Adaptive dual-energy x-ray imaging using pre-calibrated weighting factors

Abstract

Methods for adaptive dual-energy imaging comprise calibrating a fitting model and implementing the calibrated model. Calibrating the model comprises: acquiring high and low energy images of a step phantom, generating regions of interest with overlapping materials, and determining an average intensity for each region of interest in each of the images; and determining a model material cancellation weighting factor and a model noise cancellation weighting factor for each of a first material and a second material for each region of interest. The weighting factors are fit to a fitting model. Implementing the calibrated model comprises: acquiring high and low energy images of a subject and generating maps of a subject-specific material cancellation weighting factor and a subject-specific noise cancellation weighting factor according to the fitting model; and applying the maps of the subject-specific material cancellation weighting factor and the subject-specific noise cancellation weighting factor to the images of the subject.