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Method and Test Tool for Measurement of 3D MTF Characteristics in Cone-Beam CT

P Wu1*, J Boone2 , J Siewerdsen1 , (1) Johns Hopkins Univ, Baltimore, MD, (2) UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA

Presentations

(Sunday, 7/14/2019) 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Room: 304ABC

Purpose: Advances in CT and cone-beam CT (CBCT) provide capability for isotropic spatial resolution, but the modulation transfer function (MTF) for such systems is typically reported only in the axial (x-y) plane (2D, MTF_Axial), and rigorous methodology for assessment of fully 3D MTF is lacking. We report an easily-manufactured test tool and a new oversampling method based on an angled-edge for assessment of the MTF in any direction and show how the MTF measured at 45° from the axial plane (MTF_45) offers a useful characterization of the 3D MTF in CBCT.

Methods: The angled-edge test tool is an acrylic cylindrical rod with two measurement faces: (1) the circular side face of the cylinder (for MTF_Axial); and (2) an angled edge face (for MTF_45). The 45° angle is chosen specifically to avoid the unsampled “null-cone� frequency domain in CBCT (typically < 20°) and provides an oversampled edge-spread function (ESF) with a small tilt of the cylinder. The angled-edge tool was tested using a CBCT prototype scanner to evaluate the effects of reconstruction techniques (binning and filtering options) on 3D spatial resolution.

Results: The test tool and oversampling method provided reliable assessment of the CBCT presampled MTF, validated against conventional MTF measurement methods. The CBCT system demonstrated isotropic resolution with a 2D apodization filter, and non-isotropic resolution with a 1D apodization filter (which is common in CBCT systems). Asymmetric pixel binning was reflected in the 3D MTF characteristics, as expected. The MTF_45 provides a practical 1D measure of the underlying 3D MTF characteristics.

Conclusion: A test-tool and oversampling method was demonstrated for quantitative assessment of 3D MTF in CBCT, while avoiding complexities of unsampled “null-cone� spatial frequencies. The experiments validate intuitive aspects of 3D spatial resolution and quantify the extent to which a CBCT system may be considered to have isotropic resolution.

Keywords

Cone-beam CT, MTF, Quality Assurance

Taxonomy

IM- Cone Beam CT: General (Most aspects)

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