Whole-body x-ray dark-field radiography of a human cadaver

European Radiology Experimental

Wolfgang Noichl¹  Konstantin Willer¹  Franz Pfeiffer¹  Fabio De Marco¹  Jana Andrejewski¹  Julia Herzen¹  Alex Gustschin¹  Daniela Pfeiffer²  Alexander A. Fingerle²  Florian Fischer³  Christian Braun³  Fabian Kriner³  Pascal Meyer⁴  Thomas Koehler⁵ 

[1] Chair of Biomedical Physics, Department of Physics and Munich School of BioEngineering, Technical University of Munich;Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Technical University of Munich;Institut für Rechtsmedizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München;Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology;Philips Research;

关键词: Dark-field imaging;    Human body;    Radiography;    Whole-body imaging;    X-rays;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s41747-020-00201-1

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Abstract Background Grating-based x-ray dark-field and phase-contrast imaging allow extracting information about refraction and small-angle scatter, beyond conventional attenuation. A step towards clinical translation has recently been achieved, allowing further investigation on humans. Methods After the ethics committee approval, we scanned the full body of a human cadaver in anterior-posterior orientation. Six measurements were stitched together to form the whole-body image. All radiographs were taken at a three-grating large-object x-ray dark-field scanner, each lasting about 40 s. Signal intensities of different anatomical regions were assessed. The magnitude of visibility reduction caused by beam hardening instead of small-angle scatter was analysed using different phantom materials. Maximal effective dose was 0.3 mSv for the abdomen. Results Combined attenuation and dark-field radiography are technically possible throughout a whole human body. High signal levels were found in several bony structures, foreign materials, and the lung. Signal levels were 0.25 ± 0.13 (mean ± standard deviation) for the lungs, 0.08 ± 0.06 for the bones, 0.023 ± 0.019 for soft tissue, and 0.30 ± 0.02 for an antibiotic bead chain. We found that phantom materials, which do not produce small-angle scatter, can generate a strong visibility reduction signal. Conclusion We acquired a whole-body x-ray dark-field radiograph of a human body in few minutes with an effective dose in a clinical acceptable range. Our findings suggest that the observed visibility reduction in the bone and metal is dominated by beam hardening and that the true dark-field signal in the lung is therefore much higher than that of the bone.

【 授权许可】

Unknown