Functional imaging of tumor vasculature using iodine and gadolinium-based nanoparticle contrast agents: a comparison of spectral micro-CT using energy integrating and photon counting detectors.

Functional imaging of tumor vasculature using iodine and gadolinium-based nanoparticle contrast agents: a comparison of spectral micro-CT using energy integrating and photon counting detectors. Phys Med Biol. 2019 Feb 01;: Authors: Badea CT, Clark DP, Holbrook M, Srivastava M, Mowery Y, Ghaghada KB Abstract Advances in computed tomography (CT) hardware have propelled the development of novel CT contrast agents. In particular, the spectral capabilities of X-ray CT can facilitate simultaneous imaging of multiple contrast agents. This approach is particularly useful for functional imaging of solid tumors by simultaneous visualization of multiple targets or architectural features that govern cancer development and progression. Nanoparticles are a promising platform for contrast agent development. While several novel imaging moieties based on high atomic number elements are being explored, iodine (I) and gadolinium (Gd) are particularly attractive because of their existing approval for clinical use. In this work, we investigate the in vivo discrimination of I and Gd nanoparticle contrast agents using both dual energy micro-CT with energy integrating detectors (DE-EID) and photon counting detector (PCD)-based spectral micro-CT. Simulations and phantom experiments were performed using varying concentrations of I and Gd to determine the imaging performance with optimized acquisition parameters. Quantitative spectral micro-CT imaging using li...
Source: Physics in Medicine and Biology - Category: Physics Authors: Tags: Phys Med Biol Source Type: research