Gray values and noise behavior of cone-beam computed tomography machines-an in vitro study.

Objectives: To systematically evaluate the mean gray values (MGV) and noise provided by bone and soft tissue equivalent materials and air imaged with varied acquisition parameters in nine cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) machines.

Methods: The DIN6868-161 phantom, composed of bone and soft tissue equivalent material and air gap, was scanned in nine CBCT machines. Tube current (mA) and tube voltage (kV), field of view (FOV) size, and rotation angle were varied over the possible range. The effect of the acquisition parameters on the MGV and contrast-to-noise indicator (CNI) was analyzed by Kruskal Wallis and Dunn-Bonferroni tests for each machine independently (α = 0.05).

Results: Tube current did not influence MGV in most machines. Viso G7 and Veraview X800 presented a decrease in the MGV for increasing kV. For ProMax 3D MAX and X1, the kV did not affect the MGV. For the majority of machines, MGV decreased with increasing FOV height. In general, the rotation angle did not affect the MGV. In addition, CNI was lower with lower radiation and large FOV and did not change from 80 kV in all machines.

Conclusions: The MGV and noise provided by the tested phantom vary largely among machines. The MGV is mainly influenced by the FOV size, especially for bone equivalent radiodensity. For most machines, when the acquisition parameters affect the MGV, the MGV decrease with the increase in the acquisition parameters.

Advances in knowledge: Knowing the expected GV behavior in different exposure conditions hold potential for future calibration of MGV among CBCT machines.