Lossy compression of thin-slice CT data can degrade image quality

Scientists at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN determined the level at which 3D JPEG 2000 compression of thin-slice CT datasets becomes visually perceptible.

The researchers used 80 MDCT 3D datasets, including 0.625-mm- to 1-mm-thick slices of standard chest, abdomen, and pelvis studies, clipped to 12 bits.

While perceptible differences were found between lossy-compressed images and lossless images, that may not necessarily mean that important information was lost due to compression, the authors noted.

"Nevertheless, it appears that one cannot apply 3D JPEG 2000 compression to thin-slice CT studies at 8:1 or higher without considering possible effects on diagnosis," they wrote.

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