Unsupervised Denoising in Spectral CT: Multi-Dimensional U-Net for Energy Channel Regularisation
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Spectral Computed Tomography (CT) is a versatile imaging technique widely utilized in industry, medicine, and scientific research. This technique allows us to observe the energy-dependent X-ray attenuation throughout an object by using Photon Counting Detector (PCD) technology. However, a major drawback of spectral CT is the increase in noise due to a lower achievable photon count when using more energy channels. This challenge often complicates quantitative material identification, which is a major application of the technology. In this study, we investigate the Noise2Inverse image denoising approach for noise removal in spectral computed tomography. Our unsupervised deep learning-based model uses a multi-dimensional U-Net paired with a block-based training approach modified for additional energy-channel regularization. We conducted experiments using two simulated spectral CT phantoms, each with a unique shape and material composition, and a real scan of a biological sample containing a characteristic K-edge. Measuring the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index (SSIM) for the simulated data and the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) for the real-world data, our approach not only outperforms previously used methods-namely the unsupervised Low2High method and the total variation-constrained iterative reconstruction method-but also does not require complex parameter tuning.
Source: Sensors
DOI: 10.3390/s24206654
Authors: Raziye Kubra Kumrular, Thomas Blumensath
Institution: University of Southampton
Language: English
Subfield: Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,955
OpenAlex ID: W4403456421