An improved ring removal procedure for in-line x-ray phase contrast tomography

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Image Reconstruction
• Artifact Reduction

Background:

• Ring artifacts in X-ray computed tomography (CT) are a significant challenge in practical applications.
• Digital low-pass filters used for artifact suppression can introduce new ringing artifacts, especially with phase objects and materials with absorption.
• These artifacts, originating from high-frequency truncation at sharp interfaces, degrade image quality and hinder analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss the underlying causes of ringing artifacts in CT reconstruction.
• To introduce and validate a general compensation procedure for these artifacts.
• To enhance the reliability of CT imaging, particularly in complex samples.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the origins of ringing artifacts in CT image reconstruction.
• Development of a general compensation procedure for mitigating these artifacts.
• Testing the procedure on synchrotron radiation CT datasets of mouse central nervous system samples.

Main Results:

• The proposed compensation procedure effectively mitigates ringing artifacts introduced by low-pass filters.
• The method preserves the effectiveness of existing ring suppression filters.
• Successful application demonstrated on complex biological samples (mouse CNS).

Conclusions:

• The developed procedure offers a robust framework for improving ring artifact removal in CT.
• It enhances the quality of reconstructed CT images without negatively impacting artifact suppression.
• This method is broadly applicable across different filters and sample types.