arXiv subjects

Wolfgang Kaissl

Publications and source records attributed to Wolfgang Kaissl.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2006

The geometric calibration of cone-beam imaging and delivery systems in radiation therapy

We propose a method to achieve the geometric calibration of cone-beam imaging and delivery systems in radiation therapy; our approach applies to devices where an X-ray source and a flat-panel detector, facing each other, move in circular orbits around the irradiated object. In order to extract the parameters of the geometry from the data, we use a light needle phantom which is easy to manufacture. A model with ten free parameters (spatial lengths and distortion angles) has been put forth to describe the geometry and the mechanical imperfections of the units being calibrated; a few additional parameters are introduced to account for residual effects (small effects which lie beyond our model). The values of the model parameters are determined from one complete scan of the needle phantom via a robust optimisation scheme. The application of this method to two sets of five counterclockwise (ccw) and five clockwise (cw) scans yielded consistent and reproducible results. A number of differences have been observed between the ccw and cw scans, suggesting a dissimilar behaviour of the devices calibrated in the two rotation modes. The description of the geometry of the devices was achieved at the sub-pixel level.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2006

The dual-gain mode: a way to enhance the dynamic range of X-ray detectors

Varian Medical Systems has manufactured and recently put into operation a clinically-applicable solution for image-guided radiation therapy. Cone-beam CT imaging, one of the operation modes of the imaging unit of this device, aims at high-quality volumetric reconstruction. To boost the image quality, the dual-gain mode, a successful means for enhancing the dynamic range of the flat-panel detectors and obtaining better results in the contrast of the reconstructed image, was developed and successfully tested during the last few years. The important steps in the calibration of this mode involve a correction to the pulse widths associated with the X-ray production, the assessment of the detector signal above which nonlinear effects become significant and the determination of some properties of the detector pixels, namely, of dark fields, flatness corrections, etc. Finally, the defect-pixel map is obtained, containing dead and flickering pixels, as well as pixels with properties which are sufficiently `out of range'. An effect observed in the offset correction of raw images seems to originate in the mismatch between the measured and extrapolated values of the dark field; a correction scheme is proposed to take account of this effect. In the data processing, which is achieved on the basis of the files produced in the calibration of the mode, the high-gain signal is used whenever meaningful; otherwise, it is substituted by the low-gain signal, properly scaled. Defect pixels are interpolated from their good neighbours; a procedure achieving a correction in case of small defect-pixel clusters is outlined.

physics.med-ph↗

arXiv2006

The dual-dose imaging technique: a way to enhance the dynamic range of X-ray detectors

We describe a method aiming at increasing the dynamic range of X-ray detectors. Two X-ray exposures of an object are acquired at different dose levels and constitute the only input data. The values of the parameters which are needed to process these images are determined from information contained in the images themselves; the values of two parameters are extracted from the input data. The two input images are finally merged in such a way as to create one image containing useful information in all its entirety. This selective use of parts of each image allows both the contour of the irradiated object to be visible and the high-attenuation areas to retain their image quality corresponding to the information contained in the high-dose image. The benefits of the method are demonstrated with an example involving a head phantom.

physics.med-ph↗