A Scheme for Ultra-Fast Computed Tomography Based on Stationary Multi-Beam X-ray Sources

The current cardiac computed tomography (CT) technology is mainly limited by motion blurring and radiation dose. The conceptual multi-source interior CT scheme has provided a potential solution to reduce motion artifacts and radiation exposure. This dissertation work conducted multi-facet investigations on a novel multi-source interior CT architecture (G. Cao, et. al, IEEE Access, 2014;2:1263-71) which employs distributed stationary multi-beam Carbon-nanotube (CNT) X-ray sources and simultaneously operates multiple source-detector chains to improve temporal resolution. The collimation based interior CT is integrated in each imaging chain, to suppress radiation dose. The central thesis statement is: Compared to conventional CT design, this distributed source array based multi-source interior CT architecture shall provide ultra-fast CT scan of region-of-interest (ROI) inside body with comparable image quality at lower radiation dose. Comprehensive studies were conducted to separately investigate three critical aspects of multi-source interior CT: interior CT mode, X-ray scattering, and scatter correction methods. First, a single CNT X-ray source based interior micro-CT was constructed to serve as a down-scaled experimental verification platform for interior CT mode. Interior CT mode demonstrated comparable contrast-noise-ratio (CNR) and image structural similarity to the standard global CT mode, while inducing a significant radiation dose reduction (< 83.9%). Second, the data acquisition of multi-source interior CT was demonstrated at clinical geometry, via numerical simulation and physical experiments. The simultaneously operated source-detector chains induced significant X-ray forward / cross scattering and thus caused severe CNR reduction (< 68.5%) and CT number error (< 1122 HU). To address the scatter artifacts, a stationary beam-stopper-array (BSA) based and a source-trigger-sequence (STS) based scatter correction methods were proposed to enable the online scatter measurement / correction with further radiation dose reduction (< 50%). Moreover, a deterministic physics model was also developed to iteratively remove the scatter-artifacts in the multi-source interior CT, without the need for modifications in imaging hardware or protocols. The three proposed scatter correction methods improved CNR (< 94.0%) and suppressed CT number error (< 48 HU). With the dedicated scatter correction methods, the multi-source interior CT could provide ROI-oriented imaging with acceptable image quality at significantly reduced radiation dose.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biomedical Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Biomedical Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2017

Author dc:creator

• Gong, Hao

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Cao, Guohua

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Zhu, Yizheng
• LaConte, Stephen M.
• Wyatt, Chris L.
• Wang, Ge

• Multi-source
• computed tomography
• scatter correction
• temporal resolution
• interior tomography

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:9743

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/75054