Single-exposure contrast enhanced spectral mammography

Torrico, Raul; Kavuri, Amar; Lewis, Cale; Das, Mini

doi:10.1117/12.2513515

Cited by 3 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…The minimum iodine concentration uptake of a tumor with a thickness of 10 mm is considered 3 mg/ml. 22 With the provided iodine map, even lower concentrations down to 2.5 mg/ml are traceable. Similar quantities are traceable with CEM (1 mg/ml-2.5 mg/ Medical Physics, 47 (7), July 2020 ml) 19,22,50 and conventional breast CT (2 mg/ml) using energy-integrating detectors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…22 With the provided iodine map, even lower concentrations down to 2.5 mg/ml are traceable. Similar quantities are traceable with CEM (1 mg/ml-2.5 mg/ Medical Physics, 47 (7), July 2020 ml) 19,22,50 and conventional breast CT (2 mg/ml) using energy-integrating detectors. 51 The VNC image provides additional information that can serve as a reliable substitute for a native CT image, making it possible to avoid an additional CT scan.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…In the FE image, the position of the sagittal slice is marked by a dashed line. ml) 19,22,50 and conventional breast CT (2 mg/ml) using energy-integrating detectors. 51 The VNC image provides additional information that can serve as a reliable substitute for a native CT image, making it possible to avoid an additional CT scan.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6 In order to improve detection rates, contrast-enhanced imaging of the breast has been developed. This method is already established in breast MRI [7][8][9][10] and is also increasingly used in mammography [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22] and breast CT (BCT). [23][24][25] To ensure the best possible contrast agent visibility, subtraction images are used in contrast-enhanced digital mammography (CEM), contrast-enhanced MRI, and contrastenhanced BCT.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Investigation of spectral performance for single‐scan contrast‐enhanced breast CT using photon‐counting technology: A phantom study

Ruth

Kolditz²,

Steiding³

et al. 2020

Medical Physics

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Purpose: Contrast-enhanced imaging of the breast is frequently used in breast MRI and has recently become more common in mammography. The purpose of this study was to make single-scan contrast-enhanced imaging feasible for photon-counting breast CT (pcBCT) and to assess the spectral performance of a pcBCT scanner by evaluating iodine maps and virtual non-contrast (VNC) images. Methods: We optimized the settings of a pcBCT to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio between iodinated contrast agent and breast tissue. Therefore, an electronic energy threshold dividing the x-ray spectrum used into two energy bins was swept from 23.17 keV to 50.65 keV. Validation measurements were performed by placing syringes with contrast agent (2.5 mg/ml to 40 mg/ml) in phantoms with 7.5 cm and 12 cm in diameter. Images were acquired at different tube currents and reconstructed with 300 lm isotropic voxel size. Iodine maps and VNC images were generated using image-based material decomposition. Iodine concentrations and CT values were measured for each syringe and compared to the known concentrations and reference CT values. Results: Maximal signal-to-noise ratios were found at a threshold position of 32.59 keV. Accurate iodine quantification (average root mean square error of 0.56 mg/ml) was possible down to a concentration of 2.5 mg/ml for all tube currents investigated. The enhancement has been sufficiently removed in the VNC images, so they can be interpreted as unenhanced CT images. Only minor changes of CT values compared to a conventional CT scan were observed. Noise was increased by the decomposition by a factor of 2.62 and 4.87 (7.5 cm and 12 cm phantoms) but did not compromise the accuracy of the iodine quantification. Conclusions: Accurate iodine quantification and generation of VNC images can be achieved using contrast-enhanced pcBCT from a single CT scan in the absence of temporal or spatial misalignment. Using iodine maps and VNC images, pcBCT has the potential to reduce dose, shorten examination and reading time, and to increase cancer detection rates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Investigation of spectral performance for single‐scan contrast‐enhanced breast CT using photon‐counting technology: A phantom study

Ruth

Kolditz²,

Steiding³

et al. 2020

Medical Physics

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“…P HOTON counting detectors (PCDs) with energy-resolving capabilities show promising advantages for x-ray imaging [1]- [3]. Spectroscopic x-ray imaging with PCDs can be applied for quantitative material identification and characterization such as K-edge imaging [4], [5], material decomposition [6]- [8], and phase-contrast imaging [9]- [11]. However, scattered radiation is a well-known detriment to x-ray imaging resulting in increased image noise and reduced quantitative accuracy [12], [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy-sensitive scatter estimation and correction for spectral x-ray imaging with photon-counting detectors

Lewis¹,

Das²

2022

Preprint

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As photon counting detectors are being explored for medical and industrial imaging applications, there is a critical need to understand spectral characteristics of scattered x-ray photons. Scattered radiation is detrimental to x-ray imaging by reducing image quality and quantitative accuracy. While various scatter correction techniques have been proposed for x-ray imaging with conventional energy-integrating detectors, additional efforts are required to develop approaches for spectral x-ray imaging with energy-resolving PCDs. We show the benefits of accurate scatter estimation and correction for each energy bin when using a photon counting detector. We propose a scatter estimation model that accounts for the energy-dependent scatter characteristics in projection imaging. This can then be used to restore quantitative accuracy for spectral x-ray imaging with PCDs. Results are shown in the context of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography using dual-energy subtraction to digitally isolate iodine targets (2.5-40 mg/ml). In the presence of scatter, the projected iodine densities are increasingly underestimated as the object thickness increases. The energy-sensitive scatter correction improves the iodine density estimation up to 46%. These results suggest that our scatter estimation model can accurately account for the energy-dependent scatter distribution, which can be an effective tool for scatter compensation in spectral x-ray imaging. Implementing this scatter estimation model does not require any modifications to the acquisition parameters and is transferable to other x-ray imaging applications such as tomosynthesis and CT.

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Energy-sensitive scatter estimation and correction for spectral x-ray imaging with photon-counting detectors

Lewis

Das

2022

J. Inst.

Self Cite

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As photon counting detectors are being explored for medical and industrial imaging applications, there is a critical need to understand spectral characteristics of scattered x-ray photons. Scattered radiation is detrimental to x-ray imaging by reducing image quality and quantitative accuracy. While various scatter correction techniques have been proposed for x-ray imaging with conventional energy-integrating detectors, additional efforts are required to develop approaches for spectral x-ray imaging with energy-resolving PCDs. We show the benefits of accurate scatter estimation and correction for each energy bin when using a photon counting detector. We propose a scatter estimation model that accounts for the energy-dependent scatter characteristics in projection imaging. This can then be used to restore quantitative accuracy for spectral x-ray imaging with PCDs. Results are shown in the context of contrast-enhanced spectral mammography using dual-energy subtraction to digitally isolate iodine targets (2.5–40 mg/ml). In the presence of scatter, the projected iodine densities are increasingly underestimated as the object thickness increases. The energy-sensitive scatter correction improves the iodine density estimation up to 46%. These results suggest that our scatter estimation model can accurately account for the energy-dependent scatter distribution, which can be an effective tool for scatter compensation in spectral x-ray imaging. Implementing this scatter estimation model does not require any modifications to the acquisition parameters and is transferable to other x-ray imaging applications such as tomosynthesis and CT.

show abstract

Single-exposure contrast enhanced spectral mammography

Cited by 3 publications

References 10 publications

Investigation of spectral performance for single‐scan contrast‐enhanced breast CT using photon‐counting technology: A phantom study

Investigation of spectral performance for single‐scan contrast‐enhanced breast CT using photon‐counting technology: A phantom study

Energy-sensitive scatter estimation and correction for spectral x-ray imaging with photon-counting detectors

Energy-sensitive scatter estimation and correction for spectral x-ray imaging with photon-counting detectors

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