Cone Beam CT Acquisition and Reconstruction

The rapid system improvement over the recent years in computed tomography has changed the data acquisition and image reconstruction methods for this medical imaging modality significantly. The changing geometry of the acquisition beam from fan-beam to cone-beam and the high rotation speed enable CT systems to perform 3D and 4D studies of the human body at high spatial and temporal resolution. In this presentation, starting from the basics of 2D computer tomography, recent concepts for cone beam computed tomography will be introduced and explained. The main focus will be the data acquisition and the image reconstruction process for cone beam geometries. In addition, examples of application specific data acquisition and image reconstruction methods will be given, focusing on 4D cardiac cone beam computed tomography.