IMAGE-PROCESSING IN THE DIGITAL TOMOSYNTHESIS FOR PULMONARY IMAGING

Digital tomosynthesis makes it possible to reconstruct multiple tomogr aphs from digital data obtained during a single tomographic motion and permits digital processing, which adds a number of special advantages to the well-known advantages of conventional tomography. We performed digital tomosynthesis with a fluororadiographic TV unit with tomograp hic function which was capable of producing pulsed low- and high-energ y X-rays alternately, and we studied digital image processing to impro ve the image clarity of the reconstructed tomographs. To identify the optimal parameters for processing image data by means of spatial frequ ency filtration we evaluated the spatial frequency distribution of ima ge data in linear tomographs of the lung, and on the basis of the resu lts of this study we developed several types of digital image processi ng to reduce tomographic blur and system noise, to improve visualisati on of faint opacities, to reduce resistant tomographic blur as well as overall blur, and to generate low-noise bone images based on dual-ene rgy subtraction tomosynthesis.