The introduction of spectral CT imaging in the form of fast clinical dual-energy CT enabled contrast material to be differentiated from other radiodense materials, improved lesion detection in contrast-enhanced scans, and changed the way that existing iodine and barium contrast materials are used in clinical practice. More profoundly, spectral CT can differentiate between individual contrast materials that have different reporter elements such that high-resolution CT imaging of multiple contrast agents can be obtained in a single pass of the CT scanner. These spectral CT capabilities would be even more impactful with the development of contrast materials designed to complement the existing clinical iodine- and barium-based agents. New biocompatible high-atomic number contrast materials with different biodistribution and X-ray attenuation properties than existing agents will expand the diagnostic power of spectral CT imaging without penalties in radiation dose or scan time.

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Purpose:To quantify the computed tomographic (CT) image contrast produced by potentially useful contrast material elements in clinically relevant imaging conditions. Materials and Methods:Equal mass concentrations (grams of active element per milliliter of solution) of seven radiodense elements, including iodine, barium, gadolinium, tantalum, ytterbium, gold, and bismuth, were formulated as compounds in aqueous solutions. The compounds were chosen such that the active element dominated the x-ray attenuation of the solution. The solutions were imaged within a modified 32-cm CT dose index phantom at 80, 100, 120, and 140 kVp at CT. To simulate larger body sizes, 0.2-, 0.5-, and 1.0-mmthick copper filters were applied. CT image contrast was measured and corrected for measured concentrations and presence of chlorine in some compounds. Results:Each element tested provided higher image contrast than iodine at some tube potential levels. Over the range of tube potentials that are clinically practical for averagesized and larger adults-that is, 100 kVp and higher-barium, gadolinium, ytterbium, and tantalum provided consistently increased image contrast compared with iodine, respectively demonstrating 39%, 56%, 34%, and 24% increases at 100 kVp; 39%, 66%, 53%, and 46% increases at 120 kVp; and 40%, 72%, 65%, and 60% increases at 140 kVp, with no added x-ray filter. Conclusion:The consistently high image contrast produced with 100-140 kVp by tantalum compared with bismuth and iodine at equal mass concentration suggests that tantalum could potentially be favorable for use as a clinical CT contrast agent.q RSNA, 2015

Completely or partially disconnected electrodes are a fairly common occurrence in many EIT clinical applications. Several factors can contribute to electrode disconnection: patient movement, perspiration, manipulations by clinical staff and defective electrode leads or electronics. By corrupting several measurements, faulty electrodes introduce significant image artifacts. In order to properly manage faulty electrodes, it is necessary to 1) account for invalid data in image reconstruction algorithms and 2) automatically detect faulty electrodes. This paper presents a two-part approach for real-time management of faulty electrodes based on the principle of voltage-current reciprocity. The first part allows accounting for faulty electrodes in EIT image reconstruction without a priori knowledge of which electrodes are at fault. The method properly weights each measurement according to its compliance with the principle of voltage-current reciprocity. Results show that the algorithm is able to automatically determine the valid portion of the data and use it to calculate high quality images. The second part of the approach allows automatic realtime detection of at least one faulty electrode with 100% sensitivity and two faulty electrodes with 80% sensitivity enabling the clinical staff to fix the problem as soon as possible to minimize data loss.

Electrical properties of tissues in the human body can be imaged using a technology known as Electrical Impedance Tomography. In this modality, sinusoidal electrical currents are applied to the body using electrodes attached to the skin, and voltages that are developed on the electrodes are measured. Using these data, a reconstruction algorithm computes the conductivity and permittivity distributions within the body. This paper describes the reconstruction algorithm, image display algorithm, and hardware of a real-time Electrical Impedance Tomograph known as the Real-Time Imaging System. The reconstruction algorithm, executed by a commercially available coprocessor board that resides in a 386-based personal computer, is a modification of the Newton's One Step Error Reconstructor (NOSER) that minimizes algorithm execution time by precomputing many quantities. The image display algorithm, also executed by the coprocessor board, maps the output of the reconstruction algorithm into an image which is displayed using a video graphics board. The architecture of the system and execution times of algorithms implemented by the system are discussed. Using the continuous data acquisition mode of the Real-Time Imaging System, data from the thorax of a normal human subject were collected. Admittivity changes in the chest, as a result of respiration and the cardiac cycle, are presented. Data that were collected from the leg of a normal subject are shown which demonstrate capabilities of the triggered data acquisition mode of the system, allowing data acquisition synchronization with an electrocardiogram.