| Cone beam computed tomography has emerged as a promising medical imaging tool due to its short scanning time, large volume coverage and its isotropic spatial resolution in three dimensions among other characteristics. However, due to its inherent three-dimensionality, it is important to understand and characterize its physical characteristics to be able to improve its performance and extends its applications in medical imaging. One of the main components of a Cone beam computed tomography system is its flat panel detector. Its physical characteristics were evaluated in terms of spatial resolution, linearity, image lag, noise power spectrum and detective quantum efficiency. After evaluating the physical performance of the flat panel detector, metrics to evaluate the image quality of the system were developed and used to evaluate the systems image quality. Especially, the modulation transfer function and the noise power spectrum were characterized and evaluated for a PaxScan 4030CB FPD-based cone beam computed tomography system. Finally, novel applications using cone beam computed tomography images were suggested and evaluated for its practical application. For example, the characterization of breast density was evaluated and further studies were suggested that could impact the health system related to breast cancer. Another novel application was the utilization of cone beam computed tomography for orthopedic imaging. In this thesis, an initial assessment of its practical application was perform. Overall, three cone beam computed tomography systems were evaluated and utilized for different novel applications that would advance the field of medical imaging. |
