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Comparison of Two Novel Algorithms for the Modulation Transfer Function of CT Using a Simple Cylindrical Phantom


H Jeon

S Kam1 , H Jeon2*, H Youn1 , H Kim1 , D Park2 , (1) Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea (2) Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea (3) Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea

Presentations

SU-E-I-17 Sunday 3:00PM - 6:00PM Room: Exhibit Hall

Purpose: To compare and analyze two novel algorithms for the assessment of modulation transfer functions (MTFs) of computed tomography (CT) systems using a simple acrylic cylindrical phantom.

Method and Materials: Images of the acrylic cylindrical phantom were acquired by a GE LightSpeed 16 RT (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI) using 120 kVp, 330 mA, 2.5 mm slice thickness, 10 cm field-of view (FOV), four reconstruction kernels (e.g. standard, soft, detail, bone, and lung). Two different algorithms were used to analyze images for MTF assessment. First, Richard et al. suggested a task-based MTF assessment method through an edge spread function (ESF) which described pixel intensities as a function of distance from the center. The MTF was obtained as the absolute value of Fourier transform of the differentiated ESF. Second, Ohkubo et al. devised an effective method to determine the point spread function (PSF) of CT system accompanied with verification. The line spread function (LSF), which was the one-dimensional integration of the PSF, was used to obtain the MTF. We validated the reliability of two above-mentioned methods through the comparison with a conventional method using a thin tungsten wire phantom.

Results: The measured MTFs by two methods were mostly similar each other for standard, soft, and detail kernels. In 0.6 lp/mm, the MTF difference between two methods were 0.012(standard), 0.004(soft), and 0.037(detail). They also coincided with the MTF by the conventional method well. However, there were considerable distinctions for bone and lung kernels containing edge enhancement that might cause undershoots near the peak of the LSF.

Conclusions: We compared two novel methods to assess task-based MTFs for clinical CT systems especially using a simple acrylic cylindrical phantom with high-convenience and low-cost, and validated them against a conventional method. This work can provide a practical solution to users for the quality assurance of CT.



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