Rawdata-based detection of the optimal reconstruction phase in ECG-gated cardiac image reconstruction.
In order to achieve diagnostically useful CT (computed tomography) images of the moving heart, the standard image reconstruction has to be modified to a phase-correlated reconstruction, which considers the motion phase of the heart and generates a quasi-static image in one defined motion phase. For that purpose a synchronization signal is needed, typically a concurrent ECG recording. Commonly, the reconstruction phase is adapted by the user to the patient-specific heart motion to improve the image quality and thus the diagnostic value. The purpose of our work is to automatically identify the optimal reconstruction phase for cardiac CT imaging with respect to motion artifacts. We provide a solution for a patient- and heart rate-independent detection of the optimal phase in the cardiac cycle which shows a minimum of cardiac movement. We validated our method by the correlation with the reconstruction phase selected visually on the basis of ECG-triggering and used for the medical diagnosis. The mean difference between both reconstruction phases was 12.5% with respect to a whole cardiac motion cycle indicating a high correlation. Additionally, reconstructed cardiac images are shown which confirm the results expressed by the correlation measurement and in some cases even indicating an improvement using the proposed method.
Ertel
Dirk
D
Institute of Medical Physics, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. dirk.ertel@imp.uni-erlangen.de
Kachelriess
Marc
M
Pflederer
Tobias
T
Achenbach
Stephan
S
Lapp
Robert M
RM
Nagel
Markus
M
Kalender
Willi A
WA
D000465:Algorithms; D016477:Artifacts; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods*; D009068:Movement; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*