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Thermoacoustic computed tomography–technical considerations
Author(s) -
Kruger Robert A.,
Reinecke Daniel R.,
Kruger Gabe A.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.598688
Subject(s) - thermoacoustics , scanner , transducer , acoustics , iterative reconstruction , tomography , medical imaging , computed tomography , soft tissue , physics , optics , biomedical engineering , materials science , radiology , medicine
We have constructed a thermoacoustic computed tomography scanner for imaging soft tissue in the human body. Thermoacoustic signals are induced in soft tissue by irradiation with 434 MHz rf energy. The thermoacoustic signals are detected by an array of transducers mounted on a hemispherical bowl. A three‐dimensional, filtered backprojection algorithm is used to reconstruct rf absorption patterns within soft tissue. We have demonstrated soft tissue differentiation sufficient to delineate the normal internal structures of an excised lamb kidney using safe levels of rf radiation.