Standardization of Lung CT Number Using COPD Gene2 Phantom Under Various Scanning Protocols

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Pulmonary Medicine

Background:

• Lung computed tomography (CT) is vital for diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by assessing lung tissue destruction.
• Accurate standardization of CT numbers is essential for distinguishing healthy from damaged lung tissue.
• Previous standardization methods using water as a reference have shown limitations due to variability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve the reliability and consistency of CT number standardization for lung CT images.
• To develop a modified standardization method for COPD diagnosis that overcomes the limitations of water-based references.

Main Methods:

• Modified a CT number standardization method by excluding water and using only solid foams from the COPD gene2 phantom as references.
• Collected 234 CT images from 8 different CT scanners using the COPD gene2 phantom.
• Analyzed CT number standard deviations and variations to evaluate the proposed method's performance.
• Segmented the dataset by CT dose index (CTDI), X-ray tube potential, and reconstruction algorithms to assess protocol impact.

Main Results:

• The modified method demonstrated improved reliability and consistency in CT number standardization compared to previous approaches.
• Excluding water as a reference significantly reduced variability in CT number standardization.
• Analysis of different scanning protocols provided insights into their impact on standardization accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The proposed modification of excluding water and using solid foams enhances the robustness of CT number standardization for lung CT imaging.
• This improved standardization is critical for accurate COPD diagnosis and lung tissue evaluation.
• Further analysis of scanning parameters can optimize the standardization process for diverse clinical settings.