Model-based CBCT scatter correction with dual-layer flat-panel detector.

Background: Recently, the popularity of dual-layer flat-panel detector (DL-FPD) based dual-energy cone-beam CT (CBCT) imaging has been increasing. However, the image quality of dual-energy CBCT remains constrained by the Compton scattered x-ray photons.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to develop a novel scatter correction method, named e-Grid, for DL-FPD based CBCT imaging.

Methods: In DL-FPD, a certain portion of the x-ray photons (mainly low-energy [LE] primary and scattered photons) passing through the object are captured by the top detector layer, while the remaining x-ray photons (mainly high-energy [HE] primary and scattered photons) are collected by the bottom detector layer. A linear signal model was approximated between the HE primary and scatter signals and the LE primary and scatter signals. Physical calibration experiments were performed on cone beam and fan beam to validate the aforementioned signal model via linear fittings. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of a 10 cm diameter water phantom were conducted on GATE at first to verify this newly developed scatter estimation method. In addition, physical validation experiments of water phantom, head phantom, and abdominal phantom were carried out on a DL-FPD based benchtop CBCT imaging system. The image non-uniformity (NU), which represents the relative difference between the center and the edges of CT images, was measured to quantify the reduction of image shading artifacts. Finally, multi-material decomposition was conducted.

Results: The MC results, CBCT images and line profiles, showed that the newly proposed e-Grid approach was able to accurately predict the scatter distributions in both shape and intensity. As a result, uniform CBCT images that are close to the scatter artifact-free reference images can be obtained. Moreover, the physical experiments demonstrated that the e-Grid method can greatly reduce the shading artifacts in both LE and HE CBCT images acquired from DL-FPD. Results also demonstrated that the e-Grid method is effective for varied objects that having different diameters (from 10 to 28 cm). Quantitatively, the NU value was reduced by over 77% in the LE CBCT image and by over 66% in the HE CBCT image on average. As a consequence, the accuracy of the decomposed multi-material bases, iodine and gadolinium, was substantially improved.

Conclusions: The Compton scattered x-ray signals could be significantly reduced using the proposed e-Grid method for DL-FPD based dual-energy CBCT imaging systems.