title: Improvement of cardiac CT reconstruction using local motion vector fields.
abstract: The motion of the heart is a major challenge for cardiac imaging using CT. A novel approach to decrease motion blur and to improve the signal to noise ratio is motion compensated reconstruction which takes motion vector fields into account in order to correct motion. The presented work deals with the determination of local motion vector fields from high contrast objects and their utilization within motion compensated filtered back projection reconstruction. Image registration is applied during the quiescent cardiac phases. Temporal interpolation in parameter space is used in order to estimate motion during strong motion phases. The resulting motion vector fields are during image reconstruction. The method is assessed using a software phantom and several clinical cases for calcium scoring. As a criterion for reconstruction quality, calcium volume scores were derived from both, gated cardiac reconstruction and motion compensated reconstruction throughout the cardiac phases using low pitch helical cone beam CT acquisitions. The presented technique is a robust method to determine and utilize local motion vector fields. Motion compensated reconstruction using the derived motion vector fields leads to superior image quality compared to gated reconstruction. As a result, the gating window can be enlarged significantly, resulting in increased SNR, while reliable Hounsfield units are achieved due to the reduced level of motion artefacts. The enlargement of the gating window can be translated into reduced dose requirements.
authors.affiliation: Insitute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Karlsruhe, Fritz-Haber-Weg 1, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany. carsten.schirra@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Carsten Oliver
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Schirra
authors.forename: Claas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bontus
authors.forename: Udo
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: van Stevendaal
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dössel
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grass
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D055424:Cardiac-Gated Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods; D017023:Coronary Angiography / Q000379:methods; D023921:Coronary Stenosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D009038:Motion; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*