Limited Projection X-Ray CT Reconstruction for Medical Applications by Using Iterative Reconstruction Technique

In medical applications, radiation imaging has played a critical role in assisting physicians for diagnosis of diseases, as well as radiation therapy (RT) planning and treatment. Generally, the duration of RT for cancer treatment can last several sessions throughout days or weeks. The patient may undergo some anatomical changes between sessions in response to the treatment. The X-ray CT imaging is taken at the beginning of each RT session to ensure that the anatomical changes do not exceed the pre-defined threshold. Otherwise, the treatment needs to be revised again to avoid any damages that could cause normal tissues from the changes of patient's anatomy. Since the X-ray CT imaging needs to be taken before every session of the Image-guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), the radiation exposed by the patient can be rather significant. This has become an issue of concern, as well as the growing usage of radiation imaging during clinical examinations in other medical applications.