Spine needle injections are widely applied to alleviate pain and to remove nerve sensation through anesthesia. Current treatment is performed either blindly having no image guidance or using fluoroscopy or computed tomography (CT). Both CT and fluoroscopy guidance expose patients to ionizing radiation. Alternatively, ultrasound (US) guidance for spine needle procedures is becoming more prevalent since US is a non-ionizing and more accessible image modality. An inherent challenge to US imaging of the spine is the acoustic shadows created by the bony structures of the vertebra limiting visibility. It is challenging to use US as the sole imaging modality for intraoperative guidance of spine needle injections. However, it is possible to enhance the anatomical information through a preoperative diagnostic CT. To achieve this, image registration between the CT and the US images is proposed in this thesis. Image registration integrates the anatomical information from the CT with the US images. The aligned CT augments anatomical visualization for the clinician during spinal interventions. To align the preoperative CT and intraoperative US, a novel registration pipeline is presented that involves automatic global and multi-vertebrae registration. The registration pipeline is composed of two distinct phases: preoperative and intraoperative. Preoperatively, artificial spring points are selected between adjacent vertebrae. Intraoperatively, the lumbar spine is first aligned between the CT and US followed by a multi-vertebrae registration. The artificial springs are used to constrain the movement of the individually transformed vertebrae to ensure the optimal alignment is a pose of the lumbar spine that is physically possible. Validation of the algorithm is performed on five clinical patient datasets. A protocol for US data collection was created to eliminate variability in the quality of acquired US images. The registration pipeline was able to register the datasets from initial misalignments of up to 25 mm with a mean TRE of 1.17 mm. From these results, it is evident that the proposed registration pipeline offers a robust registration between clinical CT and US data. / Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2013-08-19 12:50:54.521

In the first part of this work, we present two methods for improving the shape-threat detection performance of x-ray computed tomography. Our work uses a fixed-gantry system employing 25 x-ray sources. We first utilize Kullback-Leibler divergence and Mahalanobis distance to determine the optimal single-source single-exposure measurement. The second method employs gradient search on Bhattacharyya bound on error rate (P-e) to determine an optimal multiplexed measurement that simultaneously utilizes all available sources in a single exposure. With limited total resources of 10(6) photons, the multiplexed measurement provides a 41.8x reduction in P-e relative to the single-source measurement. In the second part, we consider multiple exposures and develop an adaptive measurement strategy for x-ray threat detection. Using the adaptive strategy, we design the next measurement based on information retrieved from previous measurements. We determine both optimal "next measurement" and stopping criterion to insure a target P-e using sequential hypothesis testing framework. With adaptive single-source measurements, we can reduce P-e by a factor of 40x relative to the measurements employing all sources in sequence. We also observe that there is a trade-off between measurement SNR and number of detectors when we study the performance of systems with reduced detector numbers. (C) 2016 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)

Introduction: Increasing the imaging demand in the dental field has lead to a dramatic increase in the number of CBCT machines in the U.S. market with a variety of new models and features, as well as different radiation exposures. These differences in exposure among the different CBCT machines and the potential for radiation accumulation over a life time are major concerns for aiming for a reduction in patients’ radiation exposure. Most of the studies have aimed to measure the radiation dose in different CBCT units with different field of views. Up to date, few studies have aimed to measure the radiation dose in different CBCT devices with similar fields of view. The aim of the study was to compare the dosimetry levels with relatively small FOV in different scan protocols in two CBCT units. Materials and methods: A 16-cm diameter PMMA phantom with 10-cm pencil ionization chamber were used to measure the radiation exposure from two CBCT devices: i-CAT FLX and CS9000. A smallest FOV in both CBCT (8 x 8 cm in the i-CAT FLX and 5 x 3.7 cm in the CS9000) was selected at different scan protocols. The scan settings included in the i-CAT FLX HD (120 kVp; 5 mA; 7.4 sec; 0.125, 0.250, 0.200 mm voxel sizes; 360° rotation) Quick HD (120 kVp; 5 mA; 4.1 sec; 0.200, 0.250 mm voxel sizes; 180° rotation), Quick+ (90 kVp; 3 mA; 2 sec; 0.300, 0.400 mm voxel sizes; 180° rotation) , Quick (120 kVp; 5 mA; 2 sec; 0.300, 0.400 mm voxel sizes; 180° rotation), and standard scans (120 kVp; 5 mA; 3.7 sec; 0.300, 0.400 mm voxel sizes; 360° rotation). In the CS9000 scan settings included voxel sizes (CS9000: 0.076 mm, 0.100 mm, and 0.200 mm), 80 kVp, 10 mA, 10.8 sec, and 360° rotation. The phantom was exposed three times at the same position to calculate the average measurement of dose by the ionization chamber. All the radiation exposure doses were read by one examiner. Results: The radiation exposure of the phantom slots in different resolutions and scan protocols in the both CBCT units ranged from 4.31 to 60.73 mR. There were statistically significant differences in radiation value between i-CAT FLX and CS9000 due to voxel size (P < 0.001). Each voxel size was significantly different from the other in both scanners, except between CS9000 0.076 and HD 0.125; CS9000 0.200 and HD 0.125; and CS9000 0.100 and HD 0.200. Also, there were no statistically significant differences between the voxel size within the same scan protocols in the i-CAT FLX, especially the Quick HD, Quick+, Quick, and Standard scans. Conclusion: The selection of x-ray parameters (mainly scan time), voxel size, and rotation angle have a significant radiation expsoure reduction in both the i-CAT FLX and CS9000 units and hence should be appropriately selected to minimize the radiation dose.

With increasing miniaturization in industry and medical technology, non-destructive testing techniques are an area of everincreasing importance. In this framework, X-ray microscopy offers an efficient tool for the analysis, understanding and quality assurance of microscopic species, in particular as it allows reconstructing three-dimensional data sets of the whole sample’s volumevia computed tomography (CT). The following thesis describes the conceptualization, design, construction and characterization of a compact laboratory-based X-ray microscope in the hard X-ray regime around 9 keV, corresponding to a wavelength of 0.134 nm. Hereby, the main focus is on the optimization of resolution and contrast at relatively short exposure times. For this, a novel liquid-metal-jet anode source is the basis. Such only recently commercially available X-ray source reaches a higher brightness than other conventional laboratory sources, i.e. the number of emitted photons (X-ray quanta) per area and solid angle is exceptionally high. This is important in order to reach low exposure times. The reason for such high brightness is the usage of the rapidly renewing anode out of liquid metal which enables an effective dissipation of heat, normally limiting the creation of high intensities on a small area. In order to cover a broad range of different samples, the microscope can be operated in two modes. In the “micro-CT mode”, small pixels are realized with a crystal-scintillator and an optical microscope via shadow projection geometry. Therefore, the resolution is limited by the emitted wavelength of the scintillator, as well as the blurring of the screen. However, samples in the millimeter range can be scanned routinely with low exposure times. Additionally, this mode is optimized with respect to in-line phase contrast, where edges of an object are enhanced and thus better visible. In the second “nano-CT mode”, a higher resolution can be reached via X-ray lenses. However, their production process is due to the physical properties of the hard X-ray range - namely high absorption and low diffraction - extremely difficult, leading typically to low performances. In combination with a low brightness, this leads to long exposure times and high requirements in terms of stability, which is one of the key problems of laboratory-based X-ray microscopy. With the here-developed setup and the high brightness of its source, structures down to 150 nm are resolved at moderate exposure times (several minutes per image) and nano-CTs can be obtained. / Mit zunehmender Miniaturisierung in Industrie und Medizintechnik werden zerstörungsfreie Prüfverfahren immer wichtiger. In diesem Umfeld bietet Röntgenmikroskopie ein effizientes Instrument zu Analyse, Verständnis und Qualitätssicherung mikroskopischer Proben, insbesondere da sie im Rahmen der Computer-Tomografie (CT) die Aufnahme dreidimensionaler Datensätze des gesamten Probenvolumens ermöglicht. Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit Konzeption, Design, Aufbau und Charakterisierung eines kompakten Labor-Röntgenmikroskops im harten Röntgenbereich bei 9 keV, bzw. einer Wellenlänge von 0.134 nm. Im Fokus liegt dabei die Optimierung von Auflösung und Kontrast bei möglichst kurzen Belichtungszeiten. Hier für bildet die Basis eine neuartige Flüssig-Metall- Anoden Röntgenquelle. Solche erst seit kurzem kommerziell verfügbare Quellen erreichen eine höhere Brillianz als konventionelle Laborquellen, d.h. dass die Anzahl der emittierten Photonen (Röntgenquanten) pro Fläche und Raumwinkel außergewöhnlich hoch ist. Dies ist ein entscheidender Faktor, um nötige Belichtungszeiten zu verringern. Der Grund für die hohe Brillianz ist die Verwendung einer sich sehr schnell erneuernden Anode aus flüssigem Metall. Diese ermöglicht die effektive Abfuhr von Wärme, welche normalerweise die Erzeugung von höheren Intensitäten auf kleinerer Fläche limitiert. Um ein möglichst großes Spektrum an Proben abzubilden, kann das Mikroskop in zwei Modi betrieben werden. Im ”Mikro-CT Modus“ werden kleine Pixel mit Hilfe eines Kristall-Leuchtschirms und einem Lichtmikroskop über das Schattenwurfprinzip erreicht, weswegen dessen Auflösung durch die Wellenlänge des emittierten Lichts und die Unschärfe des Schirms beschränkt ist. Dafür können Proben im Millimeterbereich bei geringen Belichtungszeiten standardmäßig aufgenommen werden. Zudem wurde dieser Modus auf inline Phasen-Kontrast optimiert, bei welchem die Kanten eines Objekts durch Interferenz überhöht dargestellt werden und somit besser sichtbar sind. Im zweiten ”Nano-CT Modus“ kann eine erhöhte Auflösung mit Hilfe von Röntgenlinsen erreicht werden. Deren Herstellung ist aber aufgrund der physikalische Eigenschaften im harten Röntgenbereichs - nämlich starke Absorption und schwache Brechung - technisch extrem schwierig und meist mit einer sehr geringe optischen “Leistung” verbunden. Dies führt in Kombination mit einer geringen Brillianz zu sehr langen Belichtungszeiten und hohen Anforderungen an die Stabilität, was ein Kernproblem der auf Laborquellen basierenden Röntgenmikroskope darstellt. Mit der hier entwickelten Anlage können durch die hohe Brillianz der verwendeten Quelle bei moderaten Belichtungszeiten (wenige Minuten pro Bild) Strukturen der Größe 150 nm voneinander getrennt, sowie Nano-CTs aufgenommen werden.

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a severe frequent disease with lack of specific symptoms and represents a major diagnostic challenge. In the past few years, single-slice spiral CT angiography has gained acceptance as a minimally invasive method of evaluating patients with suspicion of PE. The main limitation of single-slice spiral CT resides in the poor detection of subsegmental or more distal PE. This limited detection is not explained by an insufficient vascular distension during spiral CT acquisition but probably by an insufficient spatial resolution. Moreover, in some situations spiral CT is penalized by pulmonary angiography which is an imperfect gold standard. Today Multislice CT can acquire 2 up to 64 slices in a single rotation with isotropic resolution. This technique can cover the entire chest in 1-mm slice thickness or less, in one short breath-hold and allows a better analysis of peripheral pulmonary arteries with a better depiction of sub-segmental and peripheral clots. It also reduces or eliminates artefacts produced by patient movement and decreases the x-ray tube heating that can constrain singleslice scanning parameters. Acquisition of the lower extremities can be performed after chest CT, allowing detection of deep vein thrombosis and one stop shopping of the venous thromboembolic disease. The diagnostic accuracy of multislice CT is probably similar or superior to pulmonary angiography with an inferior delivered radiation dose, a better detection of alternative diagnoses and a continuous decrease of contrast medium injected. Last refinements in CT technology opens new frontiers for a functional approach of PE and predict its prognosis. For all the above-mentioned reasons, it seems obvious that multislice CT will definitively replace pulmonary angiography for diagnostic purposes and will represent a superb tool to better understand the physiopathology of this frequent and potentially life-threatening disorder.

X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a medical imaging framework. It takes measured projections of X-rays through two-dimensional cross-sections of an object from multiple angles and incorporates algorithms in building a sequence of two-dimensional reconstructions of the interior structure. This thesis comprises a review of the different types of algebraic algorithms used in X-ray CT. Using simulated test data, I evaluate the viability of algorithmic alternatives that could potentially reduce overexposure to radiation, as this is seen as a major health concern and the limiting factor in the advancement of CT [36, 34]. Most of the current evaluations in the literature [31, 39, 11] deal with low-resolution reconstructions and the results are impressive, however, modern CT applications demand very high-resolution imaging. Consequently, I selected ve of the fundamental algebraic reconstruction algorithms (ART, SART, Cimmino's Method, CAV, DROP) for extensive testing and the results are reported in this thesis. The quantitative numerical results obtained in this study, con rm the qualitative suggestion that algebraic techniques are not yet adequate for practical use. However, as algebraic techniques can actually produce an image from corrupt and/or missing data, I conclude that further re nement of algebraic techniques may ultimately lead to a breakthrough in CT. / UOIT

No description available.

Lung nodule volumetry is used to diagnose the likelihood of malignancy in nodules detected during thoracic CT scans. These measurements are unreliable when the patient is subject to respiratory motion. We seek to understand the relationship between reconstructed images and the actual size of nodules subject to motion induced by quiet breathing. CT images of solid spheres of varying size and composition were acquired while travelling through a known path to approximate the motion of a pulmonary nodule during respiration. The measured size of the sphere’s image was found to increase non-linearly with speed. However, these relationships were dependent on the CT number of the sphere and the reconstruction filter used to generate the image. From these results we expect that for a specific CT number we can estimate the size of an object from a CT image if the speed of the object at the time of the scan is known.

Lung nodule volumetry is used to diagnose the likelihood of malignancy in nodules detected during thoracic CT scans. These measurements are unreliable when the patient is subject to respiratory motion. We seek to understand the relationship between reconstructed images and the actual size of nodules subject to motion induced by quiet breathing. CT images of solid spheres of varying size and composition were acquired while travelling through a known path to approximate the motion of a pulmonary nodule during respiration. The measured size of the sphere’s image was found to increase non-linearly with speed. However, these relationships were dependent on the CT number of the sphere and the reconstruction filter used to generate the image. From these results we expect that for a specific CT number we can estimate the size of an object from a CT image if the speed of the object at the time of the scan is known.

X-ray and neutron computed tomography (CT) have been used successfully for the non-destructive imaging of artifact in art conservation. These applications range from object investigations to the use of micro-focus CT for experimental studies. While there is precedent for the use of CT in art conservation, the method is still limited in application partially due to restricted access to facilities and the high cost of producing publishable results. The purpose of this study was to identify alternative CT methods including the use of different radiation sources and industrial imaging system. Both investigations of the use of low-flux neutron CT at the Royal Military College in Kingston compared to high-flux neutron CT at the Advanced Neutron Tomography And Radiography Experimental System (ANTARES) at FRM-II in Garching, Munich and the use of megavoltage gamma ray computed tomography at Kingston General Hospital in Kingston successfully imaged the corroded metal artifacts. The artifacts investigated were from the Diniacopoulos Collection at Queen’s University and were underwater concretions of L’Anse aux Bouleaux provided by Parks Canada. This study also evaluated the Xradia XCT-400 for comparison to similar systems used in conservation. This evaluation also provided successful images of corroded metal coins from the Diniacopoulos Collection for use in identification. To address the issue of cost prohibitive image analysis programs, a workflow using the open-source software programs ImageVis3D, 3DSlicer and ImageJ was developed. This workflow would enable researchers and conservators to produce publishable images and analyze the information in the CT data sets. Additionally, this workflow addresses some common research questions that might arise during investigations that would guide conservators in optimizing their imaging parameters and image analysis. The combination of the alternative radiation sources and the open-source workflow allows for greater accessibility of CT for conservators and researchers. While the preliminary success of the study is promising, more research is needed to optimize the scanning parameters and image analysis through the use of phantoms and comparisons to traditional investigative methods in conservation. / Thesis (Master, Art Conservation) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-09 14:25:25.219