Dual-energy imaging of the chest: Optimization of image acquisition techniques for the 'bone-only' image
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2M9 (Canada)
Experiments were conducted to determine optimal acquisition techniques for bone image decompositions for a prototype dual-energy (DE) imaging system. Technique parameters included kVp pair (denoted [kVp{sup L}/kVp{sup H}]) and dose allocation (the proportion of dose in low- and high-energy projections), each optimized to provide maximum signal difference-to-noise ratio in DE images. Experiments involved a chest phantom representing an average patient size and containing simulated ribs and lung nodules. Low- and high-energy kVp were varied from 60-90 and 120-150 kVp, respectively. The optimal kVp pair was determined to be [60/130] kVp, with image quality showing a strong dependence on low-kVp selection. Optimal dose allocation was approximately 0.5--i.e., an equal dose imparted by the low- and high-energy projections. The results complement earlier studies of optimal DE soft-tissue image acquisition, with differences attributed to the specific imaging task. Together, the results help to guide the development and implementation of high-performance DE imaging systems, with applications including lung nodule detection and diagnosis, pneumothorax identification, and musculoskeletal imaging (e.g., discrimination of rib fractures from metastasis)
- OSTI ID:
- 21036163
- Journal Information:
- Medical Physics, Vol. 35, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1118/1.2828186; (c) 2008 American Association of Physicists in Medicine; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-2405
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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