Imaging Science in Dentistry

Korean Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (대한영상치의학회)
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Application of a newly developed software program for image quality assessment in cone-beam computed tomography

  • de Oliveira, Marcus Vinicius Linhares (Department of Health Technology and Biology, Federal Institute of Bahia) ;
  • Santos, Antonio Carvalho (Department of Complementary Sciences, Coimbra Health School, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra) ;
  • Paulo, Graciano (Department of Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy, Coimbra Health School, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra) ;
  • Campos, Paulo Sergio Flores (Department of Interactive Processes of Organs and Systems, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Bahia) ;
  • Santos, Joana (Department of Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy, Coimbra Health School, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra)
  • Received : 2016.08.26
  • Accepted : 2017.04.24
  • Published : 2017.06.30
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Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to apply a newly developed free software program, at low cost and with minimal time, to evaluate the quality of dental and maxillofacial cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Materials and Methods: A polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom, CQP-IFBA, was scanned in 3 CBCT units with 7 protocols. A macro program was developed, using the free software ImageJ, to automatically evaluate the image quality parameters. The image quality evaluation was based on 8 parameters: uniformity, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), noise, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), spatial resolution, the artifact index, geometric accuracy, and low-contrast resolution. Results: The image uniformity and noise depended on the protocol that was applied. Regarding the CNR, high-density structures were more sensitive to the effect of scanning parameters. There were no significant differences between SNR and CNR in centered and peripheral objects. The geometric accuracy assessment showed that all the distance measurements were lower than the real values. Low-contrast resolution was influenced by the scanning parameters, and the 1-mm rod present in the phantom was not depicted in any of the 3 CBCT units. Smaller voxel sizes presented higher spatial resolution. There were no significant differences among the protocols regarding artifact presence. Conclusion: This software package provided a fast, low-cost, and feasible method for the evaluation of image quality parameters in CBCT.

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References

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