科研之友
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摘要
In computed tomography (CT), scattered X-rays are known to cause image quality degradation including low contrast and poor uniformity. Energy-resolved CT (ERCT) is a specialized imaging method that utilizes the measured energy distribution and intensity of detected X-rays when creating images. The influence of scatter in ERCT is expected to differ from conventional CT, which only relies on energy (charge) integration during detection. Monte Carlo simulations were performed with different X-ray beam qualities and contrast agents to determine the influence of scatter on ERCT images. The simulation geometry included a 16 cm diameter cylindrical polymethylmethacrylate phantom containing a 1 cm diameter region filled with iodine or gold contrast agent solution at the center. A detector array collected the photon energy, position, and number of scattering. The image contrast and scatter artifact in the simulated ERCT images were compared as a function of photon energy range. Results show that the scatter artifact in ERCT is correlated to energy and is affected by the beam hardness. Care should be taken while obtaining ERCT images in the low-energy region, specifically near the K-edge of iodine.
