Sparse-view image reconstruction in inverse-geometry CT (IGCT) for fast, low-dose, volumetric dental X-ray imaging

As a new direction for computed tomography (CT) imaging, inverse-geometry CT (IGCT) has been recently introduced and is intended to overcome limitations in conventional cone-beam CT (CBCT) such as the cone-beam artifacts, imaging dose, temporal resolution, scatter, cost, and so on. While the CBCT geometry consists of X-rays emanating from a small focal spot and collimated toward a larger detector, the IGCT geometry employs a large-area scanned source array with the Xray beams collimated toward a smaller-area detector. In this research, we explored an effective IGCT reconstruction algorithm based on the total-variation (TV) minimization method and studied the feasibility of the IGCT geometry for potential applications to fast, low-dose volumetric dental X-ray imaging. We implemented the algorithm, performed systematic simulation works, and evaluated the imaging characteristics quantitatively. Although much engineering and validation works are required to achieve clinical implementation, our preliminary results have demonstrated a potential for improved volumetric imaging with reduced dose.