise of FBP, HIR, and IMR images was 58.3 ± 26.7, 36.0 ± 12.5, and 14.2 ± 5.5 HU, respectively; there were significant differences in all comparison combinations among the three methods. The CNR of IMR images was better than that of FBP and HIR images in all evaluated structures. The visual scores were significantly higher for IMR than for the other images in all evaluated parameters. IMR can provide significantly improved qualitative and quantitative image quality at in cardiac CT for planning of reoperative cardiac surgery. (orig.)

Influence of dose reduction and iterative reconstruction on CT calcium scores : a multi-manufacturer dynamic phantom study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Werf, N R; Willemink, M J; Willems, T P; Greuter, M J W; Leiner, T

To evaluate the influence of dose reduction in combination with iterative reconstruction (IR) on coronary calcium scores (CCS) in a dynamic phantom on state-of-the-art CT systems from different manufacturers. Calcified inserts in an anthropomorphic chest phantom were translated at 20 mm/s

Algebraic reconstruction techniques for spectral reconstruction in diffuse optical tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brendel, Bernhard; Ziegler, Ronny; Nielsen, Tim

2008-01-01

Reconstruction in diffuse optical tomography (DOT) necessitates solving the diffusion equation, which is nonlinear with respect to the parameters that have to be reconstructed. Currently applied solving methods are based on the linearization of the equation. For spectral three-dimensional reconstruction, the emerging equation system is too large for direct inversion, but the application of iterative methods is feasible. Computational effort and speed of convergence of these iterative methods are crucial since they determine the computation time of the reconstruction. In this paper, the iterative methods algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) and conjugated gradients (CGs) as well as a new modified ART method are investigated for spectral DOT reconstruction. The aim of the modified ART scheme is to speed up the convergence by considering the specific conditions of spectral reconstruction. As a result, it converges much faster to favorable results than conventional ART and CG methods

Emergency assessment of patients with acute abdominal pain using low-dose CT with iterative reconstruction: a comparative study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poletti, Pierre-Alexandre; Becker, Minerva; Becker, Christoph D.; Zaidi, Habib; Platon, Alexandra [University Hospital of Geneva, Department of Radiology, Geneva (Switzerland); Halfon Poletti, Alice; Rutschmann, Olivier T. [University Hospital of Geneva, Department of Community, Primary Care and Emergency Medicine, Geneva (Switzerland); Perneger, Thomas [University Hospital of Geneva, Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Geneva (Switzerland)

2017-08-15

To determine if radiation dose delivered by contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) for acute abdominal pain can be reduced to the dose administered in abdominal radiography (<2.5 mSv) using low-dose CT (LDCT) with iterative reconstruction algorithms. One hundred and fifty-one consecutive patients requiring CECT for acute abdominal pain were included, and their body mass index (BMI) was calculated. CECT was immediately followed by LDCT. LDCT series was processed using 1) 40% iterative reconstruction algorithm blended with filtered back projection (LDCT-IR-FBP) and 2) model-based iterative reconstruction algorithm (LDCT-MBIR). LDCT-IR-FBP and LDCT-MBIR images were reviewed independently by two board-certified radiologists (Raters 1 and 2). Abdominal pathology was revealed on CECT in 120 (79%) patients. In those with BMI <30, accuracies for correct diagnosis by Rater 1 with LDCT-IR-FBP and LDCT-MBIR, when compared to CECT, were 95.4% (104/109) and 99% (108/109), respectively, and 92.7% (101/109) and 100% (109/109) for Rater 2. In patients with BMI ≥30, accuracies with LDCT-IR-FBP and LDCT-MBIR were 88.1% (37/42) and 90.5% (38/42) for Rater 1 and 78.6% (33/42) and 92.9% (39/42) for Rater 2. The radiation dose delivered by CT to non-obese patients with acute abdominal pain can be safely reduced to levels close to standard radiography using LDCT-MBIR. (orig.)

Acceleration of the direct reconstruction of linear parametric images using nested algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Guobao; Qi Jinyi

2010-01-01

Parametric imaging using dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) provides important information for biological research and clinical diagnosis. Indirect and direct methods have been developed for reconstructing linear parametric images from dynamic PET data. Indirect methods are relatively simple and easy to implement because the image reconstruction and kinetic modeling are performed in two separate steps. Direct methods estimate parametric images directly from raw PET data and are statistically more efficient. However, the convergence rate of direct algorithms can be slow due to the coupling between the reconstruction and kinetic modeling. Here we present two fast gradient-type algorithms for direct reconstruction of linear parametric images. The new algorithms decouple the reconstruction and linear parametric modeling at each iteration by employing the principle of optimization transfer. Convergence speed is accelerated by running more sub-iterations of linear parametric estimation because the computation cost of the linear parametric modeling is much less than that of the image reconstruction. Computer simulation studies demonstrated that the new algorithms converge much faster than the traditional expectation maximization (EM) and the preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithms for dynamic PET.

Fast ion power loads on ITER first wall structures in the presence of NTMs and microturbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurki-Suonio, T.; Asunta, O.; Hirvijoki, E.; Koskela, T.; Snicker, A.; Sipilae, S.; Hauff, T.; Jenko, F.; Poli, E.

2011-01-01

The level and distribution of the wall power flux of energetic ions in ITER have to be known accurately in order to ensure the integrity of the first wall. Until now, most quantitative estimates have been based on the assumption that fast ion transport is dictated by neoclassical effects only. However, in ITER, the fast ion distribution is likely to be affected by various MHD effects and probably also by microturbulence. We have now upgraded our orbit-following Monte Carlo code ASCOT so that it has simple, theory-based models for neoclassical tearing mode (NTM)-type islands as well as for turbulent diffusion. ASCOT also allows for full-orbit following, which is important close to the material surfaces and, possibly, also when strong toroidal inhomogeneities are present in the magnetic field. Here we introduce the new models, preliminary results obtained with them, and how these models could be made more realistic in the future. The simulations are carried out for thermonuclear alpha particles in ITER scenario 2 plasma, because we consider this combination to be most critical for the successful operation of ITER. Neither the turbulent transport nor NTM-type islands are found to introduce alarming changes in the wall loads. However, at this stage it was not possible to combine the island structures with the non-axisymmetric magnetic field of ITER, and it remains to be seen what the combined effect of drift islands together with the toroidal ripple and local field aberrations, such as those due to test blanket modules and resonant magnetic perturbations will be.

The Fusion Advanced Studies Torus (FAST): a Proposal for an ITER Satellite Facility in Support of the Development of Fusion Energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pizzuto, A.

2008-01-01

FAST is the conceptual design for a new machine proposed to support ITER experimental exploitation as well as to anticipate DEMO relevant physics and technology. FAST is aimed at integrated investigations of fast particle physics, plasma operations and plasma wall interaction in burning plasma relevant conditions. In Deuterium plasma operations, FAST has the capability to simultaneously approach relevant dimensionless physical parameters in all the ITER scenarios. The necessity of achieving ITER relevant power densities and performance with moderate cost has led to a compact Tokamak design (R=1.82 m , a= 0.64 m), with a high toroidal field (BT up to 8.5 T) and plasma current (Ip up to 8 MA). In order to study fast particle behaviours with dimensionless parameters similar to ITER, the project is based on a dominant Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating system (ICRH; 30 MW coupled to the plasma). Moreover, the experiment foresees 6 MW of Lower Hybrid (LH), essentially for plasma control and for non-inductive current drive, and of Electron Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ECRH; 4MW) for localized electron heating and plasma control. Ports have been designed to also accommodate up to 10 MW of negative neutral beam injection (NNBI) in the energy range of 0.5-1 MeV. The total power input is in the 30-40 MW range in the different plasma scenarios, with a wall power load comparable with that of ITER (P/R∼22 MW/m). All ITER scenarios can be studied: starting from the reference H-mode, with plasma edge and ELMs characteristics similar to those of ITER (Q up to ∼ 2.5), and arriving to full non-inductive current drive scenarios lasting ∼ 160 s, Under these conditions, first wall as well as divertor plates will be made of tungsten. The divertor itself is designed to be completely removable by remote handling. This will allow studying, in view of DEMO, the behaviour of innovative divertor concepts, such as those foreseeing the use of liquid lithium. FAST is capable to operate with

Iterative reconstruction of SiPM light response functions in a square-shaped compact gamma camera

Science.gov (United States)

Morozov, A.; Alves, F.; Marcos, J.; Martins, R.; Pereira, L.; Solovov, V.; Chepel, V.

2017-05-01

Compact gamma cameras with a square-shaped monolithic scintillator crystal and an array of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are actively being developed for applications in areas such as small animal imaging, cancer diagnostics and radiotracer guided surgery. Statistical methods of position reconstruction, which are potentially superior to the traditional centroid method, require accurate knowledge of the spatial response of each photomultiplier. Using both Monte Carlo simulations and experimental data obtained with a camera prototype, we show that the spatial response of all photomultipliers (light response functions) can be parameterized with axially symmetric functions obtained iteratively from flood field irradiation data. The study was performed with a camera prototype equipped with a 30  ×  30  ×  2 mm3 LYSO crystal and an 8  ×  8 array of SiPMs for 140 keV gamma rays. The simulations demonstrate that the images, reconstructed with the maximum likelihood method using the response obtained with the iterative approach, exhibit only minor distortions: the average difference between the reconstructed and the true positions in X and Y directions does not exceed 0.2 mm in the central area of 22  ×  22 mm2 and 0.4 mm at the periphery of the camera. A similar level of image distortions is shown experimentally with the camera prototype.

Ultralow dose dentomaxillofacial CT imaging and iterative reconstruction techniques: variability of Hounsfield units and contrast-to-noise ratio

Science.gov (United States)

Bischel, Alexander; Stratis, Andreas; Kakar, Apoorv; Bosmans, Hilde; Jacobs, Reinhilde; Gassner, Eva-Maria; Puelacher, Wolfgang; Pauwels, Ruben

2016-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether application of ultralow dose protocols and iterative reconstruction technology (IRT) influence quantitative Hounsfield units (HUs) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in dentomaxillofacial CT imaging. Methods: A phantom with inserts of five types of materials was scanned using protocols for (a) a clinical reference for navigated surgery (CT dose index volume 36.58 mGy), (b) low-dose sinus imaging (18.28 mGy) and (c) four ultralow dose imaging (4.14, 2.63, 0.99 and 0.53 mGy). All images were reconstructed using: (i) filtered back projection (FBP); (ii) IRT: adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-50 (ASIR-50), ASIR-100 and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR); and (iii) standard (std) and bone kernel. Mean HU, CNR and average HU error after recalibration were determined. Each combination of protocols was compared using Friedman analysis of variance, followed by Dunn's multiple comparison test. Results: Pearson's sample correlation coefficients were all >0.99. Ultralow dose protocols using FBP showed errors of up to 273 HU. Std kernels had less HU variability than bone kernels. MBIR reduced the error value for the lowest dose protocol to 138 HU and retained the highest relative CNR. ASIR could not demonstrate significant advantages over FBP. Conclusions: Considering a potential dose reduction as low as 1.5% of a std protocol, ultralow dose protocols and IRT should be further tested for clinical dentomaxillofacial CT imaging. Advances in knowledge: HU as a surrogate for bone density may vary significantly in CT ultralow dose imaging. However, use of std kernels and MBIR technology reduce HU error values and may retain the highest CNR. PMID:26859336

Iterative reconstruction with boundary detection for carbon ion computed tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Shrestha, Deepak; Qin, Nan; Zhang, You; Kalantari, Faraz; Niu, Shanzhou; Jia, Xun; Pompos, Arnold; Jiang, Steve; Wang, Jing

2018-03-01

In heavy ion radiation therapy, improving the accuracy in range prediction of the ions inside the patient’s body has become essential. Accurate localization of the Bragg peak provides greater conformity of the tumor while sparing healthy tissues. We investigated the use of carbon ions directly for computed tomography (carbon CT) to create the relative stopping power map of a patient’s body. The Geant4 toolkit was used to perform a Monte Carlo simulation of the carbon ion trajectories, to study their lateral and angular deflections and the most likely paths, using a water phantom. Geant4 was used to create carbonCT projections of a contrast and spatial resolution phantom, with a cone beam of 430 MeV/u carbon ions. The contrast phantom consisted of cranial bone, lung material, and PMMA inserts while the spatial resolution phantom contained bone and lung material inserts with line pair (lp) densities ranging from 1.67 lp cm-1 through 5 lp cm-1. First, the positions of each carbon ion on the rear and front trackers were used for an approximate reconstruction of the phantom. The phantom boundary was extracted from this approximate reconstruction, by using the position as well as angle information from the four tracking detectors, resulting in the entry and exit locations of the individual ions on the phantom surface. Subsequent reconstruction was performed by the iterative algebraic reconstruction technique coupled with total variation minimization (ART-TV) assuming straight line trajectories for the ions inside the phantom. The influence of number of projections was studied with reconstruction from five different sets of projections: 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90. Additionally, the effect of number of ions on the image quality was investigated by reducing the number of ions/projection while keeping the total number of projections at 60. An estimation of carbon ion range using the carbonCT image resulted in improved range prediction compared to the range calculated using a

Influence of radiation dose and iterative reconstruction algorithms for measurement accuracy and reproducibility of pulmonary nodule volumetry: A phantom study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyungjin; Park, Chang Min; Song, Yong Sub; Lee, Sang Min; Goo, Jin Mo

2014-05-01

To evaluate the influence of radiation dose settings and reconstruction algorithms on the measurement accuracy and reproducibility of semi-automated pulmonary nodule volumetry. CT scans were performed on a chest phantom containing various nodules (10 and 12mm; +100, -630 and -800HU) at 120kVp with tube current-time settings of 10, 20, 50, and 100mAs. Each CT was reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP), iDose(4) and iterative model reconstruction (IMR). Semi-automated volumetry was performed by two radiologists using commercial volumetry software for nodules at each CT dataset. Noise, contrast-to-noise ratio and signal-to-noise ratio of CT images were also obtained. The absolute percentage measurement errors and differences were then calculated for volume and mass. The influence of radiation dose and reconstruction algorithm on measurement accuracy, reproducibility and objective image quality metrics was analyzed using generalized estimating equations. Measurement accuracy and reproducibility of nodule volume and mass were not significantly associated with CT radiation dose settings or reconstruction algorithms (p>0.05). Objective image quality metrics of CT images were superior in IMR than in FBP or iDose(4) at all radiation dose settings (pvolumetry can be applied to low- or ultralow-dose chest CT with usage of a novel iterative reconstruction algorithm without losing measurement accuracy and reproducibility. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction reduces patient radiation dose in neuroradiology CT studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komlosi, Peter; Zhang, Yanrong; Leiva-Salinas, Carlos; Ornan, David; Grady, Deborah [University of Virginia, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Division of Neuroradiology, PO Box 800170, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Patrie, James T.; Xin, Wenjun [University of Virginia, Department of Public Health Sciences, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Wintermark, Max [University of Virginia, Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Division of Neuroradiology, PO Box 800170, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Department of Radiology, Lausanne (Switzerland)

2014-03-15

Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) can decrease image noise, thereby generating CT images of comparable diagnostic quality with less radiation. The purpose of this study is to quantify the effect of systematic use of ASIR versus filtered back projection (FBP) for neuroradiology CT protocols on patients' radiation dose and image quality. We evaluated the effect of ASIR on six types of neuroradiologic CT studies: adult and pediatric unenhanced head CT, adult cervical spine CT, adult cervical and intracranial CT angiography, adult soft tissue neck CT with contrast, and adult lumbar spine CT. For each type of CT study, two groups of 100 consecutive studies were retrospectively reviewed: 100 studies performed with FBP and 100 studies performed with ASIR/FBP blending factor of 40 %/60 % with appropriate noise indices. The weighted volume CT dose index (CTDI{sub vol}), dose-length product (DLP) and noise were recorded. Each study was also reviewed for image quality by two reviewers. Continuous and categorical variables were compared by t test and free permutation test, respectively. For adult unenhanced brain CT, CT cervical myelography, cervical and intracranial CT angiography and lumbar spine CT both CTDI{sub vol} and DLP were lowered by up to 10.9 % (p < 0.001), 17.9 % (p = 0.005), 20.9 % (p < 0.001), and 21.7 % (p = 0.001), respectively, by using ASIR compared with FBP alone. Image quality and noise were similar for both FBP and ASIR. We recommend routine use of iterative reconstruction for neuroradiology CT examinations because this approach affords a significant dose reduction while preserving image quality. (orig.)

Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction reduces patient radiation dose in neuroradiology CT studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komlosi, Peter; Zhang, Yanrong; Leiva-Salinas, Carlos; Ornan, David; Grady, Deborah; Patrie, James T.; Xin, Wenjun; Wintermark, Max

2014-01-01

Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) can decrease image noise, thereby generating CT images of comparable diagnostic quality with less radiation. The purpose of this study is to quantify the effect of systematic use of ASIR versus filtered back projection (FBP) for neuroradiology CT protocols on patients' radiation dose and image quality. We evaluated the effect of ASIR on six types of neuroradiologic CT studies: adult and pediatric unenhanced head CT, adult cervical spine CT, adult cervical and intracranial CT angiography, adult soft tissue neck CT with contrast, and adult lumbar spine CT. For each type of CT study, two groups of 100 consecutive studies were retrospectively reviewed: 100 studies performed with FBP and 100 studies performed with ASIR/FBP blending factor of 40 %/60 % with appropriate noise indices. The weighted volume CT dose index (CTDI vol ), dose-length product (DLP) and noise were recorded. Each study was also reviewed for image quality by two reviewers. Continuous and categorical variables were compared by t test and free permutation test, respectively. For adult unenhanced brain CT, CT cervical myelography, cervical and intracranial CT angiography and lumbar spine CT both CTDI vol and DLP were lowered by up to 10.9 % (p < 0.001), 17.9 % (p = 0.005), 20.9 % (p < 0.001), and 21.7 % (p = 0.001), respectively, by using ASIR compared with FBP alone. Image quality and noise were similar for both FBP and ASIR. We recommend routine use of iterative reconstruction for neuroradiology CT examinations because this approach affords a significant dose reduction while preserving image quality. (orig.)

Iterative Multiview Side Information for Enhanced Reconstruction in Distributed Video Coding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2009-03-01

Full Text Available Distributed video coding (DVC is a new paradigm for video compression based on the information theoretical results of Slepian and Wolf (SW and Wyner and Ziv (WZ. DVC entails low-complexity encoders as well as separate encoding of correlated video sources. This is particularly attractive for multiview camera systems in video surveillance and camera sensor network applications, where low complexity is required at the encoder. In addition, the separate encoding of the sources implies no communication between the cameras in a practical scenario. This is an advantage since communication is time and power consuming and requires complex networking. In this work, different intercamera estimation techniques for side information (SI generation are explored and compared in terms of estimating quality, complexity, and rate distortion (RD performance. Further, a technique called iterative multiview side information (IMSI is introduced, where the final SI is used in an iterative reconstruction process. The simulation results show that IMSI significantly improves the RD performance for video with significant motion and activity. Furthermore, DVC outperforms AVC/H.264 Intra for video with average and low motion but it is still inferior to the Inter No Motion and Inter Motion modes.

Iterative image reconstruction algorithms in coronary CT angiography improve the detection of lipid-core plaque - a comparison with histology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Puchner, Stefan B.; Ferencik, Maros; Maurovich-Horvat, Pal; Nakano, Masataka; Otsuka, Fumiyuki; Virmani, Renu; Kauczor, Hans-Ulrich; Hoffmann, Udo; Schlett, Christopher L.

2015-01-01

To evaluate whether iterative reconstruction algorithms improve the diagnostic accuracy of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) for detection of lipid-core plaque (LCP) compared to histology. CCTA and histological data were acquired from three ex vivo hearts. CCTA images were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP), adaptive-statistical (ASIR) and model-based (MBIR) iterative algorithms. Vessel cross-sections were co-registered between FBP/ASIR/MBIR and histology. Plaque area 2 : 5.78 ± 2.29 vs. 3.39 ± 1.68 FBP; 5.92 ± 1.87 vs. 3.43 ± 1.62 ASIR; 6.40 ± 1.55 vs. 3.49 ± 1.50 MBIR; all p < 0.0001). AUC for detecting LCP was 0.803/0.850/0.903 for FBP/ASIR/MBIR and was significantly higher for MBIR compared to FBP (p = 0.01). MBIR increased sensitivity for detection of LCP by CCTA. Plaque area <60 HU in CCTA was associated with LCP in histology regardless of the reconstruction algorithm. However, MBIR demonstrated higher accuracy for detecting LCP, which may improve vulnerable plaque detection by CCTA. (orig.)

Effect of radiation dose reduction and iterative reconstruction on computer-aided detection of pulmonary nodules : Intra-individual comparison

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Den Harder, Annemarie M.; Willemink, Martin J.; Van Hamersvelt, Robbert W.; Vonken, Evert-Jan P A; Milles, Julien; Schilham, Arnold M R; Lammers, Jan Willem; De Jong, Pim A.; Leiner, Tim; Budde, Ricardo P J

2016-01-01

Objective To evaluate the effect of radiation dose reduction and iterative reconstruction (IR) on the performance of computer-aided detection (CAD) for pulmonary nodules. Methods In this prospective study twenty-five patients were included who were scanned for pulmonary nodule follow-up. Image

Systematic Error in Lung Nodule Volumetry : Effect of Iterative Reconstruction Versus Filtered Back Projection at Different CT Parameters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Willemink, Martin J.; Leiner, Tim; Budde, Ricardo P. J.; de Kort, Freek P. L.; Vliegenthart, Rozemarijn; van Ooijen, Peter M. A.; Oudkerk, Matthijs; de Jong, Pim A.

2012-01-01

OBJECTIVE. Iterative reconstruction potentially can reduce radiation dose compared with filtered back projection (FBP) for chest CT. This is especially important for repeated CT scanning, as is the case in patients with indeterminate lung nodules. It is currently unknown whether absolute nodule

Performance evaluation of iterative reconstruction algorithms for achieving CT radiation dose reduction — a phantom study

Science.gov (United States)

Dodge, Cristina T.; Tamm, Eric P.; Cody, Dianna D.; Liu, Xinming; Jensen, Corey T.; Wei, Wei; Kundra, Vikas

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to characterize image quality and dose performance with GE CT iterative reconstruction techniques, adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR), and model‐based iterative reconstruction (MBIR), over a range of typical to low‐dose intervals using the Catphan 600 and the anthropomorphic Kyoto Kagaku abdomen phantoms. The scope of the project was to quantitatively describe the advantages and limitations of these approaches. The Catphan 600 phantom, supplemented with a fat‐equivalent oval ring, was scanned using a GE Discovery HD750 scanner at 120 kVp, 0.8 s rotation time, and pitch factors of 0.516, 0.984, and 1.375. The mA was selected for each pitch factor to achieve CTDIvol values of 24, 18, 12, 6, 3, 2, and 1 mGy. Images were reconstructed at 2.5 mm thickness with filtered back‐projection (FBP); 20%, 40%, and 70% ASiR; and MBIR. The potential for dose reduction and low‐contrast detectability were evaluated from noise and contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) measurements in the CTP 404 module of the Catphan. Hounsfield units (HUs) of several materials were evaluated from the cylinder inserts in the CTP 404 module, and the modulation transfer function (MTF) was calculated from the air insert. The results were confirmed in the anthropomorphic Kyoto Kagaku abdomen phantom at 6, 3, 2, and 1 mGy. MBIR reduced noise levels five‐fold and increased CNR by a factor of five compared to FBP below 6 mGy CTDIvol, resulting in a substantial improvement in image quality. Compared to ASiR and FBP, HU in images reconstructed with MBIR were consistently lower, and this discrepancy was reversed by higher pitch factors in some materials. MBIR improved the conspicuity of the high‐contrast spatial resolution bar pattern, and MTF quantification confirmed the superior spatial resolution performance of MBIR versus FBP and ASiR at higher dose levels. While ASiR and FBP were relatively insensitive to changes in dose and pitch, the spatial

Effects of pure and hybrid iterative reconstruction algorithms on high-resolution computed tomography in the evaluation of interstitial lung disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Katsura, Masaki; Sato, Jiro; Akahane, Masaaki; Mise, Yoko; Sumida, Kaoru; Abe, Osamu

2017-08-01

To compare image quality characteristics of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in the evaluation of interstitial lung disease using three different reconstruction methods: model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR), and filtered back projection (FBP). Eighty-nine consecutive patients with interstitial lung disease underwent standard-of-care chest CT with 64-row multi-detector CT. HRCT images were reconstructed in 0.625-mm contiguous axial slices using FBP, ASIR, and MBIR. Two radiologists independently assessed the images in a blinded manner for subjective image noise, streak artifacts, and visualization of normal and pathologic structures. Objective image noise was measured in the lung parenchyma. Spatial resolution was assessed by measuring the modulation transfer function (MTF). MBIR offered significantly lower objective image noise (22.24±4.53, PASIR (39.76±7.41) and FBP (51.91±9.71). MTF (spatial resolution) was increased using MBIR compared with ASIR and FBP. MBIR showed improvements in visualization of normal and pathologic structures over ASIR and FBP, while ASIR was rated quite similarly to FBP. MBIR significantly improved subjective image noise (PASIR and FBP. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Accelerated perturbation-resilient block-iterative projection methods with application to image reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikazad, T; Davidi, R; Herman, G T

2012-03-01

We study the convergence of a class of accelerated perturbation-resilient block-iterative projection methods for solving systems of linear equations. We prove convergence to a fixed point of an operator even in the presence of summable perturbations of the iterates, irrespective of the consistency of the linear system. For a consistent system, the limit point is a solution of the system. In the inconsistent case, the symmetric version of our method converges to a weighted least squares solution. Perturbation resilience is utilized to approximate the minimum of a convex functional subject to the equations. A main contribution, as compared to previously published approaches to achieving similar aims, is a more than an order of magnitude speed-up, as demonstrated by applying the methods to problems of image reconstruction from projections. In addition, the accelerated algorithms are illustrated to be better, in a strict sense provided by the method of statistical hypothesis testing, than their unaccelerated versions for the task of detecting small tumors in the brain from X-ray CT projection data.

The use of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction in pediatric head CT: a feasibility study.

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Vorona, G A; Zuccoli, G; Sutcavage, T; Clayton, B L; Ceschin, R C; Panigrahy, A

2013-01-01

Iterative reconstruction techniques facilitate CT dose reduction; though to our knowledge, no group has explored using iterative reconstruction with pediatric head CT. Our purpose was to perform a feasibility study to assess the use of ASIR in a small group of pediatric patients undergoing head CT. An Alderson-Rando head phantom was scanned at decreasing 10% mA intervals relative to our standard protocol, and each study was then reconstructed at 10% ASIR intervals. An intracranial region of interest was consistently placed to estimate noise. Our ventriculoperitoneal shunt CT protocol was subsequently modified, and patients were scanned at 20% ASIR with approximately 20% mA reductions. ASIR studies were anonymously compared with older non-ASIR studies from the same patients by 2 attending pediatric neuroradiologists for diagnostic utility, sharpness, noise, and artifacts. The phantom study demonstrated similar noise at 100% mA/0% ASIR (3.9) and 80% mA/20% ASIR (3.7). Twelve pediatric patients were scanned at reduced dose at 20% ASIR. The average CTDI(vol) and DLP values of the 20% ASIR studies were 22.4 mGy and 338.4 mGy-cm, and for the non-ASIR studies, they were 28.8 mGy and 444.5 mGy-cm, representing statistically significant decreases in the CTDI(vol) (22.1%, P = .00007) and DLP (23.9%, P = .0005) values. There were no significant differences between the ASIR studies and non-ASIR studies with respect to diagnostic acceptability, sharpness, noise, or artifacts. Our findings suggest that 20% ASIR can provide approximately 22% dose reduction in pediatric head CT without affecting image quality.

Clinical correlative evaluation of an iterative method for reconstruction of brain SPECT images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nobili, Flavio; Vitali, Paolo; Calvini, Piero; Bollati, Francesca; Girtler, Nicola; Delmonte, Marta; Mariani, Giuliano; Rodriguez, Guido

2001-01-01

Background: Brain SPECT and PET investigations have showed discrepancies in Alzheimer's disease (AD) when considering data deriving from deeply located structures, such as the mesial temporal lobe. These discrepancies could be due to a variety of factors, including substantial differences in gamma-cameras and underlying technology. Mesial temporal structures are deeply located within the brain and the commonly used Filtered Back-Projection (FBP) technique does not fully take into account either the physical parameters of gamma-cameras or geometry of collimators. In order to overcome these limitations, alternative reconstruction methods have been proposed, such as the iterative method of the Conjugate Gradients with modified matrix (CG). However, the clinical applications of these methods have so far been only anecdotal. The present study was planned to compare perfusional SPECT data as derived from the conventional FBP method and from the iterative CG method, which takes into account the geometrical and physical characteristics of the gamma-camera, by a correlative approach with neuropsychology. Methods: Correlations were compared between perfusion of the hippocampal region, as achieved by both the FBP and the CG reconstruction methods, and a short-memory test (Selective Reminding Test, SRT), specifically addressing one of its function. A brain-dedicated camera (CERASPECT) was used for SPECT studies with 99m Tc-hexamethylpropylene-amine-oxime in 23 consecutive patients (mean age: 74.2±6.5) with mild (Mini-Mental Status Examination score ≥15, mean 20.3±3), probable AD. Counts from a hippocampal region in each hemisphere were referred to the average thalamic counts. Results: Hippocampal perfusion significantly correlated with the MMSE score with similar statistical significance (p<0.01) between the two reconstruction methods. Correlation between hippocampal perfusion and the SRT score was better with the CG method (r=0.50 for both hemispheres, p<0.01) than with

Clinical correlative evaluation of an iterative method for reconstruction of brain SPECT images

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Nobili, Flavio E-mail: fnobili@smartino.ge.it; Vitali, Paolo; Calvini, Piero; Bollati, Francesca; Girtler, Nicola; Delmonte, Marta; Mariani, Giuliano; Rodriguez, Guido

2001-08-01

Background: Brain SPECT and PET investigations have showed discrepancies in Alzheimer's disease (AD) when considering data deriving from deeply located structures, such as the mesial temporal lobe. These discrepancies could be due to a variety of factors, including substantial differences in gamma-cameras and underlying technology. Mesial temporal structures are deeply located within the brain and the commonly used Filtered Back-Projection (FBP) technique does not fully take into account either the physical parameters of gamma-cameras or geometry of collimators. In order to overcome these limitations, alternative reconstruction methods have been proposed, such as the iterative method of the Conjugate Gradients with modified matrix (CG). However, the clinical applications of these methods have so far been only anecdotal. The present study was planned to compare perfusional SPECT data as derived from the conventional FBP method and from the iterative CG method, which takes into account the geometrical and physical characteristics of the gamma-camera, by a correlative approach with neuropsychology. Methods: Correlations were compared between perfusion of the hippocampal region, as achieved by both the FBP and the CG reconstruction methods, and a short-memory test (Selective Reminding Test, SRT), specifically addressing one of its function. A brain-dedicated camera (CERASPECT) was used for SPECT studies with {sup 99m}Tc-hexamethylpropylene-amine-oxime in 23 consecutive patients (mean age: 74.2{+-}6.5) with mild (Mini-Mental Status Examination score {>=}15, mean 20.3{+-}3), probable AD. Counts from a hippocampal region in each hemisphere were referred to the average thalamic counts. Results: Hippocampal perfusion significantly correlated with the MMSE score with similar statistical significance (p<0.01) between the two reconstruction methods. Correlation between hippocampal perfusion and the SRT score was better with the CG method (r=0.50 for both hemispheres, p<0

MO-DE-207A-08: Four-Dimensional Cone-Beam CT Iterative Reconstruction with Time-Ordered Chain Graph Model for Non-Periodic Organ Motion and Deformation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakano, M; Haga, A; Hanaoka, S; Nakagawa, K [The University of Tokyo Hospital, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo (Japan); Kotoku, J [Teikyo University, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo (Japan); Magome, T [Komazawa University, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo (Japan); Masutani, Y [Hiroshima-City University, Hiroshima, Hiroshima (Japan)

2016-06-15

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to propose a new concept of four-dimensional (4D) cone-beam CT (CBCT) reconstruction for non-periodic organ motion using the Time-ordered Chain Graph Model (TCGM), and to compare the reconstructed results with the previously proposed methods, the total variation-based compressed sensing (TVCS) and prior-image constrained compressed sensing (PICCS). Methods: CBCT reconstruction method introduced in this study consisted of maximum a posteriori (MAP) iterative reconstruction combined with a regularization term derived from a concept of TCGM, which includes a constraint coming from the images of neighbouring time-phases. The time-ordered image series were concurrently reconstructed in the MAP iterative reconstruction framework. Angular range of projections for each time-phase was 90 degrees for TCGM and PICCS, and 200 degrees for TVCS. Two kinds of projection data, an elliptic-cylindrical digital phantom data and two clinical patients’ data, were used for reconstruction. The digital phantom contained an air sphere moving 3 cm along longitudinal axis, and temporal resolution of each method was evaluated by measuring the penumbral width of reconstructed moving air sphere. The clinical feasibility of non-periodic time-ordered 4D CBCT reconstruction was also examined using projection data of prostate cancer patients. Results: The results of reconstructed digital phantom shows that the penumbral widths of TCGM yielded the narrowest result; PICCS and TCGM were 10.6% and 17.4% narrower than that of TVCS, respectively. This suggests that the TCGM has the better temporal resolution than the others. Patients’ CBCT projection data were also reconstructed and all three reconstructed results showed motion of rectal gas and stool. The result of TCGM provided visually clearer and less blurring images. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that the new concept for 4D CBCT reconstruction, TCGM, combined with MAP iterative reconstruction

Ultra-Fast Image Reconstruction of Tomosynthesis Mammography Using GPU.

Science.gov (United States)

Arefan, D; Talebpour, A; Ahmadinejhad, N; Kamali Asl, A

2015-06-01

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) is a technology that creates three dimensional (3D) images of breast tissue. Tomosynthesis mammography detects lesions that are not detectable with other imaging systems. If image reconstruction time is in the order of seconds, we can use Tomosynthesis systems to perform Tomosynthesis-guided Interventional procedures. This research has been designed to study ultra-fast image reconstruction technique for Tomosynthesis Mammography systems using Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). At first, projections of Tomosynthesis mammography have been simulated. In order to produce Tomosynthesis projections, it has been designed a 3D breast phantom from empirical data. It is based on MRI data in its natural form. Then, projections have been created from 3D breast phantom. The image reconstruction algorithm based on FBP was programmed with C++ language in two methods using central processing unit (CPU) card and the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). It calculated the time of image reconstruction in two kinds of programming (using CPU and GPU).

Ultra-Fast Image Reconstruction of Tomosynthesis Mammography Using GPU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arefan D

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT is a technology that creates three dimensional (3D images of breast tissue. Tomosynthesis mammography detects lesions that are not detectable with other imaging systems. If image reconstruction time is in the order of seconds, we can use Tomosynthesis systems to perform Tomosynthesis-guided Interventional procedures. This research has been designed to study ultra-fast image reconstruction technique for Tomosynthesis Mammography systems using Graphics Processing Unit (GPU. At first, projections of Tomosynthesis mammography have been simulated. In order to produce Tomosynthesis projections, it has been designed a 3D breast phantom from empirical data. It is based on MRI data in its natural form. Then, projections have been created from 3D breast phantom. The image reconstruction algorithm based on FBP was programmed with C++ language in two methods using central processing unit (CPU card and the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU. It calculated the time of image reconstruction in two kinds of programming (using CPU and GPU.

High resolution x-ray CMT: Reconstruction methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, J.K.

1997-02-01

This paper qualitatively discusses the primary characteristics of methods for reconstructing tomographic images from a set of projections. These reconstruction methods can be categorized as either {open_quotes}analytic{close_quotes} or {open_quotes}iterative{close_quotes} techniques. Analytic algorithms are derived from the formal inversion of equations describing the imaging process, while iterative algorithms incorporate a model of the imaging process and provide a mechanism to iteratively improve image estimates. Analytic reconstruction algorithms are typically computationally more efficient than iterative methods; however, analytic algorithms are available for a relatively limited set of imaging geometries and situations. Thus, the framework of iterative reconstruction methods is better suited for high accuracy, tomographic reconstruction codes.

Improved iterative image reconstruction algorithm for the exterior problem of computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Yumeng; Zeng, Li

2017-01-01

In industrial applications that are limited by the angle of a fan-beam and the length of a detector, the exterior problem of computed tomography (CT) uses only the projection data that correspond to the external annulus of the objects to reconstruct an image. Because the reconstructions are not affected by the projection data that correspond to the interior of the objects, the exterior problem is widely applied to detect cracks in the outer wall of large-sized objects, such as in-service pipelines. However, image reconstruction in the exterior problem is still a challenging problem due to truncated projection data and beam-hardening, both of which can lead to distortions and artifacts. Thus, developing an effective algorithm and adopting a scanning trajectory suited for the exterior problem may be valuable. In this study, an improved iterative algorithm that combines total variation minimization (TVM) with a region scalable fitting (RSF) model was developed for a unilateral off-centered scanning trajectory and can be utilized to inspect large-sized objects for defects. Experiments involving simulated phantoms and real projection data were conducted to validate the practicality of our algorithm. Furthermore, comparative experiments show that our algorithm outperforms others in suppressing the artifacts caused by truncated projection data and beam-hardening.

Improved iterative image reconstruction algorithm for the exterior problem of computed tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, Yumeng [Chongqing University, College of Mathematics and Statistics, Chongqing 401331 (China); Chongqing University, ICT Research Center, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Technology and System of the Education Ministry of China, Chongqing 400044 (China); Zeng, Li, E-mail: drlizeng@cqu.edu.cn [Chongqing University, College of Mathematics and Statistics, Chongqing 401331 (China); Chongqing University, ICT Research Center, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Technology and System of the Education Ministry of China, Chongqing 400044 (China)

2017-01-11

In industrial applications that are limited by the angle of a fan-beam and the length of a detector, the exterior problem of computed tomography (CT) uses only the projection data that correspond to the external annulus of the objects to reconstruct an image. Because the reconstructions are not affected by the projection data that correspond to the interior of the objects, the exterior problem is widely applied to detect cracks in the outer wall of large-sized objects, such as in-service pipelines. However, image reconstruction in the exterior problem is still a challenging problem due to truncated projection data and beam-hardening, both of which can lead to distortions and artifacts. Thus, developing an effective algorithm and adopting a scanning trajectory suited for the exterior problem may be valuable. In this study, an improved iterative algorithm that combines total variation minimization (TVM) with a region scalable fitting (RSF) model was developed for a unilateral off-centered scanning trajectory and can be utilized to inspect large-sized objects for defects. Experiments involving simulated phantoms and real projection data were conducted to validate the practicality of our algorithm. Furthermore, comparative experiments show that our algorithm outperforms others in suppressing the artifacts caused by truncated projection data and beam-hardening.

A fast and robust iterative algorithm for prediction of RNA pseudoknotted secondary structures

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Improving accuracy and efficiency of computational methods that predict pseudoknotted RNA secondary structures is an ongoing challenge. Existing methods based on free energy minimization tend to be very slow and are limited in the types of pseudoknots that they can predict. Incorporating known structural information can improve prediction accuracy; however, there are not many methods for prediction of pseudoknotted structures that can incorporate structural information as input. There is even less understanding of the relative robustness of these methods with respect to partial information. Results We present a new method, Iterative HFold, for pseudoknotted RNA secondary structure prediction. Iterative HFold takes as input a pseudoknot-free structure, and produces a possibly pseudoknotted structure whose energy is at least as low as that of any (density-2) pseudoknotted structure containing the input structure. Iterative HFold leverages strengths of earlier methods, namely the fast running time of HFold, a method that is based on the hierarchical folding hypothesis, and the energy parameters of HotKnots V2.0. Our experimental evaluation on a large data set shows that Iterative HFold is robust with respect to partial information, with average accuracy on pseudoknotted structures steadily increasing from roughly 54% to 79% as the user provides up to 40% of the input structure. Iterative HFold is much faster than HotKnots V2.0, while having comparable accuracy. Iterative HFold also has significantly better accuracy than IPknot on our HK-PK and IP-pk168 data sets. Conclusions Iterative HFold is a robust method for prediction of pseudoknotted RNA secondary structures, whose accuracy with more than 5% information about true pseudoknot-free structures is better than that of IPknot, and with about 35% information about true pseudoknot-free structures compares well with that of HotKnots V2.0 while being significantly faster. Iterative HFold and all data used in

Comparison of methods for suppressing edge and aliasing artefacts in iterative x-ray CT reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zbijewski, Wojciech; Beekman, Freek J

2006-01-01

X-ray CT images obtained with iterative reconstruction (IR) can be hampered by the so-called edge and aliasing artefacts, which appear as interference patterns and severe overshoots in the areas of sharp intensity transitions. Previously, we have demonstrated that these artefacts are caused by discretization errors during the projection simulation step in IR. Although these errors are inherent to IR, they can be adequately suppressed by reconstruction on an image grid that is finer than that typically used for analytical methods such as filtered back-projection. Two other methods that may prevent edge artefacts are: (i) smoothing the projections prior to reconstruction or (ii) using an image representation different from voxels; spherically symmetric Kaiser-Bessel functions are a frequently employed example of such a representation. In this paper, we compare reconstruction on a fine grid with the two above-mentioned alternative strategies for edge artefact reduction. We show that the use of a fine grid results in a more adequate suppression of artefacts than the smoothing of projections or using the Kaiser-Bessel image representation

Fast half-sibling population reconstruction: theory and algorithms.

Science.gov (United States)

Dexter, Daniel; Brown, Daniel G

2013-07-12

Kinship inference is the task of identifying genealogically related individuals. Kinship information is important for determining mating structures, notably in endangered populations. Although many solutions exist for reconstructing full sibling relationships, few exist for half-siblings. We consider the problem of determining whether a proposed half-sibling population reconstruction is valid under Mendelian inheritance assumptions. We show that this problem is NP-complete and provide a 0/1 integer program that identifies the minimum number of individuals that must be removed from a population in order for the reconstruction to become valid. We also present SibJoin, a heuristic-based clustering approach based on Mendelian genetics, which is strikingly fast. The software is available at http://github.com/ddexter/SibJoin.git+. Our SibJoin algorithm is reasonably accurate and thousands of times faster than existing algorithms. The heuristic is used to infer a half-sibling structure for a population which was, until recently, too large to evaluate.

Model-based Iterative Reconstruction: Effect on Patient Radiation Dose and Image Quality in Pediatric Body CT

Science.gov (United States)

Dillman, Jonathan R.; Goodsitt, Mitchell M.; Christodoulou, Emmanuel G.; Keshavarzi, Nahid; Strouse, Peter J.

2014-01-01

Purpose To retrospectively compare image quality and radiation dose between a reduced-dose computed tomographic (CT) protocol that uses model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) and a standard-dose CT protocol that uses 30% adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) with filtered back projection. Materials and Methods Institutional review board approval was obtained. Clinical CT images of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis obtained with a reduced-dose protocol were identified. Images were reconstructed with two algorithms: MBIR and 100% ASIR. All subjects had undergone standard-dose CT within the prior year, and the images were reconstructed with 30% ASIR. Reduced- and standard-dose images were evaluated objectively and subjectively. Reduced-dose images were evaluated for lesion detectability. Spatial resolution was assessed in a phantom. Radiation dose was estimated by using volumetric CT dose index (CTDIvol) and calculated size-specific dose estimates (SSDE). A combination of descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and t tests was used for statistical analysis. Results In the 25 patients who underwent the reduced-dose protocol, mean decrease in CTDIvol was 46% (range, 19%–65%) and mean decrease in SSDE was 44% (range, 19%–64%). Reduced-dose MBIR images had less noise (P > .004). Spatial resolution was superior for reduced-dose MBIR images. Reduced-dose MBIR images were equivalent to standard-dose images for lungs and soft tissues (P > .05) but were inferior for bones (P = .004). Reduced-dose 100% ASIR images were inferior for soft tissues (P ASIR. Conclusion CT performed with a reduced-dose protocol and MBIR is feasible in the pediatric population, and it maintains diagnostic quality. © RSNA, 2013 Online supplemental material is available for this article. PMID:24091359

Influence of radiation dose and iterative reconstruction algorithms for measurement accuracy and reproducibility of pulmonary nodule volumetry: A phantom study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Hyungjin; Park, Chang Min; Song, Yong Sub; Lee, Sang Min; Goo, Jin Mo

2014-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of radiation dose settings and reconstruction algorithms on the measurement accuracy and reproducibility of semi-automated pulmonary nodule volumetry. Materials and methods: CT scans were performed on a chest phantom containing various nodules (10 and 12 mm; +100, −630 and −800 HU) at 120 kVp with tube current–time settings of 10, 20, 50, and 100 mAs. Each CT was reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP), iDose 4 and iterative model reconstruction (IMR). Semi-automated volumetry was performed by two radiologists using commercial volumetry software for nodules at each CT dataset. Noise, contrast-to-noise ratio and signal-to-noise ratio of CT images were also obtained. The absolute percentage measurement errors and differences were then calculated for volume and mass. The influence of radiation dose and reconstruction algorithm on measurement accuracy, reproducibility and objective image quality metrics was analyzed using generalized estimating equations. Results: Measurement accuracy and reproducibility of nodule volume and mass were not significantly associated with CT radiation dose settings or reconstruction algorithms (p > 0.05). Objective image quality metrics of CT images were superior in IMR than in FBP or iDose 4 at all radiation dose settings (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Semi-automated nodule volumetry can be applied to low- or ultralow-dose chest CT with usage of a novel iterative reconstruction algorithm without losing measurement accuracy and reproducibility

Influence of radiation dose and iterative reconstruction algorithms for measurement accuracy and reproducibility of pulmonary nodule volumetry: A phantom study

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Kim, Hyungjin, E-mail: khj.snuh@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, 101, Daehangno, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-744 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Chang Min, E-mail: cmpark@radiol.snu.ac.kr [Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, 101, Daehangno, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-744 (Korea, Republic of); Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University, 101, Daehangno, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-744 (Korea, Republic of); Song, Yong Sub, E-mail: terasong@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, 101, Daehangno, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-744 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang Min, E-mail: sangmin.lee.md@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, 101, Daehangno, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-744 (Korea, Republic of); Goo, Jin Mo, E-mail: jmgoo@plaza.snu.ac.kr [Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, 101, Daehangno, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-744 (Korea, Republic of); Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University, 101, Daehangno, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-744 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-05-15

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of radiation dose settings and reconstruction algorithms on the measurement accuracy and reproducibility of semi-automated pulmonary nodule volumetry. Materials and methods: CT scans were performed on a chest phantom containing various nodules (10 and 12 mm; +100, −630 and −800 HU) at 120 kVp with tube current–time settings of 10, 20, 50, and 100 mAs. Each CT was reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP), iDose{sup 4} and iterative model reconstruction (IMR). Semi-automated volumetry was performed by two radiologists using commercial volumetry software for nodules at each CT dataset. Noise, contrast-to-noise ratio and signal-to-noise ratio of CT images were also obtained. The absolute percentage measurement errors and differences were then calculated for volume and mass. The influence of radiation dose and reconstruction algorithm on measurement accuracy, reproducibility and objective image quality metrics was analyzed using generalized estimating equations. Results: Measurement accuracy and reproducibility of nodule volume and mass were not significantly associated with CT radiation dose settings or reconstruction algorithms (p > 0.05). Objective image quality metrics of CT images were superior in IMR than in FBP or iDose{sup 4} at all radiation dose settings (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Semi-automated nodule volumetry can be applied to low- or ultralow-dose chest CT with usage of a novel iterative reconstruction algorithm without losing measurement accuracy and reproducibility.

Precise and fast spatial-frequency analysis using the iterative local Fourier transform.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sukmock; Choi, Heejoo; Kim, Dae Wook

2016-09-19

The use of the discrete Fourier transform has decreased since the introduction of the fast Fourier transform (fFT), which is a numerically efficient computing process. This paper presents the iterative local Fourier transform (ilFT), a set of new processing algorithms that iteratively apply the discrete Fourier transform within a local and optimal frequency domain. The new technique achieves 210 times higher frequency resolution than the fFT within a comparable computation time. The method's superb computing efficiency, high resolution, spectrum zoom-in capability, and overall performance are evaluated and compared to other advanced high-resolution Fourier transform techniques, such as the fFT combined with several fitting methods. The effectiveness of the ilFT is demonstrated through the data analysis of a set of Talbot self-images (1280 × 1024 pixels) obtained with an experimental setup using grating in a diverging beam produced by a coherent point source.

Upgrade to iterative image reconstruction (IR) in abdominal MDCT imaging. A clinical study for detailed parameter optimization beyond vendor recommendations using the adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction environment (ASIR)

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Mueck, F.G.; Koerner, M.; Scherr, M.K.; Geyer, L.L.; Deak, Z.; Linsenmaier, U.; Reiser, M.; Wirth, S. [Ludwig-Maximilians-Univ. Muenchen (Germany). Inst. fuer Klinische Radiologie

2012-03-15

To compare the image quality of dose-reduced 64-row abdominal CT reconstructed at different levels of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) to full-dose baseline examinations reconstructed with filtered back-projection (FBP) in a clinical setting and upgrade situation. Abdominal baseline examinations (noise index NI = 29; LightSpeed VCT XT, GE) were intra-individually compared to follow-up studies on a CT with an ASIR option (NI = 43; Discovery HD750, GE), n = 42. Standard-kernel images were calculated with ASIR blendings of 0 - 100 % in slice and volume mode, respectively. Three experienced radiologists compared the image quality of these 567 sets to their corresponding full-dose baseline examination (-2: diagnostically inferior, -1: inferior, 0: equal, +1: superior, +2: diagnostically superior). Furthermore, a phantom was scanned. Statistical analysis used the Wilcoxon - the Mann-Whitney U-test and the intra-class correlation (ICC). The mean CTDIvol decreased from 19.7 {+-} 5.5 to 12.2 {+-} 4.7 mGy (p < 0.001). The ICC was 0.861. The total image quality of the dose-reduced ASIR studies was comparable to the baseline at ASIR 50 % in slice (p = 0.18) and ASIR 50 - 100 % in volume mode (p > 0.10). Volume mode performed 73 % slower than slice mode (p < 0.01). After the system upgrade, the vendor recommendation of ASIR 50 % in slice mode allowed for a dose reduction of 38 % in abdominal CT with comparable image quality and time expenditure. However, there is still further dose reduction potential for more complex reconstruction settings. (orig.)

Parallelization of the model-based iterative reconstruction algorithm DIRA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oertenberg, A.; Sandborg, M.; Alm Carlsson, G.; Malusek, A.; Magnusson, M.

2016-01-01

New paradigms for parallel programming have been devised to simplify software development on multi-core processors and many-core graphical processing units (GPU). Despite their obvious benefits, the parallelization of existing computer programs is not an easy task. In this work, the use of the Open Multiprocessing (OpenMP) and Open Computing Language (OpenCL) frameworks is considered for the parallelization of the model-based iterative reconstruction algorithm DIRA with the aim to significantly shorten the code's execution time. Selected routines were parallelized using OpenMP and OpenCL libraries; some routines were converted from MATLAB to C and optimised. Parallelization of the code with the OpenMP was easy and resulted in an overall speedup of 15 on a 16-core computer. Parallelization with OpenCL was more difficult owing to differences between the central processing unit and GPU architectures. The resulting speedup was substantially lower than the theoretical peak performance of the GPU; the cause was explained. (authors)

Single photon emission computed tomography using a regularizing iterative method for attenuation correction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soussaline, Francoise; Cao, A.; Lecoq, G.

1981-06-01

An analytically exact solution to the attenuated tomographic operator is proposed. Such a technique called Regularizing Iterative Method (RIM) belongs to the iterative class of procedures where a priori knowledge can be introduced on the evaluation of the size and shape of the activity domain to be reconstructed, and on the exact attenuation distribution. The relaxation factor used is so named because it leads to fast convergence and provides noise filtering for a small number of iteractions. The effectiveness of such a method was tested in the Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) reconstruction problem, with the goal of precise correction for attenuation before quantitative study. Its implementation involves the use of a rotating scintillation camera based SPECT detector connected to a mini computer system. Mathematical simulations of cylindical uniformly attenuated phantoms indicate that in the range of a priori calculated relaxation factor a fast converging solution can always be found with a (contrast) accuracy of the order of 0.2 to 4% given that numerical errors and noise are or not, taken into account. The sensitivity of the (RIM) algorithm to errors in the size of the reconstructed object and in the value of the attenuation coefficient μ was studied, using the same simulation data. Extreme variations of +- 15% in these parameters will lead to errors of the order of +- 20% in the quantitative results. Physical phantoms representing a variety of geometrical situations were also studied

Whole-body CT for lymphoma staging: Feasibility of halving radiation dose and risk by iterative image reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meyer, M., E-mail: mathias.meyer@medma.uni-heidelberg.de [Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, D-68167 Mannheim (Germany); Klein, S.A., E-mail: stefan.klein@umm.de [Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, D-68167 Mannheim (Germany); Brix, G., E-mail: gbrix@bfs.de [Department of Medical and Occupational Radiation Protection, Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg (Germany); Fink, C., E-mail: Christian.Fink@medma.uni-heidelberg.de [Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, D-68167 Mannheim (Germany); Pilz, L., E-mail: lothar.pilz@medma.uni-heidelberg.de [Department of Biostatistics, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, D-68167 Mannheim (Germany); Jafarov, H., E-mail: Hashim.Jafarov@umm.de [Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, D-68167 Mannheim (Germany); Hofmann, W.K., E-mail: w.k.hofmann@umm.de [Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, D-68167 Mannheim (Germany); Schoenberg, S.O., E-mail: Stefan.Schoenberg@umm.de [Institute of Clinical Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Mannheim, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, D-68167 Mannheim (Germany); and others

2014-02-15

Objectives: Patients with lymphoma are at higher-risk of secondary malignancies mainly due to effects of cancer therapy as well as frequent radiological surveillance. We thus aimed to investigate the objective and subjective image quality as well as radiation exposure and risk of full-dose standard (FDS), full-dose iterative (FDI), and half-dose iterative (HDI) image reconstruction in patients with lymphoma. Material and methods: In 100 lymphoma patients, contrast-enhanced whole-body staging was performed on a dual-source CT. To acquire full-dose and half-dose CT data simultaneously, the total current-time product was equally distributed on both tubes operating at 120 kV. HDI reconstructions were calculated by using only data from one tube. Quantitative image quality was assessed by measuring image noise in different tissues of the neck, thorax, and abdomen. Overall diagnostic image quality was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. Radiation doses and risks were estimated for a male and female reference person. Results: For all anatomical regions apart from the lungs image noise was significantly lower and the overall subjective image quality significantly better when using FDI and HDI instead of FDS reconstruction (p < 0.05). For the half-dose protocol, the risk to develop a radiation-induced cancer was estimated to be less than 0.11/0.19% for an adult male/female. Conclusions: Image quality of FDI and more importantly of HDI is superior to FDS reconstruction, thus enabling to halve radiation dose and risk to lymphoma patients.

Accelerating an Ordered-Subset Low-Dose X-Ray Cone Beam Computed Tomography Image Reconstruction with a Power Factor and Total Variation Minimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Hsuan-Ming; Hsiao, Ing-Tsung

2016-01-01

In recent years, there has been increased interest in low-dose X-ray cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in many fields, including dentistry, guided radiotherapy and small animal imaging. Despite reducing the radiation dose, low-dose CBCT has not gained widespread acceptance in routine clinical practice. In addition to performing more evaluation studies, developing a fast and high-quality reconstruction algorithm is required. In this work, we propose an iterative reconstruction method that accelerates ordered-subsets (OS) reconstruction using a power factor. Furthermore, we combine it with the total-variation (TV) minimization method. Both simulation and phantom studies were conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Results show that the proposed method can accelerate conventional OS methods, greatly increase the convergence speed in early iterations. Moreover, applying the TV minimization to the power acceleration scheme can further improve the image quality while preserving the fast convergence rate.

Computational acceleration for MR image reconstruction in partially parallel imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Xiaojing; Chen, Yunmei; Huang, Feng

2011-05-01

In this paper, we present a fast numerical algorithm for solving total variation and l(1) (TVL1) based image reconstruction with application in partially parallel magnetic resonance imaging. Our algorithm uses variable splitting method to reduce computational cost. Moreover, the Barzilai-Borwein step size selection method is adopted in our algorithm for much faster convergence. Experimental results on clinical partially parallel imaging data demonstrate that the proposed algorithm requires much fewer iterations and/or less computational cost than recently developed operator splitting and Bregman operator splitting methods, which can deal with a general sensing matrix in reconstruction framework, to get similar or even better quality of reconstructed images.

Radiation dose reduction in cerebral CT perfusion imaging using iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niesten, Joris M.; Schaaf, Irene C. van der; Riordan, Alan J.; Jong, Hugo W.A.M. de; Eijspaart, Daniel; Smit, Ewoud J.; Mali, Willem P.T.M.; Velthuis, Birgitta K.; Horsch, Alexander D.

2014-01-01

To investigate whether iterative reconstruction (IR) in cerebral CT perfusion (CTP) allows for 50 % dose reduction while maintaining image quality (IQ). A total of 48 CTP examinations were reconstructed into a standard dose (150 mAs) with filtered back projection (FBP) and half-dose (75 mAs) with two strengths of IR (middle and high). Objective IQ (quantitative perfusion values, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), penumbra, infarct area and penumbra/infarct (P/I) index) and subjective IQ (diagnostic IQ on a four-point Likert scale and overall IQ binomial) were compared among the reconstructions. Half-dose CTP with high IR level had, compared with standard dose with FBP, similar objective (grey matter cerebral blood volume (CBV) 4.4 versus 4.3 mL/100 g, CNR 1.59 versus 1.64 and P/I index 0.74 versus 0.73, respectively) and subjective diagnostic IQ (mean Likert scale 1.42 versus 1.49, respectively). The overall IQ in half-dose with high IR level was scored lower in 26-31 %. Half-dose with FBP and with the middle IR level were inferior to standard dose with FBP. With the use of IR in CTP imaging it is possible to examine patients with a half dose without significantly altering the objective and diagnostic IQ. The standard dose with FBP is still preferable in terms of subjective overall IQ in about one quarter of patients. (orig.)

Complex amplitude reconstruction by iterative amplitude-phase retrieval algorithm with reference

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Cheng; Guo, Cheng; Tan, Jiubin; Liu, Shutian; Liu, Zhengjun

2018-06-01

Multi-image iterative phase retrieval methods have been successfully applied in plenty of research fields due to their simple but efficient implementation. However, there is a mismatch between the measurement of the first long imaging distance and the sequential interval. In this paper, an amplitude-phase retrieval algorithm with reference is put forward without additional measurements or priori knowledge. It gets rid of measuring the first imaging distance. With a designed update formula, it significantly raises the convergence speed and the reconstruction fidelity, especially in phase retrieval. Its superiority over the original amplitude-phase retrieval (APR) method is validated by numerical analysis and experiments. Furthermore, it provides a conceptual design of a compact holographic image sensor, which can achieve numerical refocusing easily.

Low dose dynamic CT myocardial perfusion imaging using a statistical iterative reconstruction method

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Tao, Yinghua [Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705 (United States); Chen, Guang-Hong [Department of Medical Physics and Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705 (United States); Hacker, Timothy A.; Raval, Amish N. [Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53792 (United States); Van Lysel, Michael S.; Speidel, Michael A., E-mail: speidel@wisc.edu [Department of Medical Physics and Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53705 (United States)

2014-07-15

Purpose: Dynamic CT myocardial perfusion imaging has the potential to provide both functional and anatomical information regarding coronary artery stenosis. However, radiation dose can be potentially high due to repeated scanning of the same region. The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of statistical iterative reconstruction to improve parametric maps of myocardial perfusion derived from a low tube current dynamic CT acquisition. Methods: Four pigs underwent high (500 mA) and low (25 mA) dose dynamic CT myocardial perfusion scans with and without coronary occlusion. To delineate the affected myocardial territory, an N-13 ammonia PET perfusion scan was performed for each animal in each occlusion state. Filtered backprojection (FBP) reconstruction was first applied to all CT data sets. Then, a statistical iterative reconstruction (SIR) method was applied to data sets acquired at low dose. Image voxel noise was matched between the low dose SIR and high dose FBP reconstructions. CT perfusion maps were compared among the low dose FBP, low dose SIR and high dose FBP reconstructions. Numerical simulations of a dynamic CT scan at high and low dose (20:1 ratio) were performed to quantitatively evaluate SIR and FBP performance in terms of flow map accuracy, precision, dose efficiency, and spatial resolution. Results: Forin vivo studies, the 500 mA FBP maps gave −88.4%, −96.0%, −76.7%, and −65.8% flow change in the occluded anterior region compared to the open-coronary scans (four animals). The percent changes in the 25 mA SIR maps were in good agreement, measuring −94.7%, −81.6%, −84.0%, and −72.2%. The 25 mA FBP maps gave unreliable flow measurements due to streaks caused by photon starvation (percent changes of +137.4%, +71.0%, −11.8%, and −3.5%). Agreement between 25 mA SIR and 500 mA FBP global flow was −9.7%, 8.8%, −3.1%, and 26.4%. The average variability of flow measurements in a nonoccluded region was 16.3%, 24.1%, and 937

Low dose dynamic CT myocardial perfusion imaging using a statistical iterative reconstruction method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao, Yinghua; Chen, Guang-Hong; Hacker, Timothy A.; Raval, Amish N.; Van Lysel, Michael S.; Speidel, Michael A.

2014-01-01

Purpose: Dynamic CT myocardial perfusion imaging has the potential to provide both functional and anatomical information regarding coronary artery stenosis. However, radiation dose can be potentially high due to repeated scanning of the same region. The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of statistical iterative reconstruction to improve parametric maps of myocardial perfusion derived from a low tube current dynamic CT acquisition. Methods: Four pigs underwent high (500 mA) and low (25 mA) dose dynamic CT myocardial perfusion scans with and without coronary occlusion. To delineate the affected myocardial territory, an N-13 ammonia PET perfusion scan was performed for each animal in each occlusion state. Filtered backprojection (FBP) reconstruction was first applied to all CT data sets. Then, a statistical iterative reconstruction (SIR) method was applied to data sets acquired at low dose. Image voxel noise was matched between the low dose SIR and high dose FBP reconstructions. CT perfusion maps were compared among the low dose FBP, low dose SIR and high dose FBP reconstructions. Numerical simulations of a dynamic CT scan at high and low dose (20:1 ratio) were performed to quantitatively evaluate SIR and FBP performance in terms of flow map accuracy, precision, dose efficiency, and spatial resolution. Results: Forin vivo studies, the 500 mA FBP maps gave −88.4%, −96.0%, −76.7%, and −65.8% flow change in the occluded anterior region compared to the open-coronary scans (four animals). The percent changes in the 25 mA SIR maps were in good agreement, measuring −94.7%, −81.6%, −84.0%, and −72.2%. The 25 mA FBP maps gave unreliable flow measurements due to streaks caused by photon starvation (percent changes of +137.4%, +71.0%, −11.8%, and −3.5%). Agreement between 25 mA SIR and 500 mA FBP global flow was −9.7%, 8.8%, −3.1%, and 26.4%. The average variability of flow measurements in a nonoccluded region was 16.3%, 24.1%, and 937

Iterative reconstruction for quantitative computed tomography analysis of emphysema: consistent results using different tube currents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yamashiro T

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Tsuneo Yamashiro,1 Tetsuhiro Miyara,1 Osamu Honda,2 Noriyuki Tomiyama,2 Yoshiharu Ohno,3 Satoshi Noma,4 Sadayuki Murayama1 On behalf of the ACTIve Study Group 1Department of Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan; 2Department of Radiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan; 3Department of Radiology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan; 4Department of Radiology, Tenri Hospital, Tenri, Nara, Japan Purpose: To assess the advantages of iterative reconstruction for quantitative computed tomography (CT analysis of pulmonary emphysema. Materials and methods: Twenty-two patients with pulmonary emphysema underwent chest CT imaging using identical scanners with three different tube currents: 240, 120, and 60 mA. Scan data were converted to CT images using Adaptive Iterative Dose Reduction using Three Dimensional Processing (AIDR3D and a conventional filtered-back projection mode. Thus, six scans with and without AIDR3D were generated per patient. All other scanning and reconstruction settings were fixed. The percent low attenuation area (LAA%; < -950 Hounsfield units and the lung density 15th percentile were automatically measured using a commercial workstation. Comparisons of LAA% and 15th percentile results between scans with and without using AIDR3D were made by Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Associations between body weight and measurement errors among these scans were evaluated by Spearman rank correlation analysis. Results: Overall, scan series without AIDR3D had higher LAA% and lower 15th percentile values than those with AIDR3D at each tube current (P<0.0001. For scan series without AIDR3D, lower tube currents resulted in higher LAA% values and lower 15th percentiles. The extent of emphysema was significantly different between each pair among scans when not using AIDR3D (LAA%, P<0.0001; 15th percentile, P<0.01, but was not

Iterative algorithm for reconstructing rotationally asymmetric surface deviation with pixel-level spatial resolution

Science.gov (United States)

Quan, Haiyang; Wu, Fan; Hou, Xi

2015-10-01

New method for reconstructing rotationally asymmetric surface deviation with pixel-level spatial resolution is proposed. It is based on basic iterative scheme and accelerates the Gauss-Seidel method by introducing an acceleration parameter. This modified Successive Over-relaxation (SOR) is effective for solving the rotationally asymmetric components with pixel-level spatial resolution, without the usage of a fitting procedure. Compared to the Jacobi and Gauss-Seidel method, the modified SOR method with an optimal relaxation factor converges much faster and saves more computational costs and memory space without reducing accuracy. It has been proved by real experimental results.

Looking for the Signal: A guide to iterative noise and artefact removal in X-ray tomographic reconstructions of porous geomaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Bruns, S.; Stipp, S. L. S.; Sørensen, H. O.

2017-07-01

X-ray micro- and nanotomography has evolved into a quantitative analysis tool rather than a mere qualitative visualization technique for the study of porous natural materials. Tomographic reconstructions are subject to noise that has to be handled by image filters prior to quantitative analysis. Typically, denoising filters are designed to handle random noise, such as Gaussian or Poisson noise. In tomographic reconstructions, noise has been projected from Radon space to Euclidean space, i.e. post reconstruction noise cannot be expected to be random but to be correlated. Reconstruction artefacts, such as streak or ring artefacts, aggravate the filtering process so algorithms performing well with random noise are not guaranteed to provide satisfactory results for X-ray tomography reconstructions. With sufficient image resolution, the crystalline origin of most geomaterials results in tomography images of objects that are untextured. We developed a denoising framework for these kinds of samples that combines a noise level estimate with iterative nonlocal means denoising. This allows splitting the denoising task into several weak denoising subtasks where the later filtering steps provide a controlled level of texture removal. We describe a hands-on explanation for the use of this iterative denoising approach and the validity and quality of the image enhancement filter was evaluated in a benchmarking experiment with noise footprints of a varying level of correlation and residual artefacts. They were extracted from real tomography reconstructions. We found that our denoising solutions were superior to other denoising algorithms, over a broad range of contrast-to-noise ratios on artificial piecewise constant signals.

Potential benefit of the CT adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction method for pediatric cardiac diagnosis

Science.gov (United States)

Miéville, Frédéric A.; Ayestaran, Paul; Argaud, Christophe; Rizzo, Elena; Ou, Phalla; Brunelle, Francis; Gudinchet, François; Bochud, François; Verdun, Francis R.

2010-04-01

Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction (ASIR) is a new imaging reconstruction technique recently introduced by General Electric (GE). This technique, when combined with a conventional filtered back-projection (FBP) approach, is able to improve the image noise reduction. To quantify the benefits provided on the image quality and the dose reduction by the ASIR method with respect to the pure FBP one, the standard deviation (SD), the modulation transfer function (MTF), the noise power spectrum (NPS), the image uniformity and the noise homogeneity were examined. Measurements were performed on a control quality phantom when varying the CT dose index (CTDIvol) and the reconstruction kernels. A 64-MDCT was employed and raw data were reconstructed with different percentages of ASIR on a CT console dedicated for ASIR reconstruction. Three radiologists also assessed a cardiac pediatric exam reconstructed with different ASIR percentages using the visual grading analysis (VGA) method. For the standard, soft and bone reconstruction kernels, the SD is reduced when the ASIR percentage increases up to 100% with a higher benefit for low CTDIvol. MTF medium frequencies were slightly enhanced and modifications of the NPS shape curve were observed. However for the pediatric cardiac CT exam, VGA scores indicate an upper limit of the ASIR benefit. 40% of ASIR was observed as the best trade-off between noise reduction and clinical realism of organ images. Using phantom results, 40% of ASIR corresponded to an estimated dose reduction of 30% under pediatric cardiac protocol conditions. In spite of this discrepancy between phantom and clinical results, the ASIR method is as an important option when considering the reduction of radiation dose, especially for pediatric patients.

A Study on GPU-based Iterative ML-EM Reconstruction Algorithm for Emission Computed Tomographic Imaging Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ha, Woo Seok; Kim, Soo Mee; Park, Min Jae; Lee, Dong Soo; Lee, Jae Sung [Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2009-10-15

The maximum likelihood-expectation maximization (ML-EM) is the statistical reconstruction algorithm derived from probabilistic model of the emission and detection processes. Although the ML-EM has many advantages in accuracy and utility, the use of the ML-EM is limited due to the computational burden of iterating processing on a CPU (central processing unit). In this study, we developed a parallel computing technique on GPU (graphic processing unit) for ML-EM algorithm. Using Geforce 9800 GTX+ graphic card and CUDA (compute unified device architecture) the projection and backprojection in ML-EM algorithm were parallelized by NVIDIA's technology. The time delay on computations for projection, errors between measured and estimated data and backprojection in an iteration were measured. Total time included the latency in data transmission between RAM and GPU memory. The total computation time of the CPU- and GPU-based ML-EM with 32 iterations were 3.83 and 0.26 sec, respectively. In this case, the computing speed was improved about 15 times on GPU. When the number of iterations increased into 1024, the CPU- and GPU-based computing took totally 18 min and 8 sec, respectively. The improvement was about 135 times and was caused by delay on CPU-based computing after certain iterations. On the other hand, the GPU-based computation provided very small variation on time delay per iteration due to use of shared memory. The GPU-based parallel computation for ML-EM improved significantly the computing speed and stability. The developed GPU-based ML-EM algorithm could be easily modified for some other imaging geometries

A Study on GPU-based Iterative ML-EM Reconstruction Algorithm for Emission Computed Tomographic Imaging Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ha, Woo Seok; Kim, Soo Mee; Park, Min Jae; Lee, Dong Soo; Lee, Jae Sung

2009-01-01

The maximum likelihood-expectation maximization (ML-EM) is the statistical reconstruction algorithm derived from probabilistic model of the emission and detection processes. Although the ML-EM has many advantages in accuracy and utility, the use of the ML-EM is limited due to the computational burden of iterating processing on a CPU (central processing unit). In this study, we developed a parallel computing technique on GPU (graphic processing unit) for ML-EM algorithm. Using Geforce 9800 GTX+ graphic card and CUDA (compute unified device architecture) the projection and backprojection in ML-EM algorithm were parallelized by NVIDIA's technology. The time delay on computations for projection, errors between measured and estimated data and backprojection in an iteration were measured. Total time included the latency in data transmission between RAM and GPU memory. The total computation time of the CPU- and GPU-based ML-EM with 32 iterations were 3.83 and 0.26 sec, respectively. In this case, the computing speed was improved about 15 times on GPU. When the number of iterations increased into 1024, the CPU- and GPU-based computing took totally 18 min and 8 sec, respectively. The improvement was about 135 times and was caused by delay on CPU-based computing after certain iterations. On the other hand, the GPU-based computation provided very small variation on time delay per iteration due to use of shared memory. The GPU-based parallel computation for ML-EM improved significantly the computing speed and stability. The developed GPU-based ML-EM algorithm could be easily modified for some other imaging geometries

Upgrade to iterative image reconstruction (IR) in abdominal MDCT imaging: a clinical study for detailed parameter optimization beyond vendor recommendations using the adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction environment (ASIR).

Science.gov (United States)

Mueck, F G; Körner, M; Scherr, M K; Geyer, L L; Deak, Z; Linsenmaier, U; Reiser, M; Wirth, S

2012-03-01

To compare the image quality of dose-reduced 64-row abdominal CT reconstructed at different levels of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) to full-dose baseline examinations reconstructed with filtered back-projection (FBP) in a clinical setting and upgrade situation. Abdominal baseline examinations (noise index NI = 29; LightSpeed VCT XT, GE) were intra-individually compared to follow-up studies on a CT with an ASIR option (NI = 43; Discovery HD750, GE), n = 42. Standard-kernel images were calculated with ASIR blendings of 0 - 100 % in slice and volume mode, respectively. Three experienced radiologists compared the image quality of these 567 sets to their corresponding full-dose baseline examination (- 2: diagnostically inferior, - 1: inferior, 0: equal, + 1: superior, + 2: diagnostically superior). Furthermore, a phantom was scanned. Statistical analysis used the Wilcoxon - the Mann-Whitney U-test and the intra-class correlation (ICC). The mean CTDIvol decreased from 19.7 ± 5.5 to 12.2 ± 4.7 mGy (p ASIR studies was comparable to the baseline at ASIR 50 % in slice (p = 0.18) and ASIR 50 - 100 % in volume mode (p > 0.10). Volume mode performed 73 % slower than slice mode (p ASIR 50 % in slice mode allowed for a dose reduction of 38 % in abdominal CT with comparable image quality and time expenditure. However, there is still further dose reduction potential for more complex reconstruction settings. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Clinical evaluation of image quality and radiation dose reduction in upper abdominal computed tomography using model-based iterative reconstruction; comparison with filtered back projection and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamoto, Atsushi; Kim, Tonsok; Hori, Masatoshi; Onishi, Hiromitsu; Tsuboyama, Takahiro; Sakane, Makoto; Tatsumi, Mitsuaki; Tomiyama, Noriyuki

2015-01-01

Highlights: • MBIR significantly improves objective image quality. • MBIR reduces the radiation dose by 87.5% without increasing objective image noise. • A half dose will be needed to maintain the subjective image quality. - Abstract: Purpose: To evaluate the image quality of upper abdominal CT images reconstructed with model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) in comparison with filtered back projection (FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) on scans acquired with various radiation exposure dose protocols. Materials and methods: This prospective study was approved by our institutional review board, and informed consent was obtained from all 90 patients who underwent both control-dose (CD) and reduced-dose (RD) CT of the upper abdomen (unenhanced: n = 45, contrast-enhanced: n = 45). The RD scan protocol was randomly selected from three protocols; Protocol A: 12.5% dose, Protocol B: 25% dose, Protocol C: 50% dose. Objective image noise, signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio for the liver parenchyma, visual image score and lesion conspicuity were compared among CD images of FBP and RD images of FBP, ASIR and MBIR. Results: RD images of MBIR yielded significantly lower objective image noise and higher SNR compared with RD images of FBP and ASIR for all protocols (P < .01) and CD images of FBP for Protocol C (P < .05). Although the subjective image quality of RD images of MBIR was almost acceptable for Protocol C, it was inferior to that of CD images of FBP for Protocols A and B (P < .0083). The conspicuity of the small lesions in RD images of MBIR tended to be superior to that in RD images of FBP and ASIR and inferior to that in CD images for Protocols A and B, although the differences were not significant (P > .0083). Conclusion: Although 12.5%-dose MBIR images (mean size-specific dose estimates [SSDE] of 1.13 mGy) yielded objective image noise and SNR comparable to CD-FBP images, at least a 50% dose (mean SSDE of 4.63 mGy) would be needed to

Clinical evaluation of image quality and radiation dose reduction in upper abdominal computed tomography using model-based iterative reconstruction; comparison with filtered back projection and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakamoto, Atsushi, E-mail: a-nakamoto@radiol.med.osaka-u.ac.jp; Kim, Tonsok, E-mail: kim@radiol.med.osaka-u.ac.jp; Hori, Masatoshi, E-mail: mhori@radiol.med.osaka-u.ac.jp; Onishi, Hiromitsu, E-mail: h-onishi@radiol.med.osaka-u.ac.jp; Tsuboyama, Takahiro, E-mail: t-tsuboyama@radiol.med.osaka-u.ac.jp; Sakane, Makoto, E-mail: m-sakane@radiol.med.osaka-u.ac.jp; Tatsumi, Mitsuaki, E-mail: m-tatsumi@radiol.med.osaka-u.ac.jp; Tomiyama, Noriyuki, E-mail: tomiyama@radiol.med.osaka-u.ac.jp

2015-09-15

Highlights: • MBIR significantly improves objective image quality. • MBIR reduces the radiation dose by 87.5% without increasing objective image noise. • A half dose will be needed to maintain the subjective image quality. - Abstract: Purpose: To evaluate the image quality of upper abdominal CT images reconstructed with model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) in comparison with filtered back projection (FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) on scans acquired with various radiation exposure dose protocols. Materials and methods: This prospective study was approved by our institutional review board, and informed consent was obtained from all 90 patients who underwent both control-dose (CD) and reduced-dose (RD) CT of the upper abdomen (unenhanced: n = 45, contrast-enhanced: n = 45). The RD scan protocol was randomly selected from three protocols; Protocol A: 12.5% dose, Protocol B: 25% dose, Protocol C: 50% dose. Objective image noise, signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio for the liver parenchyma, visual image score and lesion conspicuity were compared among CD images of FBP and RD images of FBP, ASIR and MBIR. Results: RD images of MBIR yielded significantly lower objective image noise and higher SNR compared with RD images of FBP and ASIR for all protocols (P < .01) and CD images of FBP for Protocol C (P < .05). Although the subjective image quality of RD images of MBIR was almost acceptable for Protocol C, it was inferior to that of CD images of FBP for Protocols A and B (P < .0083). The conspicuity of the small lesions in RD images of MBIR tended to be superior to that in RD images of FBP and ASIR and inferior to that in CD images for Protocols A and B, although the differences were not significant (P > .0083). Conclusion: Although 12.5%-dose MBIR images (mean size-specific dose estimates [SSDE] of 1.13 mGy) yielded objective image noise and SNR comparable to CD-FBP images, at least a 50% dose (mean SSDE of 4.63 mGy) would be needed to

Fast neural-net based fake track rejection in the LHCb reconstruction

CERN Document Server

De Cian, Michel; Seyfert, Paul; Stahl, Sascha

2017-01-01

A neural-network based algorithm to identify fake tracks in the LHCb pattern recognition is presented. This algorithm, called ghost probability, retains more than 99 % of well reconstructed tracks while reducing the number of fake tracks by 60 %. It is fast enough to fit into the CPU time budget of the software trigger farm and thus reduces the combinatorics of the decay reconstructions, as well as the number of tracks that need to be processed by the particle identification algorithms. As a result, it strongly contributes to the achievement of having the same reconstruction online and offline in the LHCb experiment in Run II of the LHC.

Application of iterative reconstruction in prospective electrocardiography-triggered CT coronary angiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hou Yang; Yu Bing; Guo Qiyong; Wang Yuke; Yu Mei

2013-01-01

Objective: To assess the image quality (IQ) of an iterative reconstruction (IR) technique (iDose"4) from prospective electrocardiography (ECG)-triggered coronary CTA on a 256 MSCT scanner and determine the optimal dose reduction using IR that can provide IQ comparable to filtered back projection (FBP). Methods: Prospectively ECG gated CCTA were performed on 120 patients [76 men, 44 women; age: (53 ± 10) y] using a 256-slice MSCT (Brilliance iCT, Philips Healthcare). The control group (Group A , n = 30) were scanned using the conventional tube output (120 kVp, 210 mAs) and reconstructed using FBP. The other 3 groups were scanned with the same kVp but successively reduced tube output as follows: B (n = 30) : 105 mAs , C (n = 30) : 84 mAs: D (n = 30) : 65 mAs and reconstructed using IR levels of L4 to L6, respectively. All images were reconstructed using the same kernel (XCB). Two radiologists graded IQ in a blinded fashion on a 4-point scale (4-excellent, 3-good, 2-fair and 1-poor). Quantitative measurements of CT values, image noise, Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were obtained in each group. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparisons of objective evaluation indices (noise, CNR) and radiation dose (CTDIvol, DLP, ED) between the four groups. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for comparisons of demographic data and for detection of differences in subjective evaluation of IQ among groups. A level of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. A ROC analysis was performed to determine a radiation reduction threshold up to which excellent IQ was maintained. Results: There was no significant differences in objective noise among Groups A (37.4 ± 7.9) HU, B (33.2 ± 7.1) HU, C (35.7 ± 9.8) HU, and D (36.0 ± 6.8) HU (F = 1.48, P = 0.22). There was no significant differences in CNR among Groups A (15.0 ± 2.3), B (16.5 ± 3.6), C (16.3 ± 3.5), and D (15.3 ± 2.8) (F = 1.70, P = 0.17). Group B and C had good and excellent

Iterative Reconstruction Methods for Inverse Problems in Tomography with Hybrid Data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sherina, Ekaterina

. The goal of these modalities is to quantify physical parameters of materials or tissues inside an object from given interior data, which is measured everywhere inside the object. The advantage of these modalities is that large variations in physical parameters can be resolved and therefore, they have...... data is precisely the reason why reconstructions with a high contrast and a high resolution can be expected. The main contributions of this thesis consist in formulating the underlying mathematical problems with interior data as nonlinear operator equations, theoretically analysing them within...... iteration and the Levenberg-Marquardt method are employed for solving the problems. The first problem considered in this thesis is a problem of conductivity estimation from interior measurements of the power density, known as Acousto-Electrical Tomography. A special case of limited angle tomography...

Characterizing a discrete-to-discrete X-ray transform for iterative image reconstruction with limited angular-range scanning in CT

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sidky, Emil; Jørgensen, Jakob Heide; Pan, Xiaochuan

2012-01-01

Iterative image reconstruction in computed tomography often employs a discrete-to-discrete (DD) linear data model, and many of the aspects of the image recovery relate directly to the properties of this linear model. While much is known about the properties of the continuous X-ray, the correspond...

NetCDF based data archiving system applied to ITER Fast Plant System Control prototype

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castro, R.; Vega, J.; Ruiz, M.; De Arcas, G.; Barrera, E.; López, J.M.; Sanz, D.; Gonçalves, B.; Santos, B.; Utzel, N.; Makijarvi, P.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Implementation of a data archiving solution for a Fast Plant System Controller (FPSC) for ITER CODAC. ► Data archiving solution based on scientific NetCDF-4 file format and Lustre storage clustering. ► EPICS control based solution. ► Tests results and detailed analysis of using NetCDF-4 and clustering technologies on fast acquisition data archiving. - Abstract: EURATOM/CIEMAT and Technical University of Madrid (UPM) have been involved in the development of a FPSC (Fast Plant System Control) prototype for ITER, based on PXIe (PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation). One of the main focuses of this project has been data acquisition and all the related issues, including scientific data archiving. Additionally, a new data archiving solution has been developed to demonstrate the obtainable performances and possible bottlenecks of scientific data archiving in Fast Plant System Control. The presented system implements a fault tolerant architecture over a GEthernet network where FPSC data are reliably archived on remote, while remaining accessible to be redistributed, within the duration of a pulse. The storing service is supported by a clustering solution to guaranty scalability, so that FPSC management and configuration may be simplified, and a unique view of all archived data provided. All the involved components have been integrated under EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System), implementing in each case the necessary extensions, state machines and configuration process variables. The prototyped solution is based on the NetCDF-4 (Network Common Data Format) file format in order to incorporate important features, such as scientific data models support, huge size files management, platform independent codification, or single-writer/multiple-readers concurrency. In this contribution, a complete description of the above mentioned solution is presented, together with the most relevant results of the tests performed, while focusing in the

Reduction of metal artifacts from hip prostheses on CT images of the pelvis: value of iterative reconstructions.

Science.gov (United States)

Morsbach, Fabian; Bickelhaupt, Sebastian; Wanner, Guido A; Krauss, Andreas; Schmidt, Bernhard; Alkadhi, Hatem

2013-07-01

To assess the value of iterative frequency split-normalized (IFS) metal artifact reduction (MAR) for computed tomography (CT) of hip prostheses. This study had institutional review board and local ethics committee approval. First, a hip phantom with steel and titanium prostheses that had inlays of water, fat, and contrast media in the pelvis was used to optimize the IFS algorithm. Second, 41 consecutive patients with hip prostheses who were undergoing CT were included. Data sets were reconstructed with filtered back projection, the IFS algorithm, and a linear interpolation MAR algorithm. Two blinded, independent readers evaluated axial, coronal, and sagittal CT reformations for overall image quality, image quality of pelvic organs, and assessment of pelvic abnormalities. CT attenuation and image noise were measured. Statistical analysis included the Friedman test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Levene test. Ex vivo experiments demonstrated an optimized IFS algorithm by using a threshold of 2200 HU with four iterations for both steel and titanium prostheses. Measurements of CT attenuation of the inlays were significantly (P algorithm for CT image reconstruction significantly reduces metal artifacts from hip prostheses, improves the reliability of CT number measurements, and improves the confidence for depicting pelvic abnormalities.

Effect of radiation dose and iterative reconstruction on lung lesion conspicuity at MDCT: Does one size fit all?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Botelho, Marcos Paulo Ferreira; Agrawal, Rishi, E-mail: rishi.agrawal@northwestern.edu; Gonzalez-Guindalini, Fernanda Dias; Hart, Eric M.; Patel, Suresh K.; Töre, Hüseyin Gürkan; Yaghmai, Vahid

2013-11-01

Objective: To evaluate the effect of different acquisition parameters and reconstruction algorithms in lung lesions conspicuity in chest MDCT. Methods: An anthropomorphic chest phantom containing 6 models of lung disease (ground glass opacity, bronchial polyp, solid nodule, ground glass nodule, emphysema and tree-in-bud) was scanned using 80, 100 and 120 kVp, with fixed mAs ranging from 10 to 110. The scans were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP) and iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithms. Three blinded thoracic radiologists reviewed the images and scored lesions conspicuity and overall image quality. Image noise and radiation dose parameters were recorded. Results: All acquisitions with 120 kVp received a score of 3 (acceptable) or higher for overall image quality. There was no significant difference between IR and FBP within each setting for overall image quality (p > 0.05), even though image noise was significantly lower using IR (p < 0.0001). When comparing specific lower radiation acquisition parameters 100 kVp/10 mAs [Effective Dose (ED): 0.238 mSv] vs 120 kVp/10 mAs (ED: 0.406 mSv) vs 80 kVp/40 mAs (ED: 0.434 mSv), we observed significant difference in lesions conspicuity (p < 0.02), as well as significant difference in overall image quality, independent of the reconstruction algorithm (p < 0.02), with higher scores on the 120 kV/10 mAs setting. Tree-in-bud pattern, ground glass nodule and ground glass opacity required lower radiation doses to get a diagnostic score using IR when compared to FBP. Conclusion: Designing protocols for specific lung pathologies using lower dose acquisition parameters is feasible, and by applying iterative reconstruction, radiologists may have better diagnostic confidence to evaluate some lesions in very low dose settings, preserving acceptable image quality.

Comparison of pure and hybrid iterative reconstruction techniques with conventional filtered back projection: Image quality assessment in the cervicothoracic region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katsura, Masaki; Sato, Jiro; Akahane, Masaaki; Matsuda, Izuru; Ishida, Masanori; Yasaka, Koichiro; Kunimatsu, Akira; Ohtomo, Kuni

2013-01-01

Objectives: To evaluate the impact on image quality of three different image reconstruction techniques in the cervicothoracic region: model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR), adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR), and filtered back projection (FBP). Methods: Forty-four patients underwent unenhanced standard-of-care clinical computed tomography (CT) examinations which included the cervicothoracic region with a 64-row multidetector CT scanner. Images were reconstructed with FBP, 50% ASIR-FBP blending (ASIR50), and MBIR. Two radiologists assessed the cervicothoracic region in a blinded manner for streak artifacts, pixilated blotchy appearances, critical reproduction of visually sharp anatomical structures (thyroid gland, common carotid artery, and esophagus), and overall diagnostic acceptability. Objective image noise was measured in the internal jugular vein. Data were analyzed using the sign test and pair-wise Student's t-test. Results: MBIR images had significant lower quantitative image noise (8.88 ± 1.32) compared to ASIR images (18.63 ± 4.19, P 0.9 for ASIR vs. FBP for both readers). MBIR images were all diagnostically acceptable. Unique features of MBIR images included pixilated blotchy appearances, which did not adversely affect diagnostic acceptability. Conclusions: MBIR significantly improves image noise and streak artifacts of the cervicothoracic region over ASIR and FBP. MBIR is expected to enhance the value of CT examinations for areas where image noise and streak artifacts are problematic

ITER fast ion collective Thomson scattering, conceptual design of 60 GHz system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meo, F.; Bindslev, H.; Korsholm, S.B.

2007-08-01

The collective Thomson scattering diagnostic for ITER at the 60 GHz range is capable of measuring the fast ion distribution parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field at different radial locations simultaneously. The design is robust technologically with no moveable components near the plasma. The fast ion CTS diagnostic consists of two separate systems. Each system has its own RF launcher and separate set of detectors. The first system measures the perpendicular component of the fast ion velocity distribution. It consists of radially directed RF launcher and receiver, both located in the equatorial port on the low field side (LFS). This system will be referred to by the acronym LFS-BS system referring to the location of the receiver and the fact that it measures backscattered radiation. The second part of the CTS diagnostic measures the parallel component of the fast ion distribution. It consists of an RF launcher located in the mid-plane port on the LFS and a receiver mounted on the inner vacuum vessel wall that views the plasma from between two blanket modules. This system will be referred to as HFS-FS referring to the location of the receivers and that they measure forward scattered radiation. The design of both LFS-BS and HFS-FS receivers is aimed at measuring at different spatial locations simultaneously with no moveable components near the plasma. This report is a preliminary study of the hardware design and engineering constraints for this frequency range. Section 2 conceptually describes the two systems and their main components. Section 3 clarifies the impact of design parameters such as beam widths and scattering angle on the CTS measurements. With this in hand, the ITER measurement requirements are translated into constraints on the CTS system designs. An important result in this section is that systems can be designed inside these constraints. Section 4 outlines the technical feasibility and describes in more detail the design and the engineering

Reconstructive schemes for variational iteration method within Yang-Laplace transform with application to fractal heat conduction problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Chun-Feng

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A reconstructive scheme for variational iteration method using the Yang-Laplace transform is proposed and developed with the Yang-Laplace transform. The identification of fractal Lagrange multiplier is investigated by the Yang-Laplace transform. The method is exemplified by a fractal heat conduction equation with local fractional derivative. The results developed are valid for a compact solution domain with high accuracy.

Ultra-fast quantitative imaging using ptychographic iterative engine based digital micro-mirror device

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Aihui; Tian, Xiaolin; Kong, Yan; Jiang, Zhilong; Liu, Fei; Xue, Liang; Wang, Shouyu; Liu, Cheng

2018-01-01

As a lensfree imaging technique, ptychographic iterative engine (PIE) method can provide both quantitative sample amplitude and phase distributions avoiding aberration. However, it requires field of view (FoV) scanning often relying on mechanical translation, which not only slows down measuring speed, but also introduces mechanical errors decreasing both resolution and accuracy in retrieved information. In order to achieve high-accurate quantitative imaging with fast speed, digital micromirror device (DMD) is adopted in PIE for large FoV scanning controlled by on/off state coding by DMD. Measurements were implemented using biological samples as well as USAF resolution target, proving high resolution in quantitative imaging using the proposed system. Considering its fast and accurate imaging capability, it is believed the DMD based PIE technique provides a potential solution for medical observation and measurements.

Iterative model reconstruction: Improved image quality of low-tube-voltage prospective ECG-gated coronary CT angiography images at 256-slice CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oda, Seitaro, E-mail: seisei0430@nifty.com [Department of Cardiology, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, 110 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC 20010 (United States); Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, 1-1-1 Honjyo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-8556 (Japan); Weissman, Gaby, E-mail: Gaby.Weissman@medstar.net [Department of Cardiology, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, 110 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC 20010 (United States); Vembar, Mani, E-mail: mani.vembar@philips.com [CT Clinical Science, Philips Healthcare, c595 Miner Road, Cleveland, OH 44143 (United States); Weigold, Wm. Guy, E-mail: Guy.Weigold@MedStar.net [Department of Cardiology, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, 110 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC 20010 (United States)

2014-08-15

Objectives: To investigate the effects of a new model-based type of iterative reconstruction (M-IR) technique, the iterative model reconstruction, on image quality of prospectively gated coronary CT angiography (CTA) acquired at low-tube-voltage. Methods: Thirty patients (16 men, 14 women; mean age 52.2 ± 13.2 years) underwent coronary CTA at 100-kVp on a 256-slice CT. Paired image sets were created using 3 types of reconstruction, i.e. filtered back projection (FBP), a hybrid type of iterative reconstruction (H-IR), and M-IR. Quantitative parameters including CT-attenuation, image noise, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were measured. The visual image quality, i.e. graininess, beam-hardening, vessel sharpness, and overall image quality, was scored on a 5-point scale. Lastly, coronary artery segments were evaluated using a 4-point scale to investigate the assessability of each segment. Results: There was no significant difference in coronary arterial CT attenuation among the 3 reconstruction methods. The mean image noise of FBP, H-IR, and M-IR images was 29.3 ± 9.6, 19.3 ± 6.9, and 12.9 ± 3.3 HU, respectively, there were significant differences for all comparison combinations among the 3 methods (p < 0.01). The CNR of M-IR was significantly better than of FBP and H-IR images (13.5 ± 5.0 [FBP], 20.9 ± 8.9 [H-IR] and 39.3 ± 13.9 [M-IR]; p < 0.01). The visual scores were significantly higher for M-IR than the other images (p < 0.01), and 95.3% of the coronary segments imaged with M-IR were of assessable quality compared with 76.7% of FBP- and 86.9% of H-IR images. Conclusions: M-IR can provide significantly improved qualitative and quantitative image quality in prospectively gated coronary CTA using a low-tube-voltage.

Combining monoenergetic extrapolations from dual-energy CT with iterative reconstructions. Reduction of coil and clip artifacts from intracranial aneurysm therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winklhofer, Sebastian; Baltsavias, Gerasimos; Michels, Lars; Valavanis, Antonios [University of Zurich, Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland); Hinzpeter, Ricarda; Stocker, Daniel; Alkadhi, Hatem [University of Zurich, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland); Burkhardt, Jan-Karl; Regli, Luca [University of Zurich, Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich (Switzerland)

2018-03-15

To compare and to combine iterative metal artifact reduction (MAR) and virtual monoenergetic extrapolations (VMEs) from dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) for reducing metal artifacts from intracranial clips and coils. Fourteen clips and six coils were scanned in a phantom model with DECT at 100 and 150SnkVp. Four datasets were reconstructed: non-corrected images (filtered-back projection), iterative MAR, VME from DECT at 120 keV, and combined iterative MAR + VME images. Artifact severity scores and visibility of simulated, contrast-filled, adjacent vessels were assessed qualitatively and quantitatively by two independent, blinded readers. Iterative MAR, VME, and combined iterative MAR + VME resulted in a significant reduction of qualitative (p < 0.001) and quantitative clip artifacts (p < 0.005) and improved the visibility of adjacent vessels (p < 0.05) compared to non-corrected images, with lowest artifact scores found in combined iterative MAR + VME images. Titanium clips demonstrated less artifacts than Phynox clips (p < 0.05), and artifact scores increased with clip size. Coil artifacts increased with coil size but were reducible when applying iterative MAR + VME compared to non-corrected images. However, no technique improved the severe artifacts from large, densely packed coils. Combining iterative MAR with VME allows for an improved metal artifact reduction from clips and smaller, loosely packed coils. Limited value was found for large and densely packed coils. (orig.)

A fast multi-resolution approach to tomographic PIV

Science.gov (United States)

Discetti, Stefano; Astarita, Tommaso

2012-03-01

Tomographic particle image velocimetry (Tomo-PIV) is a recently developed three-component, three-dimensional anemometric non-intrusive measurement technique, based on an optical tomographic reconstruction applied to simultaneously recorded images of the distribution of light intensity scattered by seeding particles immersed into the flow. Nowadays, the reconstruction process is carried out mainly by iterative algebraic reconstruction techniques, well suited to handle the problem of limited number of views, but computationally intensive and memory demanding. The adoption of the multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique (MART) has become more and more accepted. In the present work, a novel multi-resolution approach is proposed, relying on the adoption of a coarser grid in the first step of the reconstruction to obtain a fast estimation of a reliable and accurate first guess. A performance assessment, carried out on three-dimensional computer-generated distributions of particles, shows a substantial acceleration of the reconstruction process for all the tested seeding densities with respect to the standard method based on 5 MART iterations; a relevant reduction in the memory storage is also achieved. Furthermore, a slight accuracy improvement is noticed. A modified version, improved by a multiplicative line of sight estimation of the first guess on the compressed configuration, is also tested, exhibiting a further remarkable decrease in both memory storage and computational effort, mostly at the lowest tested seeding densities, while retaining the same performances in terms of accuracy.

Analysis of iterative region-of-interest image reconstruction for x-ray computed tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Sidky, Emil Y; Kraemer, David N; Roth, Erin G; Ullberg, Christer; Reiser, Ingrid S; Pan, Xiaochuan

2014-10-03

One of the challenges for iterative image reconstruction (IIR) is that such algorithms solve an imaging model implicitly, requiring a complete representation of the scanned subject within the viewing domain of the scanner. This requirement can place a prohibitively high computational burden for IIR applied to x-ray computed tomography (CT), especially when high-resolution tomographic volumes are required. In this work, we aim to develop an IIR algorithm for direct region-of-interest (ROI) image reconstruction. The proposed class of IIR algorithms is based on an optimization problem that incorporates a data fidelity term, which compares a derivative of the estimated data with the available projection data. In order to characterize this optimization problem, we apply it to computer-simulated two-dimensional fan-beam CT data, using both ideal noiseless data and realistic data containing a level of noise comparable to that of the breast CT application. The proposed method is demonstrated for both complete field-of-view and ROI imaging. To demonstrate the potential utility of the proposed ROI imaging method, it is applied to actual CT scanner data.

A calibrated iterative reconstruction for quantitative photoacoustic tomography using multi-angle light-sheet illuminations

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yihan; Lu, Tong; Zhang, Songhe; Song, Shaoze; Wang, Bingyuan; Li, Jiao; Zhao, Huijuan; Gao, Feng

2018-02-01

Quantitative photoacoustic tomography (q-PAT) is a nontrivial technique can be used to reconstruct the absorption image with a high spatial resolution. Several attempts have been investigated by setting point sources or fixed-angle illuminations. However, in practical applications, these schemes normally suffer from low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or poor quantification especially for large-size domains, due to the limitation of the ANSI-safety incidence and incompleteness in the data acquisition. We herein present a q-PAT implementation that uses multi-angle light-sheet illuminations and a calibrated iterative multi-angle reconstruction. The approach can acquire more complete information on the intrinsic absorption and SNR-boosted photoacoustic signals at selected planes from the multi-angle wide-field excitations of light-sheet. Therefore, the sliced absorption maps over whole body can be recovered in a measurementflexible, noise-robust and computation-economic way. The proposed approach is validated by the phantom experiment, exhibiting promising performances in image fidelity and quantitative accuracy.

Image reconstruction with an adaptive threshold technique in electrical resistance tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Bong Seok; Khambampati, Anil Kumar; Kim, Sin; Kim, Kyung Youn

2011-01-01

In electrical resistance tomography, electrical currents are injected through the electrodes placed on the surface of a domain and the corresponding voltages are measured. Based on these currents and voltage data, the cross-sectional resistivity distribution is reconstructed. Electrical resistance tomography shows high temporal resolution for monitoring fast transient processes, but it still remains a challenging problem to improve the spatial resolution of the reconstructed images. In this paper, a novel image reconstruction technique is proposed to improve the spatial resolution by employing an adaptive threshold method to the iterative Gauss–Newton method. Numerical simulations and phantom experiments have been performed to illustrate the superior performance of the proposed scheme in the sense of spatial resolution

Does iterative reconstruction lower CT radiation dose: evaluation of 15,000 examinations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter B Noël

Full Text Available PURPOSE: Evaluation of 15,000 computed tomography (CT examinations to investigate if iterative reconstruction (IR reduces sustainably radiation exposure. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Information from 15,000 CT examinations was collected, including all aspects of the exams such as scan parameter, patient information, and reconstruction instructions. The examinations were acquired between January 2010 and December 2012, while after 15 months a first generation IR algorithm was installed. To collect the necessary information from PACS, RIS, MPPS and structured reports a Dose Monitoring System was developed. To harvest all possible information an optical character recognition system was integrated, for example to collect information from the screenshot CT-dose report. The tool transfers all data to a database for further processing such as the calculation of effective dose and organ doses. To evaluate if IR provides a sustainable dose reduction, the effective dose values were statistically analyzed with respect to protocol type, diagnostic indication, and patient population. RESULTS: IR has the potential to reduce radiation dose significantly. Before clinical introduction of IR the average effective dose was 10.1±7.8mSv and with IR 8.9±7.1mSv (p*=0.01. Especially in CTA, with the possibility to use kV reduction protocols, such as in aortic CTAs (before IR: average14.2±7.8mSv; median11.4mSv /with IR:average9.9±7.4mSv; median7.4mSv, or pulmonary CTAs (before IR: average9.7±6.2mSV; median7.7mSv /with IR: average6.4±4.7mSv; median4.8mSv the dose reduction effect is significant(p*=0.01. On the contrary for unenhanced low-dose scans of the cranial (for example sinuses the reduction is not significant (before IR:average6.6±5.8mSv; median3.9mSv/with IR:average6.0±3.1mSV; median3.2mSv. CONCLUSION: The dose aspect remains a priority in CT research. Iterative reconstruction algorithms reduce sustainably and significantly radiation dose in the clinical routine

Jini service to reconstruct tomographic data

Science.gov (United States)

Knoll, Peter; Mirzaei, S.; Koriska, K.; Koehn, H.

2002-06-01

A number of imaging systems rely on the reconstruction of a 3- dimensional model from its projections through the process of computed tomography (CT). In medical imaging, for example magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and Single Computer Tomography (SPECT) acquire two-dimensional projections of a three dimensional projections of a three dimensional object. In order to calculate the 3-dimensional representation of the object, i.e. its voxel distribution, several reconstruction algorithms have been developed. Currently, mainly two reconstruct use: the filtered back projection(FBP) and iterative methods. Although the quality of iterative reconstructed SPECT slices is better than that of FBP slices, such iterative algorithms are rarely used for clinical routine studies because of their low availability and increased reconstruction time. We used Jini and a self-developed iterative reconstructions algorithm to design and implement a Jini reconstruction service. With this service, the physician selects the patient study from a database and a Jini client automatically discovers the registered Jini reconstruction services in the department's Intranet. After downloading the proxy object the this Jini service, the SPECT acquisition data are reconstructed. The resulting transaxial slices are visualized using a Jini slice viewer, which can be used for various imaging modalities.

Iterative image reconstruction for positron emission tomography based on a detector response function estimated from point source measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tohme, Michel S; Qi Jinyi

2009-01-01

The accuracy of the system model in an iterative reconstruction algorithm greatly affects the quality of reconstructed positron emission tomography (PET) images. For efficient computation in reconstruction, the system model in PET can be factored into a product of a geometric projection matrix and sinogram blurring matrix, where the former is often computed based on analytical calculation, and the latter is estimated using Monte Carlo simulations. Direct measurement of a sinogram blurring matrix is difficult in practice because of the requirement of a collimated source. In this work, we propose a method to estimate the 2D blurring kernels from uncollimated point source measurements. Since the resulting sinogram blurring matrix stems from actual measurements, it can take into account the physical effects in the photon detection process that are difficult or impossible to model in a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, and hence provide a more accurate system model. Another advantage of the proposed method over MC simulation is that it can easily be applied to data that have undergone a transformation to reduce the data size (e.g., Fourier rebinning). Point source measurements were acquired with high count statistics in a relatively fine grid inside the microPET II scanner using a high-precision 2D motion stage. A monotonically convergent iterative algorithm has been derived to estimate the detector blurring matrix from the point source measurements. The algorithm takes advantage of the rotational symmetry of the PET scanner and explicitly models the detector block structure. The resulting sinogram blurring matrix is incorporated into a maximum a posteriori (MAP) image reconstruction algorithm. The proposed method has been validated using a 3 x 3 line phantom, an ultra-micro resolution phantom and a 22 Na point source superimposed on a warm background. The results of the proposed method show improvements in both resolution and contrast ratio when compared with the MAP

Iterative reconstruction for x-ray computed tomography using prior-image induced nonlocal regularization.

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Zhang, Hua; Huang, Jing; Ma, Jianhua; Bian, Zhaoying; Feng, Qianjin; Lu, Hongbing; Liang, Zhengrong; Chen, Wufan

2014-09-01

Repeated X-ray computed tomography (CT) scans are often required in several specific applications such as perfusion imaging, image-guided biopsy needle, image-guided intervention, and radiotherapy with noticeable benefits. However, the associated cumulative radiation dose significantly increases as comparison with that used in the conventional CT scan, which has raised major concerns in patients. In this study, to realize radiation dose reduction by reducing the X-ray tube current and exposure time (mAs) in repeated CT scans, we propose a prior-image induced nonlocal (PINL) regularization for statistical iterative reconstruction via the penalized weighted least-squares (PWLS) criteria, which we refer to as "PWLS-PINL". Specifically, the PINL regularization utilizes the redundant information in the prior image and the weighted least-squares term considers a data-dependent variance estimation, aiming to improve current low-dose image quality. Subsequently, a modified iterative successive overrelaxation algorithm is adopted to optimize the associative objective function. Experimental results on both phantom and patient data show that the present PWLS-PINL method can achieve promising gains over the other existing methods in terms of the noise reduction, low-contrast object detection, and edge detail preservation.

Combining Acceleration Techniques for Low-Dose X-Ray Cone Beam Computed Tomography Image Reconstruction.

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Huang, Hsuan-Ming; Hsiao, Ing-Tsung

2017-01-01

Over the past decade, image quality in low-dose computed tomography has been greatly improved by various compressive sensing- (CS-) based reconstruction methods. However, these methods have some disadvantages including high computational cost and slow convergence rate. Many different speed-up techniques for CS-based reconstruction algorithms have been developed. The purpose of this paper is to propose a fast reconstruction framework that combines a CS-based reconstruction algorithm with several speed-up techniques. First, total difference minimization (TDM) was implemented using the soft-threshold filtering (STF). Second, we combined TDM-STF with the ordered subsets transmission (OSTR) algorithm for accelerating the convergence. To further speed up the convergence of the proposed method, we applied the power factor and the fast iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithm to OSTR and TDM-STF, respectively. Results obtained from simulation and phantom studies showed that many speed-up techniques could be combined to greatly improve the convergence speed of a CS-based reconstruction algorithm. More importantly, the increased computation time (≤10%) was minor as compared to the acceleration provided by the proposed method. In this paper, we have presented a CS-based reconstruction framework that combines several acceleration techniques. Both simulation and phantom studies provide evidence that the proposed method has the potential to satisfy the requirement of fast image reconstruction in practical CT.

Photoacoustic image reconstruction via deep learning

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Antholzer, Stephan; Haltmeier, Markus; Nuster, Robert; Schwab, Johannes

2018-02-01

Applying standard algorithms to sparse data problems in photoacoustic tomography (PAT) yields low-quality images containing severe under-sampling artifacts. To some extent, these artifacts can be reduced by iterative image reconstruction algorithms which allow to include prior knowledge such as smoothness, total variation (TV) or sparsity constraints. These algorithms tend to be time consuming as the forward and adjoint problems have to be solved repeatedly. Further, iterative algorithms have additional drawbacks. For example, the reconstruction quality strongly depends on a-priori model assumptions about the objects to be recovered, which are often not strictly satisfied in practical applications. To overcome these issues, in this paper, we develop direct and efficient reconstruction algorithms based on deep learning. As opposed to iterative algorithms, we apply a convolutional neural network, whose parameters are trained before the reconstruction process based on a set of training data. For actual image reconstruction, a single evaluation of the trained network yields the desired result. Our presented numerical results (using two different network architectures) demonstrate that the proposed deep learning approach reconstructs images with a quality comparable to state of the art iterative reconstruction methods.

Dynamic re-weighted total variation technique and statistic Iterative reconstruction method for x-ray CT metal artifact reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Chengtao; Qiu, Bensheng; Zhang, Cheng; Ma, Changyu; Yuan, Gang; Li, Ming

2017-07-01

Over the years, the X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been successfully used in clinical diagnosis. However, when the body of the patient to be examined contains metal objects, the image reconstructed would be polluted by severe metal artifacts, which affect the doctor's diagnosis of disease. In this work, we proposed a dynamic re-weighted total variation (DRWTV) technique combined with the statistic iterative reconstruction (SIR) method to reduce the artifacts. The DRWTV method is based on the total variation (TV) and re-weighted total variation (RWTV) techniques, but it provides a sparser representation than TV and protects the tissue details better than RWTV. Besides, the DRWTV can suppress the artifacts and noise, and the SIR convergence speed is also accelerated. The performance of the algorithm is tested on both simulated phantom dataset and clinical dataset, which are the teeth phantom with two metal implants and the skull with three metal implants, respectively. The proposed algorithm (SIR-DRWTV) is compared with two traditional iterative algorithms, which are SIR and SIR constrained by RWTV regulation (SIR-RWTV). The results show that the proposed algorithm has the best performance in reducing metal artifacts and protecting tissue details.

Fast multiview three-dimensional reconstruction method using cost volume filtering

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Lee, Seung Joo; Park, Min Ki; Jang, In Yeop; Lee, Kwan H.

2014-03-01

As the number of customers who want to record three-dimensional (3-D) information using a mobile electronic device increases, it becomes more and more important to develop a method which quickly reconstructs a 3-D model from multiview images. A fast multiview-based 3-D reconstruction method is presented, which is suitable for the mobile environment by constructing a cost volume of the 3-D height field. This method consists of two steps: the construction of a reliable base surface and the recovery of shape details. In each step, the cost volume is constructed using photoconsistency and then it is filtered according to the multiscale. The multiscale-based cost volume filtering allows the 3-D reconstruction to maintain the overall shape and to preserve the shape details. We demonstrate the strength of the proposed method in terms of computation time, accuracy, and unconstrained acquisition environment.

Fast gradient-based methods for Bayesian reconstruction of transmission and emission PET images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mumcuglu, E.U.; Leahy, R.; Zhou, Z.; Cherry, S.R.

1994-01-01

The authors describe conjugate gradient algorithms for reconstruction of transmission and emission PET images. The reconstructions are based on a Bayesian formulation, where the data are modeled as a collection of independent Poisson random variables and the image is modeled using a Markov random field. A conjugate gradient algorithm is used to compute a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimate of the image by maximizing over the posterior density. To ensure nonnegativity of the solution, a penalty function is used to convert the problem to one of unconstrained optimization. Preconditioners are used to enhance convergence rates. These methods generally achieve effective convergence in 15--25 iterations. Reconstructions are presented of an 18 FDG whole body scan from data collected using a Siemens/CTI ECAT931 whole body system. These results indicate significant improvements in emission image quality using the Bayesian approach, in comparison to filtered backprojection, particularly when reprojections of the MAP transmission image are used in place of the standard attenuation correction factors

High-order noise analysis for low dose iterative image reconstruction methods: ASIR, IRIS, and MBAI

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Do, Synho; Singh, Sarabjeet; Kalra, Mannudeep K.; Karl, W. Clem; Brady, Thomas J.; Pien, Homer

2011-03-01

Iterative reconstruction techniques (IRTs) has been shown to suppress noise significantly in low dose CT imaging. However, medical doctors hesitate to accept this new technology because visual impression of IRT images are different from full-dose filtered back-projection (FBP) images. Most common noise measurements such as the mean and standard deviation of homogeneous region in the image that do not provide sufficient characterization of noise statistics when probability density function becomes non-Gaussian. In this study, we measure L-moments of intensity values of images acquired at 10% of normal dose and reconstructed by IRT methods of two state-of-art clinical scanners (i.e., GE HDCT and Siemens DSCT flash) by keeping dosage level identical to each other. The high- and low-dose scans (i.e., 10% of high dose) were acquired from each scanner and L-moments of noise patches were calculated for the comparison.

Reduction of metal artifacts due to dental hardware in computed tomography angiography: assessment of the utility of model-based iterative reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuya, Keita; Shinohara, Yuki; Ogawa, Toshihide [Tottori University, Division of Radiology, Department of Pathophysiological and Therapeutic Science, Faculty of Medicine, Yonago (Japan); Kato, Ayumi [Tottori Municipal Hospital, Department of Radiology, Yonago (Japan); Sakamoto, Makoto; Kurosaki, Masamichi [Tottori University, Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yonago (Japan)

2017-03-15

The aim of this study is to assess the value of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) for reduction of metal artifacts due to dental hardware in carotid CT angiography (CTA). Thirty-seven patients with dental hardware who underwent carotid CTA were included. CTA was performed with a GE Discovery CT750 HD scanner and reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP), ASIR, and MBIR. We measured the standard deviation at the cervical segment of the internal carotid artery that was affected most by dental metal artifacts (SD{sub 1}) and the standard deviation at the common carotid artery that was not affected by the artifact (SD{sub 2}). We calculated the artifact index (AI) as follows: AI = [(SD{sub 1})2 - (SD{sub 2})2]1/2 and compared each AI for FBP, ASIR, and MBIR. Visual assessment of the internal carotid artery was also performed by two neuroradiologists using a five-point scale for each axial and reconstructed sagittal image. The inter-observer agreement was analyzed using weighted kappa analysis. MBIR significantly improved AI compared with FBP and ASIR (p < 0.001, each). We found no significant difference in AI between FBP and ASIR (p = 0.502). The visual score of MBIR was significantly better than those of FBP and ASIR (p < 0.001, each), whereas the scores of ASIR were the same as those of FBP. Kappa values indicated good inter-observer agreements in all reconstructed images (0.747-0.778). MBIR resulted in a significant reduction in artifact from dental hardware in carotid CTA. (orig.)

Reduction of metal artifacts due to dental hardware in computed tomography angiography: assessment of the utility of model-based iterative reconstruction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuya, Keita; Shinohara, Yuki; Ogawa, Toshihide; Kato, Ayumi; Sakamoto, Makoto; Kurosaki, Masamichi

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the value of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) for reduction of metal artifacts due to dental hardware in carotid CT angiography (CTA). Thirty-seven patients with dental hardware who underwent carotid CTA were included. CTA was performed with a GE Discovery CT750 HD scanner and reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP), ASIR, and MBIR. We measured the standard deviation at the cervical segment of the internal carotid artery that was affected most by dental metal artifacts (SD_1) and the standard deviation at the common carotid artery that was not affected by the artifact (SD_2). We calculated the artifact index (AI) as follows: AI = [(SD_1)2 - (SD_2)2]1/2 and compared each AI for FBP, ASIR, and MBIR. Visual assessment of the internal carotid artery was also performed by two neuroradiologists using a five-point scale for each axial and reconstructed sagittal image. The inter-observer agreement was analyzed using weighted kappa analysis. MBIR significantly improved AI compared with FBP and ASIR (p < 0.001, each). We found no significant difference in AI between FBP and ASIR (p = 0.502). The visual score of MBIR was significantly better than those of FBP and ASIR (p < 0.001, each), whereas the scores of ASIR were the same as those of FBP. Kappa values indicated good inter-observer agreements in all reconstructed images (0.747-0.778). MBIR resulted in a significant reduction in artifact from dental hardware in carotid CTA. (orig.)

Comparison of adaptive statistical iterative and filtered back projection reconstruction techniques in brain CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, Qingguo; Dewan, Sheilesh Kumar; Li, Ming; Li, Jianying; Mao, Dingbiao; Wang, Zhenglei; Hua, Yanqing

2012-01-01

Purpose: To compare image quality and visualization of normal structures and lesions in brain computed tomography (CT) with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and filtered back projection (FBP) reconstruction techniques in different X-ray tube current–time products. Materials and methods: In this IRB-approved prospective study, forty patients (nineteen men, twenty-one women; mean age 69.5 ± 11.2 years) received brain scan at different tube current–time products (300 and 200 mAs) in 64-section multi-detector CT (GE, Discovery CT750 HD). Images were reconstructed with FBP and four levels of ASIR-FBP blending. Two radiologists (please note that our hospital is renowned for its geriatric medicine department, and these two radiologists are more experienced in chronic cerebral vascular disease than in neoplastic disease, so this research did not contain cerebral tumors but as a discussion) assessed all the reconstructed images for visibility of normal structures, lesion conspicuity, image contrast and diagnostic confidence in a blinded and randomized manner. Volume CT dose index (CTDI vol ) and dose-length product (DLP) were recorded. All the data were analyzed by using SPSS 13.0 statistical analysis software. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the image qualities at 200 mAs with 50% ASIR blending technique and 300 mAs with FBP technique (p > .05). While between the image qualities at 200 mAs with FBP and 300 mAs with FBP technique a statistically significant difference (p < .05) was found. Conclusion: ASIR provided same image quality and diagnostic ability in brain imaging with greater than 30% dose reduction compared with FBP reconstruction technique

Comparison of adaptive statistical iterative and filtered back projection reconstruction techniques in brain CT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ren, Qingguo, E-mail: renqg83@163.com [Department of Radiology, Hua Dong Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200040 (China); Dewan, Sheilesh Kumar, E-mail: sheilesh_d1@hotmail.com [Department of Geriatrics, Hua Dong Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200040 (China); Li, Ming, E-mail: minli77@163.com [Department of Radiology, Hua Dong Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200040 (China); Li, Jianying, E-mail: Jianying.Li@med.ge.com [CT Imaging Research Center, GE Healthcare China, Beijing (China); Mao, Dingbiao, E-mail: maodingbiao74@163.com [Department of Radiology, Hua Dong Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200040 (China); Wang, Zhenglei, E-mail: Williswang_doc@yahoo.com.cn [Department of Radiology, Shanghai Electricity Hospital, Shanghai 200050 (China); Hua, Yanqing, E-mail: cjr.huayanqing@vip.163.com [Department of Radiology, Hua Dong Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200040 (China)

2012-10-15

Purpose: To compare image quality and visualization of normal structures and lesions in brain computed tomography (CT) with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) and filtered back projection (FBP) reconstruction techniques in different X-ray tube current–time products. Materials and methods: In this IRB-approved prospective study, forty patients (nineteen men, twenty-one women; mean age 69.5 ± 11.2 years) received brain scan at different tube current–time products (300 and 200 mAs) in 64-section multi-detector CT (GE, Discovery CT750 HD). Images were reconstructed with FBP and four levels of ASIR-FBP blending. Two radiologists (please note that our hospital is renowned for its geriatric medicine department, and these two radiologists are more experienced in chronic cerebral vascular disease than in neoplastic disease, so this research did not contain cerebral tumors but as a discussion) assessed all the reconstructed images for visibility of normal structures, lesion conspicuity, image contrast and diagnostic confidence in a blinded and randomized manner. Volume CT dose index (CTDI{sub vol}) and dose-length product (DLP) were recorded. All the data were analyzed by using SPSS 13.0 statistical analysis software. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the image qualities at 200 mAs with 50% ASIR blending technique and 300 mAs with FBP technique (p > .05). While between the image qualities at 200 mAs with FBP and 300 mAs with FBP technique a statistically significant difference (p < .05) was found. Conclusion: ASIR provided same image quality and diagnostic ability in brain imaging with greater than 30% dose reduction compared with FBP reconstruction technique.

Influence of Sinogram-Affirmed Iterative Reconstruction on Computed Tomography-Based Lung Volumetry and Quantification of Pulmonary Emphysema.

Science.gov (United States)

Baumueller, Stephan; Hilty, Regina; Nguyen, Thi Dan Linh; Weder, Walter; Alkadhi, Hatem; Frauenfelder, Thomas

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) on quantification of lung volume and pulmonary emphysema in low-dose chest computed tomography compared with filtered back projection (FBP). Enhanced or nonenhanced low-dose chest computed tomography was performed in 20 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (group A) and in 20 patients without lung disease (group B). Data sets were reconstructed with FBP and SAFIRE strength levels 3 to 5. Two readers semiautomatically evaluated lung volumes and automatically quantified pulmonary emphysema, and another assessed image quality. Radiation dose parameters were recorded. Lung volume between FBP and SAFIRE 3 to 5 was not significantly different among both groups (all P > 0.05). When compared with those of FBP, total emphysema volume was significantly lower among reconstructions with SAFIRE 4 and 5 (mean difference, 0.56 and 0.79 L; all P emphysema is affected at higher strength levels.

Evaluation of noise and blur effects with SIRT-FISTA-TV reconstruction algorithm: Application to fast environmental transmission electron tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Banjak, Hussein; Grenier, Thomas; Epicier, Thierry; Koneti, Siddardha; Roiban, Lucian; Gay, Anne-Sophie; Magnin, Isabelle; Peyrin, Françoise; Maxim, Voichita

2018-06-01

Fast tomography in Environmental Transmission Electron Microscopy (ETEM) is of a great interest for in situ experiments where it allows to observe 3D real-time evolution of nanomaterials under operating conditions. In this context, we are working on speeding up the acquisition step to a few seconds mainly with applications on nanocatalysts. In order to accomplish such rapid acquisitions of the required tilt series of projections, a modern 4K high-speed camera is used, that can capture up to 100 images per second in a 2K binning mode. However, due to the fast rotation of the sample during the tilt procedure, noise and blur effects may occur in many projections which in turn would lead to poor quality reconstructions. Blurred projections make classical reconstruction algorithms inappropriate and require the use of prior information. In this work, a regularized algebraic reconstruction algorithm named SIRT-FISTA-TV is proposed. The performance of this algorithm using blurred data is studied by means of a numerical blur introduced into simulated images series to mimic possible mechanical instabilities/drifts during fast acquisitions. We also present reconstruction results from noisy data to show the robustness of the algorithm to noise. Finally, we show reconstructions with experimental datasets and we demonstrate the interest of fast tomography with an ultra-fast acquisition performed under environmental conditions, i.e. gas and temperature, in the ETEM. Compared to classically used SIRT and SART approaches, our proposed SIRT-FISTA-TV reconstruction algorithm provides higher quality tomograms allowing easier segmentation of the reconstructed volume for a better final processing and analysis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DQS advisor: a visual interface and knowledge-based system to balance dose, quality, and reconstruction speed in iterative CT reconstruction with application to NLM-regularization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, Z; Papenhausen, E; Mueller, K

2013-01-01

Motivated by growing concerns with regards to the x-ray dose delivered to the patient, low-dose computed tomography (CT) has gained substantial interest in recent years. However, achieving high-quality CT reconstructions from the limited projection data collected at reduced x-ray radiation is challenging, and iterative algorithms have been shown to perform much better than conventional analytical schemes in these cases. A problem with iterative methods in general is that they require users to set many parameters, and if set incorrectly high reconstruction time and/or low image quality are likely consequences. Since the interactions among parameters can be complex and thus effective settings can be difficult to identify for a given scanning scenario, these choices are often left to a highly-experienced human expert. To help alleviate this problem, we devise a computer-based assistant for this purpose, called dose, quality and speed (DQS)-advisor. It allows users to balance the three most important CT metrics–-DQS-–by ways of an intuitive visual interface. Using a known gold-standard, the system uses the ant-colony optimization algorithm to generate the most effective parameter settings for a comprehensive set of DQS configurations. A visual interface then presents the numerical outcome of this optimization, while a matrix display allows users to compare the corresponding images. The interface allows users to intuitively trade-off GPU-enabled reconstruction speed with quality and dose, while the system picks the associated parameter settings automatically. Further, once the knowledge has been generated, it can be used to correctly set the parameters for any new CT scan taken at similar scenarios. (paper)

Convergence and resolution recovery of block-iterative EM algorithms modeling 3D detector response in SPECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lalush, D.S.; Tsui, B.M.W.; Karimi, S.S.

1996-01-01