Guided Image Filtering Based Limited-Angle CT Reconstruction Algorithm Using Wavelet Frame

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Computed tomography (CT) has its irreplaceable function in nondestructive testing and medical diagnosis. In some practical CT imaging applications, the limited-angle scanning is common due to X-ray’s potential harm to human and the limitation of the scanning conditions. Under these circumstances, analytic reconstruction algorithms, like filtered backprojection (FBP), will not obtain satisfactory results because of lacking the projection data. Iterative reconstruction (IR) methods that can incorporate prior knowledge have attracted attention in many fields, and wavelet frame-based regularization reconstruction algorithms have proven to be a useful means to reduce slope artifacts and noise for limited-angle CT. However, with the obtained projection data of the scanned object further reduces, the edge structures and the details of the reconstructed image worsen. For the sake of improving the quality of the reconstructed image from the limited-angle projection data, a guided image filtering (GIF)-based limited-angle CT reconstruction algorithm using wavelet frame was proposed. In each iteration of the proposed algorithm, the reconstructed result constrained by the wavelet frame was used as the guidance image to transfer the important features it contains to the reconstructed result of SART method by GIF. Furthermore, some simulated experiments and real data tests were conducted to evaluate the feasibility and validity of the proposed algorithm, and the qualitative and quantitative indexes indicated that the proposed algorithm was superior to other iterative reconstruction algorithms in artifacts reduction, noise suppression, and structure preservation.