Vascular Diameter Measurement in CT Angiography: Comparison of Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction and Standard Filtered Back Projection Algorithms In Vitro

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) in measurement of the inner diameter of models of blood vessels and compare performance between MBIR and a standard filtered back projection (FBP) algorithm. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Vascular models with wall thicknesses of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mm were scanned with a 64-MDCT unit and densities of contrast material yielding 275, 396, and 542 HU. Images were reconstructed images by MBIR and FBP, and the mean diameter of each model vessel was measured by software automation. Twenty separate measurements were repeated for each vessel, and variance among the repeated measures was analyzed for determination of measurement error. For all nine model vessels, CT attenuation profiles were compared along a line passing through the luminal center on axial images reconstructed with FBP and MBIR, and the 10–90% edge rise distances at the boundary between the vascular wall and the lumen were evaluated. RESULTS....