A reverse cupping-like artifact, where the central image appears relatively hyperdense compared to the periphery, was observed in abdominal CT scans of 2 patients and reproduced in a phantom model.
Case Report (n=2)
Identifies and explains a 'reverse cupping-like' beam-hardening artifact in CT imaging, which can help radiologists avoid misinterpretation.
The interaction of polychromatic X-ray beam with highly attenuating material leads to beam hardening which may manifest as “cupping” artifact, where the central part of the image appears relatively hypodense as compared to the periphery, a phenomenon arising out of the monochromatic beam assumption of the reconstruction algorithms. The presence of a central hyperattenuating structure with a surrounding homogeneous medium and a sufficient peripheral-to-central distance may result in a “reverse cupping-like” variant of the beam-hardening artifact, in which the central part of the image appears relatively hyperdense compared to the peripheral part. In this report, we describe a “reverse cupping-like” artifact observed in CT scans of the abdomens of 2 patients and reproduce the findings in a phantom experiment. We attempt to unearth the physical underpinnings of this phenomenon.
Choudhary et al. (2026) conducted a case report in CT scan artifact (n=2). CT scan and phantom experiment was evaluated on Observation and reproduction of reverse cupping-like artifact. A reverse cupping-like artifact, where the central image appears relatively hyperdense compared to the periphery, was observed in abdominal CT scans of 2 patients and reproduced in a phantom model.