WE‐DE‐207B‐10: Library‐Based X‐Ray Scatter Correction for Dedicated Cone‐Beam Breast CT: Clinical Validation

Abstract

Purpose:Scatter contamination is detrimental to image quality in dedicated cone‐beam breast CT (CBBCT), resulting in cupping artifacts and loss of contrast in reconstructed images. Such effects impede visualization of breast lesions and the quantitative accuracy. Previously, we proposed a library‐based software approach to suppress scatter on CBBCT images. In this work, we quantify the efficacy and stability of this approach using datasets from 15 human subjects.Methods:A pre‐computed scatter library is generated using Monte Carlo simulations for semi‐ellipsoid breast models and homogeneous fibroglandular/adipose tissue mixture encompassing the range reported in literature. Projection datasets from 15 human subjects that cover 95 percentile of breast dimensions and fibroglandular volume fraction were included in the analysis. Our investigations indicate that it is sufficient to consider the breast dimensions alone and variation in fibroglandular fraction does not significantly affect the scatter‐to‐primary ratio. The breast diameter is measured from a first‐pass reconstruction; the appropriate scatter distribution is selected from the library; and, deformed by considering the discrepancy in total projection intensity between the clinical dataset and the simulated semi‐ellipsoidal breast. The deformed scatter‐distribution is subtracted from the measured projections for scatter correction. Spatial non‐uniformity (SNU) and contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) were used as quantitative metrics to evaluate the results.Results:On the 15 patient cases, our method reduced the overall image spatial non‐uniformity (SNU) from 7.14%±2.94% (mean ± standard deviation) to 2.47%±0.68% in coronal view and from 10.14%±4.1% to 3.02% ±1.26% in sagittal view. The average contrast to noise ratio (CNR) improved by a factor of 1.49±0.40 in coronal view and by 2.12±1.54 in sagittal view.Conclusion:We demonstrate the robustness and effectiveness of a library‐based scatter correction method using patient datasets with large variability in breast dimensions and composition. The high computational efficiency and simplicity in implementation make this attractive for clinical implementation.Supported partly by NIH R21EB019597, R21CA134128 and R01CA195512.The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.