University of Texas study aims to reduce radiation in cardiac CT scans

Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington are developing a method to significantly reduce radiation exposure for patients undergoing cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA). Led by physics professor Mingwu Jin, the study focuses on multi-phase coronary CTA (MP-CCTA), which captures images at various points during the heartbeat to improve diagnostic detail and reduce motion blur.

While MP-CCTA provides more comprehensive data for detecting aneurysms, blood clots, and coronary artery disease, the multi-phase process increases the patient's exposure to ionizing radiation. The research project, titled ‘Deep leaRning-bAsed reConstruction (DRAC) for Multi-Phase Cardiac CT Angiography’, aims to use deep learning to lower radiation doses without compromising the diagnostic quality or accuracy of the 3D images.