Recently dynamic, time-resolved three-dimensional computed tomography angiography (CTA) has been introduced to the neurological imaging community. However, the radiation dose delivered to patients in time-resolved CTA protocol is a high and potential risk associated with the ionizing radiation dose. Thus, minimizing the radiation dose is highly desirable for time-resolved CTA. In order to reduce the radiation dose delivered during dynamic, contrast-enhanced CT applications, we introduce here the CT formulation of HighlY constrained back PRojection (HYPR) imaging. We explore the radiation dose reduction approaches of both acquiring a reduced number of projections for each image and lowering the tube current used during acquisition. We then apply HYPR image reconstruction to produce image sets at a reduced patient dose and with low image noise. Numerical phantom experiments and retrospective analysis of in vivo canine studies are used to assess the accuracy and quality of HYPR reduced dose image sets and validate our approach. Experimental results demonstrated that a factor of 6–8 times radiation dose reduction is possible when the HYPR algorithm is applied to time-resolved CTA exams.

SIR reconstruction can reduce image noise and mitigate streaking artifacts caused by photon starvation in dynamic CT myocardial perfusion data sets acquired at low dose (low tube current), and improve perfusion map quality in comparison to FBP reconstruction at the same dose.

Purpose: This study describes a HighlY constrained backPRojection (HYPR) image processing method for the reduction of image noise in low tube current time-resolved CT myocardial perfusion scans. The effect of this method on myocardial time-attenuation curve noise and fidelity is evaluated in an animal model, using varying levels of tube current. Methods: CT perfusion scans of four healthy pigs (42-59 kg) were acquired at 500, 250, 100, 50, 25, and 10 mA on a 64-slice scanner (4 cm axial coverage, 120 kV, 0.4 s/rotation, 50 s scan duration). For each scan a sequence of ECG-gated images centered on 75% R-R was reconstructed using shortscan filtered back projection (FBP). HYPR processing was applied to the scans acquired at less than 500 mA using parameters designed to maintain the voxel noise level in the 500-mA FBP images. The processing method generates a series of composite images by averaging over a sliding time window and then multiplies the composite images by weighting images to restore temporal fidelity to the image sequence. HYPR voxel noise relative to FBP noise was measured in AHA myocardial segment numbers 1, 5, 6, and 7 at each mA. To quantify the agreement between HYPR and FBP time-attenuation curves (TACs), Bland-Altman analysis was performed on TACs measured in full myocardial segments. The relative degree of TAC fluctuation in smaller subvolumes was quantified by calculating the root mean square deviation of a TAC about the gamma variate curve fit to the TAC data. Results: HYPR image sequences were produced using 2, 7, and 20 beat composite windows for the 250, 100, and 50 mA scans, respectively. At 25 and 10 mA, all available beats were used in the composite (41-60; average 50). A 7-voxel-wide 3D cubic filter kernel was used to form weighting images. The average ratio of HYPR voxel noise to 500-mA FBP voxel noise was 1.06, 1.10, 0.97, 1.11, and 2.15 for HYPR scans at 250, 100, 50, 25, and 10 mA. The average limits-of-agreement between HYPR and FBP TAC values measured 0.02+/−0.91, 0.04+/−1.92, 0.19+/−1.59, 1.13+/−4.22, and 1.07+/−6.37 HU (mean difference +/−1.96 SD). The HYPR image subvolume that yielded a fixed level of TAC fluctuations was smaller, on average, than the FBP subvolume determined at the same mA. Conclusions: HYPR processing is a feasible method for generating low noise myocardial perfusion data from a low-mA time-resolved CT myocardial perfusion scan. The method is applicable to current clinical scanners and uses conventional image reconstructions as input data.

No abstract

In recent years, there have been several findings regarding CT number variations (partial scan artifact or PSA) across time in dynamic myocardial perfusion studies with short scan gated reconstruction. These variations are correlated with the view angle range corresponding to the short scan acquisition for a given cardiac phase, which can vary from one cardiac cycle to another due to the asynchrony between heart rate and gantry rotation speed. In this study, we investigate several potential causes of PSA, including noise, beam hardening and scatter, using numerical simulations. In addition, we investigate partial scan artifact in a single source 64-slice diagnostic CT scanner in vivo data sets, and report its effect on perfusion analysis. Results indicated that among all three factors investigated, scatter can cause obvious partial scan artifact in dynamic myocardial perfusion imaging. Further, scatter is a low frequency phenomenon and is not heavily dependent on the changing contrasts, as both the frequency method and the virtual scan method are effective in reducing partial scan artifact. However, PSA does not necessarily lead to different blood volume maps compared to the full scan, because these maps are usually generated with a curve fitting procedure.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract