# Self-Attention Generative Adversarial Network for Iterative Reconstruction of CT Images

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2112.12810 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.12810/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 15 of its 45 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 23 Dec 2021.

## Builds on (most cited first, 15 of 15)

- [Adam: A Method for Stochastic Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1412.6980/) (2014)
- [Non-local Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1711.07971/) (2017)
- [Self-Attention Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.08318/) (2018)
- [Generative Adversarial Networks: An Overview](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.07035/) (2017)
- [Low-Dose CT with a Residual Encoder-Decoder Convolutional Neural Network (RED-CNN)](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1702.00288/) (2017)
- [On instabilities of deep learning in image reconstruction - Does AI come at a cost?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.05300/) (2019)
- [Low Dose CT Image Denoising Using a Generative Adversarial Network with Wasserstein Distance and Perceptual Loss](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.00961/) (2017)
- [Framing U-Net via Deep Convolutional Framelets: Application to Sparse-view CT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.08333/) (2017)
- [A deep convolutional neural network using directional wavelets for low-dose X-ray CT reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1610.09736/) (2016)
- [CT Super-resolution GAN Constrained by the Identical, Residual, and Cycle Learning Ensemble(GAN-CIRCLE)](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1808.04256/) (2018)
- [CNN-Based Projected Gradient Descent for Consistent Image Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1709.01809/) (2017)
- [One Network to Solve Them All --- Solving Linear Inverse Problems using Deep Projection Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.09912/) (2017)
- [Cycle Consistent Adversarial Denoising Network for Multiphase Coronary CT Angiography](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.09748/) (2018)
- [PWLS-ULTRA: An Efficient Clustering and Learning-Based Approach for Low-Dose 3D CT Image Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.09165/) (2017)
- [Multi-Scale Wavelet Domain Residual Learning for Limited-Angle CT Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.01382/) (2017)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Computed tomography (CT) uses X-ray measurements taken from sensors around the body to generate tomographic images of the human body. Conventional reconstruction algorithms can be used if the X-ray data are adequately sampled and of high quality; however, concerns such as reducing dose to the patient, or geometric limitations on data acquisition, may result in low quality or incomplete data. Images reconstructed from these data using conventional methods are of poor quality, due to noise and other artifacts. The aim of this study is to train a single neural network to reconstruct high-quality CT images from noisy or incomplete CT scan data, including low-dose, sparse-view, and limited-angle scenarios. To accomplish this task, we train a generative adversarial network (GAN) as a signal prior, to be used in conjunction with the iterative simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART) for CT data. The network includes a self-attention block to model long-range dependencies in the data. We compare our Self-Attention GAN for CT image reconstruction with several state-of-the-art approaches, including denoising cycle GAN, CIRCLE GAN, and a total variation superiorized algorithm. Our approach is shown to have comparable overall performance to CIRCLE GAN, while outperforming the other two approaches.