Reconstruction optimization for temporal response improvement in CT fluoroscopy

Computed tomography (CT) has been shown to be effective in providing guidance to operators who perform interventional procedures. In these procedures, commonly called CT fluoroscopy (CTF), a patient is continuously scanned at one or multiple locations while the interventional instrument is inserted. One of the key performance parameters in such a system is the temporal response. In this paper, we first present a mathematical expression that accurately characterizes the system response to an needle type instrument. Based on the model, an optimized reconstruction algorithm is presented that enables an improved temporal resolution and a reduced system delay. The effectiveness of the algorithm is demonstrated by phantom experiments and verified with the mathematical model.