Proceedings Article | 25 March 2016
KEYWORDS: Computed tomography, Algorithm development, Head, Chest, Abdomen, Reconstruction algorithms, Data acquisition, Scanners
Lack of access to projection data from patient CT scans is a major limitation for development and validation
of new reconstruction algorithms. To meet this critical need, we are building a library of CT patient projection
data in an open and vendor-neutral format, DICOM-CT-PD, which is an extended DICOM format that
contains sinogram data, acquisition geometry, patient information, and pathology identification. The library
consists of scans of various types, including head scans, chest scans, abdomen scans, electrocardiogram
(ECG)-gated scans, and dual-energy scans. For each scan, three types of data are provided, including
DICOM-CT-PD projection data at various dose levels, reconstructed CT images, and a free-form text file.
Several instructional documents are provided to help the users extract information from DICOM-CT-PD files,
including a dictionary file for the DICOM-CT-PD format, a DICOM-CT-PD reader, and a user manual.
Radiologist detection performance based on the reconstructed CT images is also provided. So far 328 head
cases, 228 chest cases, and 228 abdomen cases have been collected for potential inclusion. The final library
will include a selection of 50 head, chest, and abdomen scans each from at least two different manufacturers,
and a few ECG-gated scans and dual-source, dual-energy scans. It will be freely available to academic
researchers, and is expected to greatly facilitate the development and validation of CT reconstruction
algorithms.
