title: Comparison of patient size-based methods for estimating quantum noise in CT images of the lung.
abstract: The authors explored four methods for estimating quantum noise in CT images of the lung, each based on a different definition of patient size (water-equivalent diameter) and the relationship between noise and diameter determined in water phantoms. The accuracies of the four methods were evaluated using an image-subtraction method as a gold standard. Noise estimates based on patient sizes derived from chest area, water-equivalent area, non-lung area, and water-equivalent path length had maximum errors of 229%, 93%, 34%, and 57%, respectively. Considering the magnitude of noise variation across the lung volume (approximately 30%), noise estimate based on non-lung area was reasonably accurate.
authors.affiliation: Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke Advanced Imaging Laboratories, Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27705, USA.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ehsan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Samei
mesh_terms: D049628:Body Size; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water