Impact of using sinogram domain data in the super‐resolution of CT images on diagnostic information

Abstract Background In recent times, deep‐learning‐based super‐resolution (DL‐SR) techniques for computed tomography (CT) images have shown outstanding results in terms of full‐reference image quality (FR‐IQ) metrics (e.g., root mean square error and structural similarity index metric), which assesses IQ by measuring its similarity to the high‐resolution (HR) image. In addition, IQ can be evaluated via task‐based IQ (Task‐IQ) metrics that evaluate the ability to perform specific tasks. Ironically, most proposed image domain‐based SR techniques are not possible to improve a Task‐IQ metric, which assesses the amount of information related to diagnosis. Purpose In the case of CT imaging systems, sinogram domain data can be utilized for SR techniques. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of utilizing sinogram domain data on diagnostic information restoration ability. Methods We evaluated three DL‐SR techniques: using image domain data (Image‐SR), using sinogram domain data (Sinogram‐SR), and using sinogram as well as image domain data (Dual‐SR). For Task‐IQ evaluation, the Rayleigh discrimination task was used to evaluate diagnostic ability by focusing on the resolving power aspect, and an ideal observer (IO) can be used to perform the task. In this study, we used a convolutional neural network (CNN)‐based IO that approximates the IO performance. We compared the IO performances of the SR techniques according to the data domain to evaluate the discriminative information restoration ability. Results Overall, the low‐resolution (LR) and SR exhibit lower IO performances compared with that of HR owing to their degraded discriminative information when detector binning is used. Next, between the SR techniques, Image‐SR does not show superior IO performances compared to the LR image, but Sinogram‐SR and Dual‐SR show superior IO performances than the LR image. Furthermore, in Sinogram‐SR, we confirm that FR‐IQ and IO performance are positively correlated. These observations demonstrate that sinogram domain upsampling improves the representation ability for discriminative information in the image domain compared to the LR and Image‐SR. Conclusions Unlike Image‐SR, Sinogram‐SR can improve the amount of discriminative information present in the image domain. This demonstrates that to improve the amount of discriminative information on the resolving power aspect, it is necessary to employ sinogram domain processing.