[A deep blur learning-based motion artifact reduction algorithm for dental cone-beam computed tomography images].

objectiveWe propose a motion artifact correction algorithm (DMBL) for reducing motion artifacts in reconstructed dental cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images based on deep blur learning.

methodsA blur encoder was used to extract motion-related degradation features to model the degradation process caused by motion, and the obtained motion degradation features were imported in the artifact correction module for artifact removal. The artifact correction module adopts a joint learning framework for image blur removal and image blur simulation for treatment of spatially varying and random motion patterns. Comparative experiments were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method using both simulated motion data sets and clinical data sets.

resultsThe experimental results with the simulated dataset showed that compared with the existing methods, the PSNR of the proposed method increased by 2.88%, the SSIM increased by 0.89%, and the RMSE decreased by 10.58%. The results with the clinical dataset showed that the proposed method achieved the highest expert level with a subjective image quality score of 4.417 (in a 5-point scale), significantly higher than those of the comparison methods.

conclusionThe proposed DMBL algorithm with a deep blur joint learning network structure can effectively reduce motion artifacts in dental CBCT images and achieve high-quality image restoration.