General Electric Company

Hewei Gao

Adam Israel Cohen

Yannan Jin

Paavana Sainath

Girijesh Kumar Yadava

Brian Edward Nett

Jiang Hsieh

Peter Michael Edic

Xiaoye Wu

Jiahua Fan

Dan Xu

Geng Fu

Yasuhiro Imai

Debashish Pal

Guangzhi Cao

Jie Tang

Vladimir Anatolievich Lobastov

Kriti Sen Sharma

Yannan Jim

Tonghe Wang

There is set forth herein a method including performing with an X-ray detector array of a CT imaging system one or more calibration scans, wherein the one or more calibration scans include obtaining for each element of the first through Nth elements of the X-ray detector array one or more calibration measurements; and updating a spectral response model for each element of the first through Nth elements using the one or more calibration measurements. In another aspect, a CT imaging system can perform imaging, e.g. including material decomposition (MD) imaging, using updated spectral response models for elements of an X-ray detector array. The spectral response models can be updated using a calibration process so that different elements of an X-ray detector array have different spectral response models.

Spectral calibration of spectral computed tomography (CT)

Various methods and systems for weighting material density images based on the material imaged are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for dual energy imaging of a material comprises generating an odd material density image, generating an even material density image, applying a first weight to the odd material density image and a second weight to the even material density image, and generating a material density image based on a combination of the weighted odd material density image and the weighted even material density image. In this way, the image quality may be improved without increasing a radiation dosage.

Methods and systems for task-based data generation and weighting for CT spectral imaging

Methods and systems are provided for boosting the contrast levels in an image reconstructed from projection data acquired at a single energy. In one embodiment, a method comprises modifying projection data corresponding to a material based on an absorption behavior of the material at a selected energy, wherein the projection data is acquired at an energy higher than the selected energy. In this way, contrast levels may be enhanced in an image reconstructed from projection data acquired at a typical single energy as though the image were reconstructed from projection data acquired at a lower energy.

Methods and systems for contrast enhanced imaging with single energy acquisition

Systems and methods for iterative multi-material correction are provided. A system includes an imager that acquires projection data of an object. A reconstructor reconstructs the acquired projection data into a reconstructed image, utilizes the reconstructed image to perform a multi-material correction on the acquired projection data to generate a multi-material corrected reconstructed image, and utilizes the multi-material corrected reconstructed image to perform one or more iterations of the multi-material correction on the projection data to generate an iteratively corrected multi-material corrected image.

Systems and methods for iterative multi-material correction of image data

Various methods and systems for dual energy spectral computed tomography imaging are provided. In one embodiment, a method for dual energy imaging comprises generating an image from a higher energy dataset and an updated lower energy dataset, wherein the updated lower energy dataset comprises a combination of a lower energy dataset and a pseudo projection dataset generated from the higher energy dataset. In this way, a weak low energy signal may be recovered, thereby enabling image reconstruction in spite of photon starvation and sparse views.

Methods and systems for spectral CT imaging

Various methods and systems for spectral computed tomography imaging are provided. In one embodiment, a method comprises acquiring a first projection dataset and a second projection dataset, detecting a location of metal in the first projection dataset, applying corrections to the first and second projection datasets based on the location of the metal, and displaying an image reconstructed from the corrected first and second projection datasets. In this way, metal artifacts may be substantially reduced in dual or multi-energy CT imaging.

Methods and systems for metal artifact reduction in spectral CT imaging

A method is provided including acquiring imaging data of an object to be imaged from a computed tomography (CT) detector. The method also includes reconstructing the acquired imaging data into an initial reconstruction image, and performing material characterization of an image volume of the initial reconstruction image to provide a re-mapped image volume. Further, the method includes performing forward projection on the re-mapped image volume to provide forward projection data, and providing an error projection based on the forward projection data. Also, the method includes filtering at least one of the initial reconstruction image, the re-mapped image volume, the forward projection data, or the error projection. The method also includes using the error projection to update the initial reconstruction image to provide an updated reconstruction image.

Systems and methods for filtering for image generation

A method includes acquiring projection data of an object from a plurality of detector elements, reconstructing the acquired projection data into a first reconstructed image, and performing material characterization of an image volume of the first reconstructed image to reduce a number of materials analyzed in the image volume to two basis materials. Performing material characterization includes utilizing a generalized modeling function to estimate a fraction of at least one basis material within each voxel of the image volume. The method also includes generating a re-mapped image volume for the at least one basis material of the two basis materials, performing forward projection on at least the re-mapped image volume for the at least one basis material to produce a material-based projection, and generating multi-material corrected projections based on the material-based projection and a total projection attenuated by the object, which represents both of the two basis materials.

System and method for multi-material correction of image data

A system includes an energy-discriminating, photon-counting X-ray detector, comprising a plurality of detector cells adapted to produce projection data in response to X-ray photons and to produce an electrical signal having a recorded count for the energy bins and a total energy intensity. The system also includes data processing circuitry adapted to receive the electrical signal, to generate a simulated count rate for each of the energy bins by using the total energy intensity, to determine a set of energy intensity dependent material decomposition vectors, and, for the measured projection data, to perform material decomposition.

Systems and methods for correcting detector errors in computed tomography imaging

A method is provided. The method includes acquiring projection data of an object from a plurality of pixels, reconstructing the acquired projection data from the plurality of pixels into a reconstructed image, performing material characterization and decomposition of an image volume of the reconstructed image to reduce a number of materials analyzed in the image volume to two basis materials. The method also includes generating a re-mapped image volume for at least one basis material of the two basis materials, and performing forward projection on at least the re-mapped image volume for the at least one basis material to produce a material-based projection. The method further includes generating multi-material corrected projections based on the material-based projection and a total projection attenuated by the object, which represents both of the two basis materials, wherein the multi-material corrected projections include linearized projections.

Growing community of inventors

Pewaukee, WI, United States of America

Hewei Gao