Image performance evaluation of a 3D surgical imaging platform

摘要

The O-arm (Medtronic Inc.) is a multi-dimensional surgical imaging platform. The purpose of this study was to perform a quantitative evaluation of the imaging performance of the O-arm in an effort to understand its potential for future non-orthopedic applications. Performance of the reconstructed 3D images was evaluated, using a custom-built phantom, in terms of resolution, linearity, uniformity and geometrical accuracy. Both the standard (SD, 13 s) and high definition (HD, 26 s) modes were evaluated, with the imaging parameters set to image the head (120 kVp, 100 mAs and 150 mAs, respectively). For quantitative noise characterization, the images were converted to Hounsfield units (HU) off-line. Measurement of the modulation transfer function revealed a limiting resolution (at 10% level) of 1.0 mm"1 in the axial dimension. Image noise varied between 15 and 19 HU for the HD and SD modes, respectively. Image intensities varied linearly over the measured range, up to 1300 HU. Geometric accuracy was maintained in all three dimensions over the field of view. The present study has evaluated the performance characteristics of the O-arm, and demonstrates feasibility for use in interventional applications and quantitative imaging tasks outside those currently targeted by the manufacturer. Further improvements to the reconstruction algorithms may further enhance performance for lower-contrast applications.