Extended parallel backprojection for standard three-dimensional and phase-correlated four-dimensional axial and spiral cone-beam CT with arbitrary pitch, arbitrary cone-angle, and 100% dose usage.

We have developed a new approximate Feldkamp-type algorithm that we call the extended parallel backprojection (EPBP). Its main features are a phase-weighted backprojection and a voxel-by-voxel 180 degrees normalization. The first feature ensures three-dimensional (3-D) and 4-D capabilities with one and the same algorithm; the second ensures 100% detector usage (each ray is accounted for). The algorithm was evaluated using simulated data of a thorax phantom and a cardiac motion phantom for scanners with up to 256 slices. Axial (circle and sequence) and spiral scan trajectories were investigated. The standard reconstructions (EPBPStd) are of high quality, even for as many as 256 slices. The cardiac reconstructions (EPBPCI) are of high quality as well and show no significant deterioration of objects even far off the center of rotation. Since EPBPCI uses the cardio interpolation (CI) phase weighting the temporal resolution is equivalent to that of the well-established single-slice and multislice cardiac approaches 180 degrees CI, 180 degrees MCI, and ASSRCI, respectively, and lies in the order of 50 to 100 ms for rotation times between 0.4 and 0.5 s. EPBP appears to fulfill all required demands. Especially the phase-correlated EPBP reconstruction of cardiac multiple circle scan data is of high interest, e.g., for dynamic perfusion studies of the heart.