A comprehensive GPU-based framework for scatter estimation in single source, dual source, and photon-counting CT

Shobhit Sharma; Ehsan Abadi; Anuj Kapadia; W. Paul Segars; Ehsan Samei

doi:10.1117/12.2513198

1 March 2019 A comprehensive GPU-based framework for scatter estimation in single source, dual source, and photon-counting CT

Shobhit Sharma, Ehsan Abadi, Anuj Kapadia, W. Paul Segars, Ehsan Samei

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 10948, Medical Imaging 2019: Physics of Medical Imaging; 109482V (2019) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2513198
Event: SPIE Medical Imaging, 2019, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Scattered radiation is one of the leading causes of image quality degradation in computed tomography (CT), leading to decreased contrast sensitivity and inaccuracy of CT numbers. The established gold-standard technique for scatter estimation in CT is Monte Carlo (MC) simulation, which is computationally expensive, thus limiting its utility for clinical applications. In addition, the existing MC tools are generalized and often do not model a realistic patient and/or a scanner-specific scenario, including lack of models for alternative CT configurations. This study aims to fill these gaps by introducing a comprehensive GPU-based MC framework for estimating patient and scanner-specific scatter for single-source, dual-source, and photon-counting CT using vendor-specific geometry/components and anatomically realistic XCAT phantoms. The tool accurately models the physics of photon transport and includes realistic vendor-specific models for x-ray spectra, bowtie filter, anti-scatter grid, and detector response. To demonstrate the functionality of the framework, we characterized the scatter profiles for a Mercury and an XCAT phantom using multiple scanner configurations. The timing information from the simulations was tallied to estimate the speedup over a comparable CPU-based MC tool. We also utilized the scatter profiles from the simulations to enhance the realism of primary-only ray-traced images generated for the purpose of virtual clinical trials (VCT). A speedup as high as 900x over a CPU-based MC tool was also observed for our framework. The results indicate the capability of this framework to quantify scatter for different proposed CT configurations and the significance of scatter contribution for simulating realistic CT images.

Citation Download Citation

Shobhit Sharma, Ehsan Abadi, Anuj Kapadia, W. Paul Segars, and Ehsan Samei "A comprehensive GPU-based framework for scatter estimation in single source, dual source, and photon-counting CT", Proc. SPIE 10948, Medical Imaging 2019: Physics of Medical Imaging, 109482V (1 March 2019); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2513198

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
10 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Computed tomography

Monte Carlo methods

X-ray computed tomography

Scanners

Computer simulations

Clinical trials

Photon counting

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years