Computed Tomography: Principles, Evolution, and Clinical Frontiers

This source provides a comprehensive overview of Computed Tomography (CT) technology, detailing its foundational physics and mathematical principles, particularly the Radon Transform and X-ray attenuation. It traces CT's historical evolution from theoretical concepts to clinical reality, highlighting the key contributions of Johann Radon, Allan M. Cormack, and Sir Godfrey Hounsfield, including the establishment of the Hounsfield Unit. The text then explains the anatomy of modern CT systems, describing components like the gantry, X-ray tube, detectors, and slip-ring technology, and illustrates the generational advancements in scanner architecture from early translate-rotate designs to modern helical and multi-detector CT (MDCT). It further elaborates on image reconstruction methods like Filtered Back-Projection (FBP) and Iterative Reconstruction (IR), the importance of radiodensity and windowing for image interpretation, and the diverse clinical applications of CT across various medical specialties, including advanced functional imaging techniques like CT angiography and perfusion. Finally, the source addresses crucial safety considerations related to radiation dose and contrast media, outlining dose optimization strategies, and concludes by comparing CT to other imaging modalities while forecasting its future advancements with photon-counting detectors and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Category: Technology - High complexity

Research done with the help of artificial intelligence, and presented by two AI-generated hosts.