Evaluation of Motion Artifact Correction Technique for Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Image Considering Blood Vessel...

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Quantitative Analysis

Background:

• Motion artifacts significantly degrade image quality in Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT).
• Accurate evaluation of motion artifact correction (MAC) techniques is crucial for diagnostic and interventional procedures.
• Existing methods for evaluating MAC may lack quantitative rigor in assessing morphological changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel quantitative method for evaluating the efficacy of MAC in CBCT.
• To introduce a motion-corrected index (MCI) for analyzing blood vessel morphology post-MAC.
• To validate the MCI metric against qualitative assessments by interventional radiologists.

Main Methods:

• CBCT scans from 37 patients undergoing transcatheter chemoembolization were analyzed.
• Images were reconstructed with and without MAC, with specific blood vessels selected by radiologists.
• A 3D MCI metric was devised to quantitatively assess blood vessel morphology using centerline information.

Main Results:

• MAC was visually confirmed in 62.2% of patients (23/37).
• Qualitative visual grading scores indicated effectiveness of MAC.
• The proposed MCI metric showed a value of 0.67 ± 0.11, confirming successful correction of vascular morphology.

Conclusions:

• The developed quantitative method and MCI are effective for evaluating CBCT MAC techniques.
• MAC successfully corrects distortions in blood vessels caused by patient movement and respiration.
• This quantitative approach enhances the assessment of image quality improvements from MAC.