Hardware for Ultra-Fast CT Reconstruction

描述（由申请人提供）： 在现代多层螺旋CT扫描仪中，图像重建的速度远远落后于数据采集的速度。这项工作的目标是开发一个全新的，算法加速，快速和灵活的硬件图像背投。所采用的算法由伊利诺伊大学开发并获得专利。使用该技术，在软件演示中实现了10-50的加速因子。多层螺旋CT扫描仪将需要由快速算法的专用硬件实现提供的额外速度。因此，该项目的第一阶段目标是：1）设计、实现和优化快速算法到现场可编程门阵列（FPGA）测试平台的映射，以产生用于圆形源轨迹的超快速可重构硬件锥束反投影仪，（2）确定成本/原型系统的性能与传统的反投影算法的FPGA实现，并与用于重建引擎的性能，现代医学扫描仪在第二阶段，FPGA原型设计将被扩展到重要的螺旋锥束几何形状，并将被移植到一个定制的处理板优化的架构和接口的标准总线所采用的CT制造商。快速图像重建引擎将大大提高CT扫描仪的吞吐量，减少放射科医生和患者的等待时间，并加快关键创伤成像的诊断速度。快速重建还将实现全分辨率动态实时CT（例如，用于心脏）、减少剂量成像以及使用计算要求高的精确算法来提高图像质量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In modern Multislice CT scanners, the speed of image reconstruction lags far behind the rate of data collection. The objective of this work is to develop a fundamentally new, algorithmically-accelerated, fast and flexible hardware image backprojector. The algorithms to be employed were developed and patented by the University of Illinois. Using this technology, speed-up factors of 10-50 have been achieved in software demos. Multislice CT scanners will require the additional speed afforded by a special-purpose hardware implementation of the fast algorithms. Accordingly, the Phase I aims of this project are to 1) Design, implement, and optimize the mapping of a fast algorithm onto a field programmable gate array (FPGA) testbed to produce an ultra-fast reconfigurable hardware conebeam backprojector for circular source trajectories, and to 2) Benchmark the cost/performance of the prototype system with both an FPGA implementation of the conventional backprojection algorithm and with the performance of reconstruction engines used in current medical scanners. In Phase II, the FPGA prototype design will be extended to the important helical cone-beam geometry and will be ported to a custom processing board optimized for the architecture and for interface to the standard bus employed by CT manufacturers. The fast image reconstruction engine will greatly increase the throughput of CT scanners, reducing radiologist and patient waiting times, and speeding up diagnosis for critical trauma imaging. Fast reconstruction also will enable fullresolution dynamic real-time CT (e.g. for cardiac), reduced-dose imaging, and the use of computationally demanding exact algorithms for improved image quality.