Final Report Summary - PHASEX (Phase contrast X-ray imaging for medicine)
Phase contrast and scattering-based X-ray imaging can potentially revolutionize the radiological approach to medical imaging because they are intrinsically capable of detecting subtle differences in the electron density of a material and of measuring the effective integrated local small-angle scattering power generated by the microscopic density fluctuations in the specimen. Therefore, phase contrast techniques are expected to yield improved diagnostic capabilities when compared to conventional methods. Further, phase imaging could theoretically be performed at slightly higher X-ray energies compared to classical absorption imaging, resulting in a lower dose deposition. This is a fundamental advantage of phase imaging with respect to absorption-based techniques and of crucial importance when diagnostic or even screening applications are envisaged. Recording X-ray phase contrast signals has proven to be quite difficult, essentially because of the need to coherently illuminate the sample, an exclusive feature of third generation synchrotron facilities rather than of conventional X-ray sources. Coherent illumination is the prerequisite for generating interference phenomena, which are at the basis of many phase sensitive imaging techniques. Recently, it has been shown that – in principle – grating-based X-ray interferometry can efficiently yield phase contrast images using conventional X-ray sources. However, many physical aspects remain unsolved preventing this technique from being routinely used in a clinical environment. Further, clinical relevance of the new gathered information still needs to be verified before the novel approach can make it into every hospital.
The overall goal of this grant was to introduce grating-based phase contrast enhanced X-ray imaging as a novel diagnostic tool in human medicine. In the first phase of the project, we have been gaining fundamental knowledge to master medium-to-high energy grating-based phase contrast imaging (including gratings fabrication) and develop novel radiological equipment at the demonstrator/prototype level to perform phase contrast enhanced investigations at the pre-clinical stage. In a second phase, we have further refined our tools in order to implement them into a clinically compatible device for enhanced breast imaging. In this area there is a strong need for radiological investigations with improved tissue density discrimination, specifically for early breast cancer detection. The system will be used for first-of-their kind clinical trials to assess the clinical added value of phase- and dark-field imaging in breast diagnostics.
The overall goal of this grant was to introduce grating-based phase contrast enhanced X-ray imaging as a novel diagnostic tool in human medicine. In the first phase of the project, we have been gaining fundamental knowledge to master medium-to-high energy grating-based phase contrast imaging (including gratings fabrication) and develop novel radiological equipment at the demonstrator/prototype level to perform phase contrast enhanced investigations at the pre-clinical stage. In a second phase, we have further refined our tools in order to implement them into a clinically compatible device for enhanced breast imaging. In this area there is a strong need for radiological investigations with improved tissue density discrimination, specifically for early breast cancer detection. The system will be used for first-of-their kind clinical trials to assess the clinical added value of phase- and dark-field imaging in breast diagnostics.