An attenuation field network for dedicated cone beam breast CT with short scan and offset detector geometry

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 319
• Main Authors: Fu, Zhiyang, Tseng, Hsin Wu, Vedantham, Srinivasan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 03.01.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/705/1042; 692/308/575; 692/700/1421/1846/2771; 692/700/1421/2025; Algorithms; Breast; Computed tomography; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography - methods; Feasibility studies; Geometry; Humanities and Social Sciences; Image processing; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; multidisciplinary; Phantoms, Imaging; Radionuclide Imaging; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sensors; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-51077-1

The feasibility of full-scan, offset-detector geometry cone-beam CT has been demonstrated for several clinical applications. For full-scan acquisition with offset-detector geometry, data redundancy from complementary views can be exploited during image reconstruction. Envisioning an upright breast CT system, we propose to acquire short-scan data in conjunction with offset-detector geometry. To tackle the resulting incomplete data, we have developed a self-supervised attenuation field network (AFN). AFN leverages the inherent redundancy of cone-beam CT data through coordinate-based representation and known imaging physics. A trained AFN can query attenuation coefficients using their respective coordinates or synthesize projection data including the missing projections. The AFN was evaluated using clinical cone-beam breast CT datasets (n = 50). While conventional analytical and iterative reconstruction methods failed to reconstruct the incomplete data, AFN reconstruction was not statistically different from the reference reconstruction obtained using full-scan, full-detector data in terms of image noise, image contrast, and the full width at half maximum of calcifications. This study indicates the feasibility of a simultaneous short-scan and offset-detector geometry for dedicated breast CT imaging. The proposed AFN technique can potentially be expanded to other cone-beam CT applications.