US 12,223,569 B2
Computer-implemented method for handling artifacts in multi-energy computed tomography, x-ray imaging device, computer program and electronically readable storage medium
Bernhard Schmidt, Furth (DE); Katharine Grant, Rochester, MN (US); and Thomas Flohr, Uehlfeld (DE)
Assigned to SIEMENS HEALTHINEERS AG, Forchheim (DE)
Filed by Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen (DE)
Filed on Nov. 18, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/529,459.
Claims priority of application No. 20209020 (EP), filed on Nov. 20, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0165003 A1, May 26, 2022
Int. Cl. G06T 11/00 (2006.01); A61B 6/00 (2006.01); A61B 6/03 (2006.01); G06T 7/00 (2017.01); G06V 10/22 (2022.01)
CPC G06T 11/008 (2013.01) [A61B 6/032 (2013.01); A61B 6/5258 (2013.01); G06T 7/0012 (2013.01); G06V 10/22 (2022.01); G06T 2207/10081 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10116 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30061 (2013.01); G06V 2201/03 (2022.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method for at least one of automatically estimating or automatically correcting an error due to artifacts in a multi-energy computed tomography result dataset relating to at least one target material, at least two three-dimensional energy datasets of an imaging region of a patient being acquired using an x-ray imaging device using different x-ray energy spectra, and a result dataset being determined by evaluating the at least two three-dimensional energy datasets using material-specific energy dependences of x-ray attenuation, the computer-implemented method comprising:
determining at least one first subregion, of the imaging region, free from the at least one target material and containing at least one second material with known material-specific energy dependence of x-ray attenuation;
comparing, for each respective first subregion of the at least one first subregion, image values of each of the at least two three-dimensional energy datasets for each voxel, taking into account known energy dependence, to determine deviation values indicative of artifacts; and
calculating, for at least a part of at least one remaining second subregion of the imaging region, estimated deviation values by at least one of interpolating or extrapolating from the deviation values indicative of artifacts in a respective first subregion, wherein the estimated deviation values are used as estimated error due to artifacts.