Bertl Marie, Hahne Friedrich-Georg, Gräger Stephanie, Heinrich Andreas
Department of Radiology, Jena University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University, 07747 Jena, Germany.
Bioengineering (Basel). 2024 Dec 18;11(12):1285. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering11121285.
Deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) has shown potential to enhance computed tomography (CT) image quality, but its impact on tumor visibility and adoption among radiologists with varying experience levels remains unclear. This study compared the performance of two deep learning-based image reconstruction methods, DLIR and Pixelshine, an adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction-volume (ASIR-V) method, and filtered back projection (FBP) across 33 contrast-enhanced CT staging examinations, evaluated by 20-24 radiologists. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were measured for tumor and surrounding organ tissues across DLIR (Low, Medium, High), Pixelshine (Soft, Ultrasoft), ASIR-V (30-100%), and FBP. In two blinded surveys, radiologists ranked eight reconstructions and assessed four using a 5-point Likert scale in arterial and portal venous phases. DLIR consistently outperformed other methods in SNR, CNR, image quality, image interpretation, structural differentiability and diagnostic certainty. Pixelshine performed comparably only to ASIR-V 50%. No significant differences were observed between junior and senior radiologists. In conclusion, DLIR-based techniques have the potential to establish a new benchmark in clinical CT imaging, offering superior image quality for tumor staging, enhanced diagnostic capabilities, and seamless integration into existing workflows without requiring an extensive learning curve.
深度学习图像重建(DLIR)已显示出提高计算机断层扫描(CT)图像质量的潜力,但其对肿瘤可见性的影响以及在不同经验水平的放射科医生中的应用情况仍不明确。本研究比较了两种基于深度学习的图像重建方法(DLIR和Pixelshine,一种自适应统计迭代重建-容积法(ASIR-V))以及滤波反投影(FBP)在33例对比增强CT分期检查中的性能,由20至24名放射科医生进行评估。在DLIR(低、中、高)、Pixelshine(软、超软)、ASIR-V(30%-100%)和FBP中,测量肿瘤及周围器官组织的信噪比(SNR)和对比噪声比(CNR)。在两项盲法调查中,放射科医生对八种重建图像进行排序,并在动脉期和门静脉期使用5点李克特量表对四种图像进行评估。在SNR、CNR、图像质量、图像解读、结构可区分性和诊断确定性方面,DLIR始终优于其他方法。Pixelshine仅与50%的ASIR-V表现相当。初级和高级放射科医生之间未观察到显著差异。总之,基于DLIR的技术有潜力在临床CT成像中建立新的基准,为肿瘤分期提供卓越的图像质量,增强诊断能力,并能无缝融入现有工作流程,无需漫长的学习曲线。