OPTIMAX 2017 : radiation dose, image quality optimisation,the use of new technology in medical imaging

This year OPTIMAX settled in Oslo. After the successof previous years, we are proud to present the fourthEbook. As in previous years, the group was madeup of PhD-, MSc- and BSc students as well astutors from the seven European partner universities.Professional mix was drawn from medical physics/physics and radiography. OPTIMAX 2017 was partlyfunded by the partner universities and partly by theparticipants. Two students from South Africa and twofrom Brazil were invited by Hanze UAS (Groningen)and ESTeSL (Lisbon) summer school includedlectures and group projects in which experimentalresearch was conducted in four teams. Four research projects were performed with a focuson radiation dose optimization and image quality,namely: Possible dose reduction for pediatric patientsfor conventional radiology; Can the tube voltage belowered with the use of direct-conversion flat paneldetector system?; Impact of body size and kV in chestradiography; Quantity assessment on Image quality ofCBCT images of head phantom with implants of metaland ceramic objects.The last day of OPTIMAX 2017there was a poster session and a conference, in whichthe research teams presented their posters and oralpresentations. This book comprises of two sections, the first twochapters concern generic background informationabout international teamwork during the OPTIMAXsummerschool. The next chapters with theory on which the researchprojects were built. The second section containsthe research papers of the four research projects.Two research papers, Can the tube voltage belowered with the use of direct-conversion flat-paneldetector system? And Impact of body size and kV inchest radiography: Experimental receiver operatingcharacteristic analysis using a Multipurpose ChestPhantom “Lungman” have been accepted for the ECRconference, Vienna, 2018 as oral presentations

Aneurysm clips in brain imaging using CBCT: the development of a phantom and the influence of kvp and metal suppression on image quality

Purpose: For this study, a phantom was produced to evaluate the influence of kVp and metal suppression on the image quality in CBCT brain imaging containing titanium aneurysm clips. Method and material: A head phantom was constructed comprising of a pig skull with its neurocranium filled with butter to simulate the human brain. CBCT was used to scan the phantom. Three different aneurysm clips were used (two in different sizes and one with a different size and shape). Acquisitions were made using different values of kVp (80, 84, 88, 92, 96). Each acquisition was reconstructed in every anatomical plane, with and without metal suppression. For post-processing, ImageJ was used to place ROIs in specific areas. Standard deviation, representing noise; data was analysed using T-tests. Results: The phantom was suitable for aneurysm implant placement. The noise is most severe in the axial plane (p<0.05) and the larger clips produced more noise. Metal suppression resulted in a significant reduction of noise in all three planes (p<0.05). Compared to metal suppression, the reduction in noise with an increase in kVp is minimal. Conclusion: Metal suppression is effective in reducing metal artefacts in CBCT brain imaging.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Optimisation of chest computed tomography using a phantom: impact of mAs and reconstruction techniques on image quality

Purpose: To verify if the mAs and reconstruction techniques affect the visualization of relevant structures in lung Computed Tomography (CT) using a phantom. Methods and Materials: Images were acquired using varying mAs and reconstruction techniques. Image quality (IQ) was analyzed applying two approaches: perceptual, using 5 observers and objective (edge gradient calculation) to verify the sharpness of the structures. Dose was recorded. Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was used to compare the data from the perceptual image analysis. P-values were calculated (Bonferroni-Correction method) to compare reconstruction techniques and mAs. A Kappa Test with linear weighting was performed to calculate the level of agreement between observers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio