Evaluation of a noise-reduction contrast-enhancement algorithm for CT cardiac angiography

The objective of this study was to evaluate a new Cardiac Enhancement Filter (CEF) for noise reduction and edge enhancement of Computed Tomography Cardiac Angiography examinations. The filter is an adaptive noise reduction filter designed to achieve near real time functioning. Using a CT performance phantom, standard measurements of image quality, including spatial resolution, low contrast resolution, and image noise were assessed with and without the CEF. Quantitative assessment of the CEF showed slightly improved spatial resolution at 50% and 10% modulation, similar low contrast resolution and significantly lower image noise (up to 38%) characteristics. Two patient datasets were used for the clinical evaluation of the filter. The filter effectively reduced image noise by 13 to 22% in clinical datasets. These datasets exhibited a significant decrease in image noise without loss of vessel sharpness or introduction of new image artifacts. The results of the initial testing are encouraging, yet additional investigations are required to further assess the filter's clinical utility.