Advancements towards the implementation of clinical phase-contrast breast computed tomography at Elettra
Breast computed tomography (BCT) is an emerging application of X-ray tomography in radiological practice. A few clinical prototypes are under evaluation in hospitals and new systems are under development aiming at improving spatial and contrast resolution and reducing delivered dose. At the same time, synchrotron-radiation phase-contrast mammography has been demonstrated to offer substantial advantages when compared with conventional mammography. At Elettra, the Italian synchrotron radiation facility, a clinical program of phase-contrast BCT based on the free-space propagation approach is under development. In this paper, full-volume breast samples imaged with a beam energy of 32 keV delivering a mean glandular dose of 5 mGy are presented. The whole acquisition setup mimics a clinical study in order to evaluate its feasibility in terms of acquisition time and image quality. Acquisitions are performed using a high-resolution CdTe photon-counting detector and the projection data are processed via a phase-retrieval algorithm. Tomographic reconstructions are compared with conventional mammographic images acquired prior to surgery and with histologic examinations. Results indicate that BCT with monochromatic beam and free-space propagation phase-contrast imaging provide relevant three-dimensional insights of breast morphology at clinically acceptable doses and scan times.
Source: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation - Category: Physics Authors: Longo, R. Arfelli, F. Bonazza, D. Bottigli, U. Brombal, L. Contillo, A. Cova, M.A. Delogu, P. Di Lillo, F. Di Trapani, V. Donato, S. Dreossi, D. Fanti, V. Fedon, C. Golosio, B. Mettivier, G. Oliva, P. Pacil è , S. Sarno, A. Rigon, L. Russo, P. Taibi, A. Tags: breast CT phase contrast free space propagation single photon counting research papers Source Type: research