DIR‐DBTnet: Deep iterative reconstruction network for three‐dimensional digital breast tomosynthesis imaging

Purpose The goal of this study is to develop a three‐dimensional (3D) iterative reconstruction framework based on the deep learning (DL) technique to improve the digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) imaging performance. Methods In this work, the DIR‐DBTnet is developed for DBT image reconstruction by mapping the conventional iterative reconstruction (IR) algorithm to the deep neural network. By design, the DIR‐DBTnet learns and optimizes the regularizer and the iteration parameters automatically during the network training with a large amount of simulated DBT data. Numerical, experimental, and clinical data are used to evaluate its performance. Quantitative metrics such as the artifact spread function (ASF), breast density, and the signal difference to noise ratio (SDNR) are measured to assess the image quality. Results Results show that the proposed DIR‐DBTnet is able to reduce the in‐plane shadow artifacts and the out‐of‐plane signal leaking artifacts compared to the filtered backprojection (FBP) and the total variation (TV)‐based IR methods. Quantitatively, the full width half maximum (FWHM) of the measured ASF from the clinical data is 27.1% and 23.0% smaller than those obtained with the FBP and TV methods, while the SDNR is increased by 194.5% and 21.8%, respectively. In addition, the breast density obtained from the DIR‐DBTnet network is more accurate and consistent with the ground truth. Conclusions In conclusion, a deep iterative reconstruction network, DIR‐DBTnet, has been proposed for 3D DBT image reconstruction. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses of the numerical, experimental, and clinical results demonstrate that the DIR‐DBTnet has superior DBT imaging performance than the conventional algorithms.