Segmental limited-angle CT reconstruction based on image structural prior

CT reconstruction from incomplete projection data is one of the key researches of X-ray CT imaging. The projection data acquired by few-view and limited-angle sampling are incomplete. In addition, few-view sampling often requires turning on and off the tube voltage, but rapid switching of tube voltage demands for high technical requirements. Limited-angle sampling is easy to realize. However, reconstructed images may encounter obvious artifacts. In this study we investigate a new segmental limited-angle (SLA) sampling strategy, which avoids rapid switching of tube voltage. Thus, the projection data has lower data correlation than limited-angle CT, which is conducive to reconstructing high-quality images. To suppress potential artifacts, we incorporate image structural prior into reconstruction model to present a reconstruction method. The limited-angle CT reconstruction experiments on digital phantoms, real carved cheese and walnut projections are used to test and verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Several image quality evaluation indices including RMSE, PSNR, and SSIM of the reconstructions in simulation experiments are calculated and listed to show the superiority of our method. The experimental results indicate that the CT image reconstructed using the proposed new method is closer to the reference image. Images from real CT data and their residual images also show that applying the proposed new method can more effectively reduce artifacts and image structures are well preserved.

Automated summary

This study investigates a new segmental limited-angle (SLA) sampling strategy for CT reconstruction from incomplete projection data, and incorporates image structural prior into the reconstruction model. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in reducing artifacts and preserving image structures.