# Modeling shift-variant X-ray focal spot blur for high-resolution flat-panel cone-beam CT

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1610.05288 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1610.05288/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 17 Oct 2016.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Continuity-driven Synergistic Diffusion with Neural Priors for Ultra-Sparse-View CBCT Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.07980/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Flat-panel cone-beam CT (CBCT) has been applied clinically in a number of high-resolution applications. Increasing geometric magnification can potentially improve resolution, but also increases blur due to an extended x-ray focal-spot. We present a shift-variant focal-spot blur model and incorporate it into a model-based iterative-reconstruction algorithm. We apply this algorithm to simulation and CBCT test-bench data. In a trabecular bone simulation study, we find traditional reconstruction approaches without a blur model exhibit shift-variant resolution properties that depend greatly on the acquisition protocol (e.g. short vs. full scans) and the anode angles of the rays used to reconstruct a particular region. For physical CBCT experiments focal spot blur was characterized and a spatial resolution phantom was scanned and reconstructed. In both experiments image quality using the shift-variant model was significantly improved over approaches that modeled no blur or only a shift-invariant blur, suggesting a potential means to overcome traditional CBCT spatial resolution and system design limitations.