Emphysema on low-dose CT: assessment, implications, and technical considerations

This research delves into the world of lung disease, specifically CT-detected emphysema, in the general population and those at high risk. Emphysema is not only a health concern on its own but also increases the risk of developing lung cancer. Therefore, it is crucial to assess the presence and severity of emphysema on CT scans, whether in a clinical or screening context.
The thesis also looks into how the way we acquire and process CT scans can affect our ability to detect and measure emphysema accurately. The findings suggest that we can significantly reduce the radiation dose used in CT scans, up to 85%, by employing noise filtering methods. This reduction in radiation dose does not compromise the quality of the images.
Furthermore, the thesis proposes two improvements in measurement methods. Firstly, it recommends a more straightforward and efficient way to measure noise in the images, making the measurements more reliable without taking too much time. Secondly, it introduces an enhanced system for visually assessing emphysema, allowing experts to provide more detailed insights into extent and distribution of emphysema on CT, potentially revealing important clinical differences.
The work described in this thesis can be valuable for tailoring emphysema evaluation on CT scans, personalizing lung cancer screening approaches, and optimizing clinical CT procedures to achieve better results with less radiation exposure.