Cascaded systems analysis of the 3D NEQ for cone-beam CT and tomosynthesis

D. J. Tward; J. H. Siewerdsen; R. A. Fahrig; A. R. Pineda

doi:10.1117/12.772999

3 April 2008 Cascaded systems analysis of the 3D NEQ for cone-beam CT and tomosynthesis

D. J. Tward, J. H. Siewerdsen, R. A. Fahrig, A. R. Pineda

Proceedings Volume 6913, Medical Imaging 2008: Physics of Medical Imaging; 69131S (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.772999
Event: Medical Imaging, 2008, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Crucial to understanding the factors that govern imaging performance is a rigorous analysis of signal and noise transfer characteristics (e.g., MTF, NPS, and NEQ) applied to a task-based performance metric (e.g., detectability index). This paper advances a theoretical framework for calculation of the NPS, NEQ, and DQE of cone-beam CT (CBCT) and tomosynthesis based on cascaded systems analysis. The model considers the 2D projection NPS propagated through a series of reconstruction stages to yield the 3D NPS, revealing a continuum (from 2D projection radiography to limited-angle tomosynthesis and fully 3D CBCT) for which NEQ and detectability index may be investigated as a function of any system parameter. Factors considered in the cascade include: system geometry; angular extent of source-detector orbit; finite number of views; log-scaling; application of ramp, apodization, and interpolation filters; back-projection; and 3D noise aliasing - all of which have a direct impact on the 3D NEQ and DQE. Calculations of the 3D NPS were found to agree with experimental measurements across a broad range of imaging conditions. The model presents a theoretical framework that unifies 3D Fourier-based performance metrology in tomosynthesis and CBCT, providing a guide to optimization that rigorously considers the system configuration, reconstruction parameters, and imaging task.

Citation Download Citation

D. J. Tward, J. H. Siewerdsen, R. A. Fahrig, and A. R. Pineda "Cascaded systems analysis of the 3D NEQ for cone-beam CT and tomosynthesis", Proc. SPIE 6913, Medical Imaging 2008: Physics of Medical Imaging, 69131S (3 April 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.772999

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