JHU Ref #: C17539
Unmet Need
· High spatial resolution CT has many clinical applications, including identification of small fractures and visualization of internal organ structures.
· Improved spatial resolution of a CT scan has been limited by several factors, including the size of the x-ray source focal spot, x-ray tube power, detector characteristics, and motion.
· Small focal spots produce high resolution images. However, the corresponding reduction in power limits delivery of maximum x-ray exposure, resulting in images that may be too noisy to be clinically useful.
· Large focal spots have higher power capability and less noise, but the increased x-ray source blur leads to spatial resolution loss.
· Therefore, there is a strong need to develop methods that achieve high power with a small focal spot size to produce high-resolution images with low noise.
Value Proposition
· Combined multiple focal spot data is jointly processed to produce an image that has both low noise and high spatial resolution.
· Can select custom focal spots of various sizes to achieve a balance between power limitations of the x-ray tube and high spatial resolution
· Algorithm directly addresses the data acquisition limitations of commonly used x-ray tubes.
Technology Description
· Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a technical approach that overcomes the problem of limited power and high noise associated with small x-ray focal spots in high-resolution CT by combining data from multiple focal spots of different sizes.
· This algorithm jointly processes multi-resolution data containing higher-noise, finer-resolution projections (small focal spot) with lower-noise, and coarser-resolution projections (large focal spot) into high-resolution images with low noise.
· In preliminary testing, this approach provides superior performance for obtaining high-resolution images with low noise as compared to commonly used techniques for increasing image resolution.
Stage of Development
· Pre-clinical proof of concept device validated in simulation models
· Seeking additional NIH funding for further development
Data Availability
Data can be found at the following link (inserted link)
Doi: https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2654455
Publication
Stayman JW, Noel P, Gang G. Multiple Focal Spots for High Resolution CT. Proceedings Volume 12463, Medical Imaging 2023: Physics of Medical Imaging; 124630U (2023). Doi:https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2654455 Presented SPIE Medical Imaging, 2023, San Diego, California, United States.
