Technologies

Background:

Over the years many advances in computed tomography (CT) scanning have been used for the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery diseases, congestive heart failure, stroke, and congenital cardiovascular defects. Likewise, the advances in micro-CT methods have been imperative in translating physiological methodologies of mice and rats to treatments in human patients. Advances in volumetric/dynamic reconstruction using spiral cone-beam CT scanners have provided doctors with state of the art 3D/4D images. For instance, the Katsevich algorithm uses principles that every standard spiral used in spiral cone-beam geometry has an exclusive point within it that will correspond to a corresponding PI-line. As a result, the Katsevich algorithm provides important information for biomedical applications such as bolus-chasing angiography and electron-beam CT/micro-CT that utilize exact cone-beam reconstruction algorithms from standard spirals. However, to date no images or data is available from non-standard spiral scans. Such methods are important in avoiding limitations when scanning long objects, for example a human patient, that result in unwanted image artifacts and poor resolution images. Researchers at the University of Iowa have developed methods that successfully quantify non-standard spiral cone beam geometries that produce the highest temporal resolution among all tomographic image scanners.

Technology:

The Katsevich algorithm is based on the mathematical property that in a cylindrical object every point will pass through one PI line and such PI line will pass through an upper and lower boundary of a spherical trajectory. This means that for every “spiral” there exists a minimum detection window for measuring data, referred to as the Tam-Danielsson detection window whose upper and lower boundaries correspond to PI lines. For exact image reconstruction the data is limited to these boundaries and provides for exact and robust reconstruction

ELECTRON-BEAM CT/MICRO-CT (EBCT): Upgrades the current EBCT design to incorporate the spiral cone-beam scanning capability to small animal imaging. Taking advantage of the minimum amount of data needed for exact and robust reconstruction the technology will benefit previously impossible cardiac micro-CT studies in small animals.