Statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm for X-ray phase-contrast CT.

Dieter Hahn, Pierre Thibault, Andreas Fehringer, Martin Bech, Thomas Koehler, Franz Pfeiffer, Peter B Noël

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Abstract

Grating-based phase-contrast computed tomography (PCCT) is a promising imaging tool on the horizon for pre-clinical and clinical applications. Until now PCCT has been plagued by strong artifacts when dense materials like bones are present. In this paper, we present a new statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm which overcomes this limitation. It makes use of the fact that an X-ray interferometer provides a conventional absorption as well as a dark-field signal in addition to the phase-contrast signal. The method is based on a statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm utilizing maximum-a-posteriori principles and integrating the statistical properties of the raw data as well as information of dense objects gained from the absorption signal. Reconstruction of a pre-clinical mouse scan illustrates that artifacts caused by bones are significantly reduced and image quality is improved when employing our approach. Especially small structures, which are usually lost because of streaks, are recovered in our results. In comparison with the current state-of-the-art algorithms our approach provides significantly improved image quality with respect to quantitative and qualitative results. In summary, we expect that our new statistical iterative reconstruction method to increase the general usability of PCCT imaging for medical diagnosis apart from applications focused solely on soft tissue visualization.
Original languageEnglish
Article number10452
JournalScientific Reports
Volume5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging

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