NEMA MITA WP 1:2017

Over the last decade, there have been numerous improvements in fundamental CT technology that reduce radiation dose and increase image quality. With the recent introduction of nonlinear reconstruction algorithms, however, many traditional metrics used to characterize image quality are insufficient for assessing performance of these algorithms. Nonlinear algorithms pose a challenge for performance evaluation because their effects can depend on the acquisition technique and test object itself. Therefore, assessing the tradeoff between dose reduction and image quality requires more advanced techniques than with previous CT technology. This white paper is intended to give a broad range of stakeholders (including regulators, radiologists, medical doctors, CT technologists, and medical physicists) an overview of the current techniques and tools (phantoms) that the Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) has utilized to assess low-contrast detectability (LCD) as a function of radiation dose. MITA would like to recognize the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) partnership with industry in this activity.