A Correction Method for Hardening Artifacts in CT Images Based on Integral Invariance

In conventional computed tomography (CT) systems, X-ray beams used for imaging are polyenergetic. These beams cause hardening artifacts in the reconstructed images owing to their polychromatic nature. For a multi-material imaging object, prior information about the X-ray spectrum and composition of...

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Main Authors: Yuxin LIU, Jiaotong WEI, Xiaojie ZHAO, Ping CHEN, Jinxiao PAN
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Editorial Office of Computerized Tomography Theory and Application 2025-07-01
Series:CT Lilun yu yingyong yanjiu
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Online Access:https://www.cttacn.org.cn/cn/article/doi/10.15953/j.ctta.2025.064
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author Yuxin LIU
Jiaotong WEI
Xiaojie ZHAO
Ping CHEN
Jinxiao PAN
author_facet Yuxin LIU
Jiaotong WEI
Xiaojie ZHAO
Ping CHEN
Jinxiao PAN
author_sort Yuxin LIU
collection DOAJ
description In conventional computed tomography (CT) systems, X-ray beams used for imaging are polyenergetic. These beams cause hardening artifacts in the reconstructed images owing to their polychromatic nature. For a multi-material imaging object, prior information about the X-ray spectrum and composition of the imaging object is required for correcting the beam hardening. To avoid relying on such prior information, this study proposes a beam-hardening artifact correction method for CT imaging of multi-material objects under single voltage. In this method, the X-ray image is considered as a non-negative weighted sum of multiple single-energy X-ray images. The decomposition model for the X-ray transmission images is constructed using the maximum likelihood function of a Gaussian distribution as the objective function under the constraint of the projection integral invariance at different angles. To solve this model, the projection of the spatial terms on the X-ray path is obtained. Thus, CT images for X-ray beams with different energies can be reconstructed. For imaging experiments with dual-material and multi-material models, compared with directly reconstructed CT images, the hardening artifacts in the reconstructed images were significantly reduced using this method, indicating its effectiveness.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1004-4140
language English
publishDate 2025-07-01
publisher Editorial Office of Computerized Tomography Theory and Application
record_format Article
series CT Lilun yu yingyong yanjiu
spelling doaj-art-2593e2f3134e4765bf809ce90ecf13b82025-08-20T03:49:46ZengEditorial Office of Computerized Tomography Theory and ApplicationCT Lilun yu yingyong yanjiu1004-41402025-07-0134457157910.15953/j.ctta.2025.0642025-064A Correction Method for Hardening Artifacts in CT Images Based on Integral InvarianceYuxin LIUJiaotong WEIXiaojie ZHAOPing CHENJinxiao PANIn conventional computed tomography (CT) systems, X-ray beams used for imaging are polyenergetic. These beams cause hardening artifacts in the reconstructed images owing to their polychromatic nature. For a multi-material imaging object, prior information about the X-ray spectrum and composition of the imaging object is required for correcting the beam hardening. To avoid relying on such prior information, this study proposes a beam-hardening artifact correction method for CT imaging of multi-material objects under single voltage. In this method, the X-ray image is considered as a non-negative weighted sum of multiple single-energy X-ray images. The decomposition model for the X-ray transmission images is constructed using the maximum likelihood function of a Gaussian distribution as the objective function under the constraint of the projection integral invariance at different angles. To solve this model, the projection of the spatial terms on the X-ray path is obtained. Thus, CT images for X-ray beams with different energies can be reconstructed. For imaging experiments with dual-material and multi-material models, compared with directly reconstructed CT images, the hardening artifacts in the reconstructed images were significantly reduced using this method, indicating its effectiveness.https://www.cttacn.org.cn/cn/article/doi/10.15953/j.ctta.2025.064single voltageintegral invariancebeam hardening correctionwithout prior informationmulti-materials
spellingShingle Yuxin LIU
Jiaotong WEI
Xiaojie ZHAO
Ping CHEN
Jinxiao PAN
A Correction Method for Hardening Artifacts in CT Images Based on Integral Invariance
CT Lilun yu yingyong yanjiu
single voltage
integral invariance
beam hardening correction
without prior information
multi-materials
title A Correction Method for Hardening Artifacts in CT Images Based on Integral Invariance
title_full A Correction Method for Hardening Artifacts in CT Images Based on Integral Invariance
title_fullStr A Correction Method for Hardening Artifacts in CT Images Based on Integral Invariance
title_full_unstemmed A Correction Method for Hardening Artifacts in CT Images Based on Integral Invariance
title_short A Correction Method for Hardening Artifacts in CT Images Based on Integral Invariance
title_sort correction method for hardening artifacts in ct images based on integral invariance
topic single voltage
integral invariance
beam hardening correction
without prior information
multi-materials
url https://www.cttacn.org.cn/cn/article/doi/10.15953/j.ctta.2025.064
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