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Content archived on 2024-05-29

Towards a clinical implementation of phase contrast radiology

Objective

Low absorption differences, leading to poor image contrast, are one of the main limitations in diagnostic radiology. This is particularly relevant in the field of mammography, where the detection of small nodules, which would result in an early detection of the disease with consequent reduction of the mortality rate, is severely affected by this limitation.

It has been demonstrated that phase contrast imaging, an innovative technique based on phase effects, has the potential of removing to a large extent this limitation, and thus of pushing forward the state-of-the-art of diagnostic radiology. The aim of the present project is the clinical implementation of phase contrast imaging.

The technique has been developed mainly in synchrotron radiation environments, which has prevented its widespread application despite the extremely high potentials: the application of the technique is in fact limited by the necessity of a high coherence in the x-ray source, as well as by the requirement of a high detector spatial re solution.

Provided that source-to-sample and source-to-detector distances are optimised, modern, high power micro-focal x-ray sources are capable of providing enough coherence: several studies have demonstrated that, while a high spatial coherence is strictly necessary, the requirements on temporal (chromatic) coherence are much more relaxed.

In addition, I recently developed, in the framework of a synchrotron radiation experiment, a technique capable of removing the limitations on the detector spatial resolution, based on the design of specific slit systems. By precisely characterizing a micro-focal source and a flat panel detector, the above technique would enable the design of set-up suited to the specific source-detector combination.

This would allow the realization of a prototype for clinical phase contrast imaging, which would have the potentials of improving, to an extent that would be carefully estimated, the state-of-the-art of diagnostic radiology.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Keywords

Topic(s)

Call for proposal

FP6-2002-MOBILITY-5
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

EIF - Marie Curie actions-Intra-European Fellowships

Coordinator

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
EU contribution
No data
Total cost
No data