Quantum optimization algorithms for CT image segmentation from X-ray data

Abstract: Computed tomography (CT) is an important imaging technique used in medical analysis of the internal structure of the human body. Previously, image segmentation methods were required after acquiring reconstructed CT images to obtain segmented CT images which made it susceptible to errors from both reconstruction and segmentation algorithms. However, this paper introduces a new approach using an advanced quantum optimization algorithm called quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO). This algorithm enables acquisition of segmented CT images from X-ray projection data with minimized discrepancies between experimentally obtained sinograms and quantized sinograms derived from quantized segmented CT images using the Radon transform. This study utilized D-Wave's hybrid solver system for verification on real-world X-ray data.