From Measurement to Images -

CT Basics
CTC CF

1 Dr. R. Raupach, CTC CF 27/6/01

 Outline
 History of CT
 Basic Technical Principles
 Image Reconstruction

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 I. History of CT

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 Timetable of Computed
Tomography
1895 W.C. Roentgen: X-rays
1917 J.H. Radon: Radon transform, allows
image reconstruction from transmission
measurements
1963 A.M. Cormack: technique for calculating
the absorbtion distribution in the
human body
1972 G.N. Hounsfield and J. Ambrose: first
clinical CT examinations
1974 60 clinical CT installations (head
scanners)
1975 First whole body scanner in clinical use
1979 Hounsfield and Cormack awarded Nobel
Prize
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1989 Spiral CT 27/6/01

1998 Multislice CT
 The beginning of CT - Hounsfield
1972

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 First SIEMENS scanner in 1974 -
SIRETOM

SIRETOM (in 1974)

Acquisition time 7 min., image matrix 80x80 pixels, scan
field 25 cm , spatial resolution 1,3 mm (4LP/cm)
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 SIEMENS SOMATOM Plus 4
(1996)

Tube

DAS

Detector

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Progress in Image Quality 1972 -
2000

SIRETOM SOMATOM Plus 4 UFC

(1974) (1996)

The creative power in C

 Technical developments 1972 -
2000
1972 1980 1990 2000
min. scan time 300 s 5s 1s 0.5 s

data per 360 scan 58 kB 1 MB 2 MB 12 MB

data per spiral scan - - < 50 MB < 500 MB

image matrix 80 x 80 256 x 256 512 x 512 512 x 512

tube power 2 kW 10 kW 40 kW 60 kW

slice thickness 13 mm 2 - 10 mm 1 - 10 mm 0.5 - 5 mm

spatial resolution 3 lp/cm 12 lp/cm 15 lp/cm 24 lp/cm

5 mm / 5 HU / 3 mm / 3 HU / 3 mm / 3 HU / 3 mm / 3 HU /
contrast resolution 50 mGy 30 mGy 30 mGy 30 mGy

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 Scanner generations

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 Scanner setup - 3rd generation

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 Scanner generations

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 II. Basic Technical Principles

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 Basic principle of measurement

Ι0 µ

I=I0 ·exp(- ∫ µ ds)

“Line Integral”
∫ µ ds = - ln(I/ I0)
Attenuation coefficient, CT value
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 Basic principle of data
acquisition
x-ray tube Parallel beam geometry
(1st generation scanner)

x-ray beam

x-ray detector

object to be
scanned

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 Raw data

Sequence of
attenuation profiles

1. projection

time
(projections)

attenuation profile
(channels)
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 Raw data

Sequence of
attenuation profiles

2. projection

time
(projections)

attenuation profile
(channels)
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 Raw data

Sequence of
attenuation profiles

Full rotation
→ CT raw data

time
(projections)

attenuation profile
(channels)
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 III. Image Reconstruction

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 Image Reconstruction

Math. basics:
Radon (1917)

Practically:
a) Fourier method

Raw data or CT image

b) filtered
20 Dr. R. Raupach, CTC CF backprojection 27/6/01
 Unfiltered Backprojection

Scanned
object nice
reconstruction,
but not very
accurate...

Reconstructed object
using 128
64
32
16
8
4
3
2
1 projection(s)

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 Solution: Filter

Filter:
convolution kernels

Attenuation profile Filtered

of a cylinder attenuation profile

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 Filtered Backprojection
Scanned
This
object
reconstruction
looks much
better ...

Reconstructed object
using 128
64
32
16
8
4
3
21 projection(s)

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 Convolution Kernel I

sharp kernel

smooth kernel

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 Convolution Kernel II

Kernel controls
• Sharpness Not independent:
sharp image → more noise
• Noise less noise → smoother image
• Edges

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 Outlook
 Image Quality
 Spiral CT
 Dose
 Cardio CT
 P30

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 Thank you !

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