Tomographic reconstruction from experimentally obtained cone-beam projections

Direct reconstruction in three dimensions for two-dimensional projection data has been achieved by cone-beam reconstruction techniques. In this paper explicit formulas for a cone-beam convolution and back-projection reconstruction algorithm are given in a form which can be easily coded for a computer. The algorithm is justified by analyzing tomographic reconstructions of a uniformly attenuating sphere from simulated noisy projection data. A particular feature of this algorithm is the use of a one-dimensional rather than two-dimensional convolution function, greatly speeding up the reconstruction. The technique is applicable however large the cone angle of data capture and correctly reduces to the pure fan-beam reconstruction technique in the central section of the cone. The method has been applied to data captured on a cone-beam CT scanner designed for bone mineral densitometry.