Reproducibility of multi-slice spiral computed tomography scans:An experimental study

Assessment of temporal resolution and detectability of moving objects in CT: A task-based image quality study

The metrics used for assessing image quality in computed tomography (CT) do not integrate the influence of temporal resolution. A shortcoming in the assessment of image quality for imaging protocols where motion blur can therefore occur. We developed a method to calculate the temporal resolution of standard CT protocols and introduced a specific spatiotemporal formulation of the non-prewhitening with eye filter (NPWE) model observer to assess the detectability of moving objects as a function of their speed. We scanned a cubic water phantom with a plexiglass cylindrical insert (120 HU) using a large panel of acquisition parameters (rotation times, pitch factors and collimation widths) on two systems (GE Revolution Apex and Siemens SOMATOM Force) to determine the in-plane task-based transfer functions (TTF) and noise power spectra (NPS). The phantom set in a uniform rectilinear motion in the transverse plane allowed the temporal modulation transfer function (MTF) calculation. The temporal MTF appropriately compared the temporal resolution of the various acquisition protocols. The longitudinal TTF was measured using a thin tungsten wire. The detectability index showed the advantage of applying high rotation speed, wide collimations and high pitch for object detection in the presence of motion. No counterpart to the increase in these three parameters was found in the in-plane and longitudinal image quality.

Quantitative assessment of selective in-plane shielding of tissues in computed tomography through evaluation of absorbed dose and image quality

This study aimed at assessment of efficacy of selective in-plane shielding in adults by quantitative evaluation of the achieved dose reduction and image quality. Commercially available accessories for in-plane shielding of the eye lens, thyroid and breast, and an anthropomorphic phantom were used for the evaluation of absorbed dose and image quality. Organ dose and total energy imparted were assessed by means of a Monte Carlo technique taking into account tube voltage, tube current, and scanner type. Image quality was quantified as noise in soft tissue. Application of the lens shield reduced dose to the lens by 27% and to the brain by 1%. The thyroid shield reduced thyroid dose by 26%; the breast shield reduced dose to the breasts by 30% and to the lungs by 15%. Total energy imparted (unshielded/shielded) was 88/86 mJ for computed tomography (CT) brain, 64/60 mJ for CT cervical spine, and 289/260 mJ for CT chest scanning. An increase in image noise could be observed in the ranges were bismuth shielding was applied. The observed reduction of organ dose and total energy imparted could be achieved more efficiently by a reduction of tube current. The application of in-plane selective shielding is therefore discouraged.

Removal of bone in CT angiography of the cervical arteries by piecewise matched mask bone elimination

In maximum intensity projection (MIP) images of CT angiography (CTA) scans, the arteries are often obscured by bone. A bone removal method is presented that uses an additional, nonenhanced scan to create a mask of the bone by thresholding and dilation. After registration of the CTA scan and the additional scan, the bone in the CTA scan is masked. As the cervical area contains bones that can move with respect to each other, these bones are separated first using a watershed algorithm, and then registered individually. A phantom study was performed to evaluate and quantify the tradeoff between the removal of the bone and the preservation of the arteries contiguous to the bone. The influence of algorithm parameters and scan parameters was studied. The method was clinically evaluated with data sets of 35 patients. Best results were obtained with a threshold of 150 HU and a dilation of 8 in-plane voxels and two out-of-plane voxels. The mean width of the soft tissue layer, which is also masked, was approximately 1 mm. The mAs value of the nonenhanced scan could be reduced from 250 mAs to 65 mAs without a loss of quality. In 32 cases the bones were registered correctly and removed completely. In three cases the bone separation was not completely successful, and consequently the bone was not completely removed. The piecewise matched mask bone elimination method proved to be able to obtain MIP images of the cervical arteries free from overprojecting bone in a fully automatic way and with only a slight increase of radiation dose.