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Updated: Apr 30, 2026
Author Spotlight: A 3D Digital Model for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Nodules
Published on: May 19, 2023
Effect of Increased Image Matrix on Lung Nodule Volumetry in Chest CT: A Phantom Study
Mike Guldimann1, Mona El-Gedaily2, Bastian Cimander1,3
1Department of Radiology, Kantonsspital Baden, Affiliated Hospital for Research and Teaching of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zurich, Baden, Switzerland.
Background/Aim:
This phantom-based study evaluates the impact of increased computed tomography (CT) image matrix resolution on lung nodule segmentation and volumetry.
Materials And Methods:
Using a SOMATOM x.ceed scanner, standardized phantom nodules of varying sizes (3-12 mm) and densities were assessed across matrix sizes (256-1,024) with both soft and sharp kernels.
Results:
Higher matrix resolutions (768 and 1,024) significantly improved volumetric accuracy (p<0.05), while 512 showed no significant benefit over 256 (p=0.128). Accuracy increased with nodule size (p=0.029) and was greater with sharp kernel reconstructions (p<0.001). Point-and-click segmentation outperformed drag-based methods (p<0.001). Very low-density nodules (-800 HU) were not segmentable.
Conclusion:
Enhanced matrix resolution and optimized reconstruction and interaction methods improve the precision of CT-based lung nodule analysis, with possible implications for early lung cancer detection in CT.
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