Program Information
Task-Driven Fluence Field Modulation Design for Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction in CT
G Gang*, J Siewerdsen , J Stayman , Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Presentations
TH-CD-207B-9 (Thursday, August 4, 2016) 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Room: 207B
Purpose:There has been increasing interest in integrating fluence field modulation (FFM) devices with diagnostic CT scanners for dose reduction purposes. Conventional FFM strategies, however, are often either based on heuristics or the analysis of filtered-backprojection (FBP) performance. This work investigates a prospective task-driven optimization of FFM for model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) in order to improve imaging performance at the same total dose as conventional strategies.
Methods:The task-driven optimization framework utilizes an ultra-low dose 3D scout as a patient-specific anatomical model and a mathematical formation of the imaging task. The MBIR method investigated is quadratically penalized-likelihood reconstruction. The FFM objective function uses detectability index, d’, computed as a function of the predicted spatial resolution and noise in the image. To optimize performance throughout the object, a maxi-min objective was adopted where the minimum d’ over multiple locations is maximized. To reduce the dimensionality of the problem, FFM is parameterized as a linear combination of 2D Gaussian basis functions over horizontal detector pixels and projection angles. The coefficients of these bases are found using the covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy (CMA-ES) algorithm. The task-driven design was compared with three other strategies proposed for FBP reconstruction for a calcification cluster discrimination task in an abdomen phantom.
Results:The task-driven optimization yielded FFM that was significantly different from those designed for FBP. Comparing all four strategies, the task-based design achieved the highest minimum d’ with an 8-48% improvement, consistent with the maxi-min objective. In addition, d’ was improved to a greater extent over a larger area within the entire phantom.
Conclusion:Results from this investigation suggests the need to re-evaluate conventional FFM strategies for MBIR. The task-based optimization framework provides a promising approach that maximizes imaging performance under the same total dose constraint.
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