Super-resolution dual-energy dental CT based on distributed x-ray source and photon counting detector

摘要 随着锥束CT在牙科的引入，牙科临床医生不仅可以对 口腔病理学，但也可以加强对潜在结构的详细视图和他们的 关系。牙科CBCT可用于术前诊断、术前计划和术前检查 转移用于口腔种植修复。然而，CBCT的图像质量是次优的，并受到 由于过度X射线散射而产生的强烈图像伪影，限制了探测器的性能。空间 分辨率是客观定义图像质量的最重要参数，但对于许多牙科来说，分辨率是不够的 经常需要描绘细节的应用程序。我们将开发并验证一种新的牙科 成像系统不仅从根本上消除了图像质量问题，而且还可以产生 3D图像中的卓越图像分辨率。超分辨双能四面体束流CT(TBCT) 采用了一种新型的多像素热离子发射x射线(MPTEX)源，具有抖动的焦点以及 一种能量分辨光子计数探测器(PCD)。TBCT用一堆扇形光束扫描患者 具有非常低的散射与主比(SPR)；PCD探测器可以在没有 因此，电子噪音可以减少辐射暴露和由于光子饥饿而造成的牙齿伪影； PCD的双能量能力进一步消除了射束硬化伪影和支撑材料 分解；飞行焦点和时延积分(TDI)检测将补偿门架 运动和超分辨率的3D图像可以用基于光学模型的迭代图像重建 重建(IIR)。超分辨率牙科TBCT将填补高性能3D成像的空白 牙科，可以进一步提高牙科实践中的生产力和护理质量。以下是 为实现这一目标设计了具体的目标：目标1：开发带变量的MPTEX源代码 焦点大小和位置；目标2：开发和验证超分辨率牙科TBCT工作台 成像系统。

ABSTRACT With cone-beam CT's introduction in dentistry, dental clinicians could not only have profound knowledge of oral pathology but could also enhance the access to a detailed view of the underlying structures and their relations. Dental CBCT could be justified for presurgical diagnosis, preoperative planning and preoperative transfer for oral implant rehabilitation. The image quality of CBCT, however, is suboptimal and suffers from strong image artifacts stemming from excessive x-ray scattering, limited detector performance. Spatial resolution, the most important parameter objectively defining image quality, is insufficient for many dental applications where the fine details often have to be depicted. We will develop and validate a novel dental imaging system that not only fundamentally eliminates the image quality problems and but also can produce superior image resolution in 3D images. The super-resolution dual-energy Tetrahedron Beam CT (TBCT) employs a novel multi-pixel thermionic emission x-ray (MPTEX) source with wobbling focal spots as well as an energy-resolved photon-counting detector (PCD). TBCT scans the patient with a stack of fan beams that have a very low scatter-to-primary ratio (SPR); The PCD detector can count x-ray photons without electronics noises, thus can reduce radiation exposure and dental artifacts due to photon starvation; The dual-energy capacity of PCD further eliminates beam-hardening artifacts and supports material decomposition; The flying focal spots and Time-delay-integration (TDI) detection will compensate gantry motion, and super-resolution 3D images can be reconstructed with optics-model based iterative image reconstruction (IIR). Super-resolution dental TBCT will fit in the gap of high-performance 3D imaging in dentistry, allow further advancing the productivity and quality of care in dental practice. The following specific aims have been designed to accomplish this goal: Aim 1: Develop MPTEX source with variable focal spot size and location; Aim 2: To develop and validate a super-resolution dental TBCT benchtop imaging system.