Dark-Field Imaging on a Clinical CT System: Performance and Potential based on first Results
Gustschin N, Viermetz M, Schmid C, Haeusele J, Bergner F, Lasser T, Koehler T, Pfeiffer F (2022)
Publication Type: Conference contribution
Publication year: 2022
Journal
Publisher: SPIE
Book Volume: 12304
Conference Proceedings Title: Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Event location: Virtual, Online
ISBN: 9781510656697
DOI: 10.1117/12.2646988
Abstract
X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been established as a daily tool in clinical diagnostics and has been continuously refined by more recent innovations in the last years. These systems are, however, limited by fundamental constraints since they are only capable of mapping X-ray attenuation differences in the tissue. Phase-contrast and dark-field imaging provide complementary contrast, which originates from physically different interaction processes of X-rays with matter. Particularly the dark-field signal is considered to have significant diagnostic potential since it is capable to retrieve micro-structural information below the actual resolution limit of the imaging system. This was demonstrated in various laboratory setups and recently also in the fist study with human patients in a clinical radiography system based on a grating interferometer. In a recent work, we presented the first implementation of such an X-ray interferometer into a clinical CT gantry. Upscaling and adapting this technology for a rotating CT gantry involves several challenges and tradeoffs ranging from limitations in interferometer design over fast, continuous signal acquisition requirements to tolerances in applied patient dose. In this work we discuss the performance of the first clinical dark-field CT prototype. For this purpose, we present results of our phantom studies which were designed to evaluate whether and how the dark-field contrast generated by the system is capable to provide additional structural sample information. The key aspects include the possibility of quantitative imaging and a gradual approach to simulate results that come as close as possible to a real application in a human patient.
Involved external institutions
Germany (DE)
Netherlands (NL)How to cite
APA:
Gustschin, N., Viermetz, M., Schmid, C., Haeusele, J., Bergner, F., Lasser, T.,... Pfeiffer, F. (2022). Dark-Field Imaging on a Clinical CT System: Performance and Potential based on first Results. In Joseph Webster Stayman (Eds.), Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering. Virtual, Online: SPIE.
MLA:
Gustschin, Nikolai, et al. "Dark-Field Imaging on a Clinical CT System: Performance and Potential based on first Results." Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Image Formation in X-Ray Computed Tomography, Virtual, Online Ed. Joseph Webster Stayman, SPIE, 2022.
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