LAUSR.org creates dashboard-style pages of related content for over 1.5 million academic articles. Sign Up to like articles & get recommendations!

Improving image quality by optimizing beam width and helical pitch in CT.

Photo from wikipedia

BACKGROUND Expanding computed tomography (CT) detector coverage broadens the beam width, but inaccurate tube current application can reduce image quality at the boundaries between body regions with different attenuation values… Click to show full abstract

BACKGROUND Expanding computed tomography (CT) detector coverage broadens the beam width, but inaccurate tube current application can reduce image quality at the boundaries between body regions with different attenuation values along the z-axis. OBJECTIVE This study aims to develop and validate a new CT scanning technique with a fixed pitch to achieve higher imaging quality. METHODS A cylindrical water phantom and an anthropomorphic chest phantom with different diameters represent a human body with different attenuation values. By optimizing the beam width and helical pitch, the pitch is fixed during scanning. The mean noise of the images and the standard deviation were calculated, and the coefficient of variation (COV) was compared to evaluate the uniformity of image noise according to the beam width. RESULTS At the boundaries between regions with different attenuation values, the 10 mm beam width (COV: 0.065) in the water phantom showed a 47.7% COV reduction of image noise compared with the 20 mm beam width (COV: 0.125). In addition, the 20 mm beam width (COV: 0.146) in the chest phantom showed a 29.3% COV reduction of image noise compared with the 40 mm beam width (COV: 0.206). Thus, as the beam was narrowed, the mean noise was similar, but the standard deviation was reduced. CONCLUSIONS The proposed CT scanning technique with a fixed pitch, optimized beam width, and helical pitch demonstrates that image quality can be improved without increasing radiation dose at the boundary between regions with different attenuation values.

Keywords: quality; beam; pitch; beam width; image

Journal Title: Journal of X-ray science and technology
Year Published: 2022

Link to full text (if available)


Share on Social Media:                               Sign Up to like & get
recommendations!

Related content

More Information              News              Social Media              Video              Recommended



                Click one of the above tabs to view related content.