Versatile cone-beam imaging apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A method for generating a three-dimensional image of a scanned object from a plurality of cone-beam projections passed through the object and attenuated thereby, the method comprising:
- a) positioning the source at an initial position on a predetermined scan path;
b) passing a projection of cone-beam radiation comprising a plurality of projection rays from a common focal point through an object, the cone-beam projection being attenuated by partial absorption in the object;
c) detecting radiation intensity of the attenuated cone-beam projection on an area detector;
d) obtaining a two-dimensional attenuation image of the cone-beam projection from the detected radiation intensity;
e) obtaining an intermediate transform function from the two-dimensional attenuation image on a set of planes passing through the focal point;
f) at least once, repositioning the source and repeating steps (b)-(e);
g) filtering the intermediate transform functions acquired from consecutive attenuation images at two or more source positions using a moving-frame technique to obtain the second-order radial derivative of the Radon transform;
h) backprojecting the second-order radial derivative of the Radon transform in a two-dimensional space along each projection ray to generate an intermediate, locally reconstructed, three-dimensional image with constant values assigned along each projection ray;
i) at least once, repeating steps (f)-(h); and
j) summing the plurality of intermediate, locally reconstructed, three-dimensional images obtained for the plurality of cone-beam projections to obtain an ultimate, reconstructed, three-dimensional image of the object.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A three-dimensional image of an object scanned with a plurality of cone-beam projections from a number of source positions is reconstructed using a method wherein intermediate transform functions are obtained from two-dimensional images of radiation attenuation in the scanned object. The intermediate transform functions are then filtered over the two-dimensional attenuation images using a moving-frame technique. The second-order radial derivative of the Radon transform can then be backprojected to generate an intermediate, locally-reconstructed, three-dimensional image. After repetition of this process, the plurality of intermediate, locally reconstructed, three-dimensional images are summed to obtain an ultimate, reconstructed, three-dimensional image of the object.
48 Citations
22 Claims
-
1. A method for generating a three-dimensional image of a scanned object from a plurality of cone-beam projections passed through the object and attenuated thereby, the method comprising:
-
a) positioning the source at an initial position on a predetermined scan path;
b) passing a projection of cone-beam radiation comprising a plurality of projection rays from a common focal point through an object, the cone-beam projection being attenuated by partial absorption in the object;
c) detecting radiation intensity of the attenuated cone-beam projection on an area detector;
d) obtaining a two-dimensional attenuation image of the cone-beam projection from the detected radiation intensity;
e) obtaining an intermediate transform function from the two-dimensional attenuation image on a set of planes passing through the focal point;
f) at least once, repositioning the source and repeating steps (b)-(e);
g) filtering the intermediate transform functions acquired from consecutive attenuation images at two or more source positions using a moving-frame technique to obtain the second-order radial derivative of the Radon transform;
h) backprojecting the second-order radial derivative of the Radon transform in a two-dimensional space along each projection ray to generate an intermediate, locally reconstructed, three-dimensional image with constant values assigned along each projection ray;
i) at least once, repeating steps (f)-(h); and
j) summing the plurality of intermediate, locally reconstructed, three-dimensional images obtained for the plurality of cone-beam projections to obtain an ultimate, reconstructed, three-dimensional image of the object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A computer system for generating a reconstruction of cone-beam radiation attenuation in an object, the computer system comprising:
-
means for obtaining an intermediate transform function from a signal representing the amount of radiation transmitted through the object;
means for calculating the second-order radial derivative of the Radon transform by filtering the intermediate transform function over a pair of or multiple consecutive two-dimensional cone-beam measurement using a moving-frame technique;
means for backprojecting the second-order radial derivative of the Radon transform to generate an intermediate, locally reconstructed, three-dimensional image with constant values assigned along each projection ray; and
an accumulation buffer to sum the plurality of intermediate, locally reconstructed, three-dimensional images obtained for the cone-beam projections to obtain an ultimate, reconstructed, three-dimensional image of the object.
-
-
18. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable software for generating a reconstruction of cone-beam radiation attenuation in an object, the software comprising:
-
code for obtaining an intermediate transform function from a signal representing the amount of radiation transmitted through the object;
code for calculating the second-order radial derivative of a Radon transform by filtering over the intermediate transform function using a moving-frame technique;
code for backprojecting the second-order radial derivative of the Radon transform to generate an intermediate, partially reconstructed, three-dimensional image with constant values assigned along each projection ray; and
code for summing the plurality of intermediate, locally reconstructed, three-dimensional images obtained for the cone-beam projections to obtain an ultimate, reconstructed, three-dimensional image of the object.
-
-
19. A cone-beam tomography apparatus comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable software for generating a reconstruction of cone-beam radiation attenuation in an object, the software comprising:
-
code for obtaining an intermediate transform function from a signal representing the amount of radiation transmitted through the object;
code for determining the second-order radial derivative of the Radon transform by filtering over the intermediate transform function using a moving-frame technique;
code for backprojecting the second-order radial derivative of the Radon transform to generate an intermediate, locally reconstructed, three-dimensional image with constant values assigned along each projection ray; and
code for summing the plurality of intermediate, locally reconstructed, three-dimensional images obtained for the cone-beam projections to obtain an ultimate, reconstructed, three-dimensional image of the object. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
-
-
22. A cone-beam tomography apparatus for generating a reconstruction of cone-beam radiation attenuation in an object, the apparatus comprising
means for obtaining an intermediate transform function from a signal representing the amount of radiation transmitted through the object; -
means for determining the second-order radial derivative of the Radon transform by filtering over the intermediate transform function using a moving-frame technique;
means for backprojecting the second-order radial derivative of the Radon transform to generate an intermediate, locally reconstructed, three-dimensional image with constant values assigned along each projection ray; and
means for summing the plurality of intermediate, locally reconstructed, three-dimensional images obtained for the cone-beam projections to obtain an ultimate, reconstructed, three-dimensional image of the object.
-
Specification