论文丨Yikun Zhang, Dianlin Hu, Zhihong Yan, Qingxian Zhao, Guotao Quan, Shouhua Luo, Yi Zhang*, and Yang Chen*：TIME-Net: Transformer-Integrated Multi-Encoder Network for limited-angle artifact removal in dual-energy CBCT

本文（TIME-Net: Transformer-Integrated Multi-Encoder Network for limited-angle artifact removal in dual-energy CBCT）原载Medical Image Analysis，由四川大学张意教授等科研人员创作，系四川大学智慧法治超前部署学科系列学术成果。后续会持续分享四川大学智慧法治超前部署学科系列学术成果，欢迎大家阅读。

Abstract:Dual-energy cone-beam computed tomography (DE-CBCT) is a promising imaging technique with foreseeable clinical applications. DE-CBCT images acquired with two different spectra can provide material-specific information. Meanwhile, the anatomical consistency and energy-domain correlation result in significant information redundancy, which could be exploited to improve image quality. In this context, this paper develops the Transformer-Integrated Multi-Encoder Network (TIME-Net) for DE-CBCT to remove the limited-angle artifacts. TIME-Net comprises three encoders (image encoder, prior encoder, and transformer encoder), two decoders (low- and high-energy decoders), and one feature fusion module. Three encoders extract various features for image restoration. The feature fusion module compresses these features into more compact shared features and feeds them to the decoders. Two decoders perform differential learning for DE-CBCT images. By design, TIME-Net could obtain high-quality DE-CBCT images using two complementary quarter-scans, holding great potential to reduce radiation dose and shorten the acquisition time. Qualitative and quantitative analyses based on simulated data and real rat data have demonstrated the promising performance of TIME-Net in artifact removal, subtle structure restoration, and reconstruction accuracy preservation. Two clinical applications, virtual non-contrast (VNC) imaging and iodine quantification, have proved the potential utility of the DE-CBCT images provided by TIME-Net.

Yikun Zhang, Dianlin Hu, Zhihong Yan, Qingxian Zhao, Guotao Quan, Shouhua Luo, Yi Zhang*, and Yang Chen*. TIME-Net: Transformer-Integrated Multi-Encoder Network for limited-angle artifact removal in dual-energy CBCT. Medical Image Analysis, pp. 102650, vol. 83, 2023.（论文下载）