Over-exposure correction in knee cone-beam CT imaging with automatic exposure control using a partial low dose scan

Jang Hwan Choi, Kerstin Muller, Scott Hsieh, Andreas Maier, Garry Gold, Marc Levenston, Rebecca Fahrig

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

C-arm-based cone-beam CT (CBCT) systems with flat-panel detectors are suitable for diagnostic knee imaging due to their potentially flexible selection of CT trajectories and wide volumetric beam coverage. In knee CT imaging, over-exposure artifacts can occur because of limitations in the dynamic range of the flat panel detectors present on most CBCT systems. We developed a straightforward but effective method for correction and detection of over-exposure for an Automatic Exposure Control (AEC)-enabled standard knee scan incorporating a prior low dose scan. The radiation dose associated with the low dose scan was negligible (0.0042mSv, 2.8% increase) which was enabled by partially sampling the projection images considering the geometry of the knees and lowering the dose further to be able to just see the skin-air interface. We combined the line integrals from the AEC and low dose scans after detecting over-exposed regions by comparing the line profiles of the two scans detector row-wise. The combined line integrals were reconstructed into a volumetric image using filtered back projection. We evaluated our method using in vivo human subject knee data. The proposed method effectively corrected and detected over-exposure, and thus recovered the visibility of exterior tissues (e.g., the shape and density of the patella, and the patellar tendon), incorporating a prior low dose scan with a negligible increase in radiation exposure.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationMedical Imaging 2016
Subtitle of host publicationPhysics of Medical Imaging
EditorsDespina Kontos, Joseph Y. Lo, Thomas G. Flohr
PublisherSPIE
ISBN (Electronic)9781510600188
DOIs
StatePublished - 2016
EventMedical Imaging 2016: Physics of Medical Imaging - San Diego, United States
Duration: Feb 28 2016Mar 2 2016

Publication series

NameProgress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE
Volume9783
ISSN (Print)1605-7422

Other

OtherMedical Imaging 2016: Physics of Medical Imaging
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Diego
Period2/28/163/2/16

Keywords

  • Automatic Exposure Control
  • C-arm CT
  • Cone-beam CT
  • Detector over-exposure
  • Detector saturation
  • Flat-panel detector
  • Knee CT imaging
  • Lower extremity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • Biomaterials
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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