Patent ID: 8340241
Filing Date: 2012-12-25
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. An X-ray computed tomography apparatus that acquires projection data while rotating an X-ray source for emitting an X-ray beam and an X-ray detector including multi-arrayed detecting elements along a slice direction around a rotary axis, and reconstructs a CT image by performing a back projection in consideration with a cone angle of the X-ray beam, comprising: an area arithmetic unit configured to generate a non-deteriorating area, appeared on the CT image at each planar slice to assume a center of a rotary axis of the X-ray detector to be a center on the basis of a diameter of an imaging space, a width of the X-ray detector in a z-axis direction, a distance between the X-ray source and the X-ray detector, and a diameter of a non-deteriorating area on a planar slice at a distal end, and obtain information with respect to a position of a deteriorating area near an end of an acquisition range of the projection data under an influence of the cone angle on the basis of the non-deteriorating area; a map of area outside imaging space generating unit configured to generate a map of an area outside a diameter of the imaging space on a planar sagittal from an area outside the diameter of the imaging space on each planar slice at the rotary axis; and an image processing unit configured to perform an image processing for the CT image so that a first part image of the CT image indicating the deteriorating area and a second part image of the CT image indicating the non-deteriorating area are generated on the basis of the information with respect to the position of the deteriorating area, wherein the deteriorating area is obtained by reconstructing a data area where a first data area of first projection data obtained at a certain projection angle and a second data area of second projection data obtained at an opposed projection angle do not overlap, where there exists the first projection data obtained at the certain projection angle and the second projection data obtained at the opposed projection angle; and the image processing unit performs a variable mask processing of forming a mask by adding a variable mask value to each pixel value in the deteriorating area so that the deteriorating area has a different character on the CT image from the non-deteriorating area, wherein a transparency of the mask in the deteriorating area is variable.