Open AccessA feasibility study of X‐ray phase‐contrast mammographic tomography at the Imaging and Medical beamline of the Australian Synchrotron
Author(s) -
Nesterets Yakov I.,
Gureyev Timur E.,
Mayo Sheridan C.,
Stevenson Andrew W.,
Thompson Darren,
Brown Jeremy M. C.,
Kitchen Marcus J.,
Pavlov Konstantin M.,
Lockie Darren,
Brun Francesco,
Tromba Giuliana
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of synchrotron radiation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 99
ISSN - 1600-5775
DOI - 10.1107/s160057751501766x
Subject(s) - beamline , imaging phantom , synchrotron radiation , detector , synchrotron , phase contrast imaging , breast imaging , medical imaging , optics , materials science , tomography , image resolution , nuclear medicine , medical physics , mammography , medicine , phase contrast microscopy , radiology , physics , beam (structure) , cancer , breast cancer
Results are presented of a recent experiment at the Imaging and Medical beamline of the Australian Synchrotron intended to contribute to the implementation of low‐dose high‐sensitivity three‐dimensional mammographic phase‐contrast imaging, initially at synchrotrons and subsequently in hospitals and medical imaging clinics. The effect of such imaging parameters as X‐ray energy, source size, detector resolution, sample‐to‐detector distance, scanning and data processing strategies in the case of propagation‐based phase‐contrast computed tomography (CT) have been tested, quantified, evaluated and optimized using a plastic phantom simulating relevant breast‐tissue characteristics. Analysis of the data collected using a Hamamatsu CMOS Flat Panel Sensor, with a pixel size of 100 µm, revealed the presence of propagation‐based phase contrast and demonstrated significant improvement of the quality of phase‐contrast CT imaging compared with conventional (absorption‐based) CT, at medically acceptable radiation doses.