Recent Advances in X-Ray CT Image Reconstruction Techniques

Advancements in Computed Tomography (CT) have increased dramatically during recent years, offering a more effective non-invasive technique for examining patients without having to resort to exploratory surgeries that were once routine clinical practice. The growing importance of CT as a diagnostic tool increases the need for solutions that improve diagnostic information yet lower radiation to patients. However, these advancements in CT technology are no longer driven solely by hardware components. Software, including reconstruction and image processing, is an important element to diagnostic accuracy. Today image reconstruction techniques are one of the most important strategies for reducing radiation dose in CT.


Image reconstruction in CT is a mathematical process to build the map of attenuation coefficient, a real-valued function associated with the object of interest, from x-ray measured projection data acquired at different angles around the patient. Generally, image reconstruction algorithms can be divided into two major categories: analytical methods and iterative methods. Below, we will explain CT image reconstruction methods and the corresponding advantages and disadvantages.