CTLformer: A Hybrid Denoising Model Combining Convolutional Layers and Self-Attention for Enhanced CT Image Reconstruction

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Zheng, Zhiting, Wu, Shuqi, Ding, Wen
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author Zheng, Zhiting
Wu, Shuqi
Ding, Wen
author_facet Zheng, Zhiting
Wu, Shuqi
Ding, Wen
contents Low-dose CT (LDCT) images are often accompanied by significant noise, which negatively impacts image quality and subsequent diagnostic accuracy. To address the challenges of multi-scale feature fusion and diverse noise distribution patterns in LDCT denoising, this paper introduces an innovative model, CTLformer, which combines convolutional structures with transformer architecture. Two key innovations are proposed: a multi-scale attention mechanism and a dynamic attention control mechanism. The multi-scale attention mechanism, implemented through the Token2Token mechanism and self-attention interaction modules, effectively captures both fine details and global structures at different scales, enhancing relevant features and suppressing noise. The dynamic attention control mechanism adapts the attention distribution based on the noise characteristics of the input image, focusing on high-noise regions while preserving details in low-noise areas, thereby enhancing robustness and improving denoising performance. Furthermore, CTLformer integrates convolutional layers for efficient feature extraction and uses overlapping inference to mitigate boundary artifacts, further strengthening its denoising capability. Experimental results on the 2016 National Institutes of Health AAPM Mayo Clinic LDCT Challenge dataset demonstrate that CTLformer significantly outperforms existing methods in both denoising performance and model efficiency, greatly improving the quality of LDCT images. The proposed CTLformer not only provides an efficient solution for LDCT denoising but also shows broad potential in medical image analysis, especially for clinical applications dealing with complex noise patterns.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_12203
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle CTLformer: A Hybrid Denoising Model Combining Convolutional Layers and Self-Attention for Enhanced CT Image Reconstruction
Zheng, Zhiting
Wu, Shuqi
Ding, Wen
Image and Video Processing
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Low-dose CT (LDCT) images are often accompanied by significant noise, which negatively impacts image quality and subsequent diagnostic accuracy. To address the challenges of multi-scale feature fusion and diverse noise distribution patterns in LDCT denoising, this paper introduces an innovative model, CTLformer, which combines convolutional structures with transformer architecture. Two key innovations are proposed: a multi-scale attention mechanism and a dynamic attention control mechanism. The multi-scale attention mechanism, implemented through the Token2Token mechanism and self-attention interaction modules, effectively captures both fine details and global structures at different scales, enhancing relevant features and suppressing noise. The dynamic attention control mechanism adapts the attention distribution based on the noise characteristics of the input image, focusing on high-noise regions while preserving details in low-noise areas, thereby enhancing robustness and improving denoising performance. Furthermore, CTLformer integrates convolutional layers for efficient feature extraction and uses overlapping inference to mitigate boundary artifacts, further strengthening its denoising capability. Experimental results on the 2016 National Institutes of Health AAPM Mayo Clinic LDCT Challenge dataset demonstrate that CTLformer significantly outperforms existing methods in both denoising performance and model efficiency, greatly improving the quality of LDCT images. The proposed CTLformer not only provides an efficient solution for LDCT denoising but also shows broad potential in medical image analysis, especially for clinical applications dealing with complex noise patterns.
title CTLformer: A Hybrid Denoising Model Combining Convolutional Layers and Self-Attention for Enhanced CT Image Reconstruction
topic Image and Video Processing
Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.12203