Experimental optimization of the energy for breast-CT with synchrotron radiation

Oliva, Piernicola; Trapani, Vittorio Di; Arfelli, Fulvia; Brombal, Luca; Donato, Sandro; Golosio, Bruno; Longo, Renata; Mettivier, Giovanni; Rigon, Luigi; Taibi, Angelo; Tromba, Giuliana; Zanconati, Fabrizio; Delogu, Pasquale

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-74607-7

Cited by 14 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 51 publications

(75 reference statements)

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“…45 Similarly, in PB-CT, an optimum energy can minimize the amount of noise perceived in an image at an acceptable radiation dose. Oliva et al 33 recently concluded that an optimum energy range of 26 to 28 keV produced the highest CNR, complementing the results of Delogu et al, 34 who discovered that the highest quality images were created by 28 keV x-rays. However, these two studies applied a different detector, namely Pixirad-8 photon-counting detector with 60 μm pitch in a honeycomb matrix, from the one used in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…32 There is limited research specifically underlining the most suitable x-ray energy for PB-CT, and the work that has been done has produced varying results. Recent studies by Oliva et al 33 and Delogu et al 34 discovered an optimum energy range between 26 and 28 keV for an ideal detector. Some studies claim that energies of around 32 to 35 keV are most appropriate, 30,31 but these studies have not examined x-ray energies lower than 32 keV.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of x-ray energy on the radiological image quality in propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography of the breast

et al. 2021

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Purpose: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in developing and developed countries and is responsible for 15% of women's cancer deaths worldwide. Conventional absorption-based breast imaging techniques lack sufficient contrast for comprehensive diagnosis. Propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography (PB-CT) is a developing technique that exploits a more contrast-sensitive property of x-rays: x-ray refraction. X-ray absorption, refraction, and contrast-to-noise in the corresponding images depend on the x-ray energy used, for the same/fixed radiation dose. The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship between xray energy and radiological image quality in PB-CT imaging.Approach: Thirty-nine mastectomy samples were scanned at the imaging and medical beamline at the Australian Synchrotron. Samples were scanned at various x-ray energies of 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, and 60 keV using a Hamamatsu Flat Panel detector at the same object-to-detector distance of 6 m and mean glandular dose of 4 mGy. A total of 132 image sets were produced for analysis. Seven observers rated PB-CT images against absorption-based CT (AB-CT) images of the same samples on a five-point scale. A visual grading characteristics (VGC) study was used to determine the difference in image quality.Results: PB-CT images produced at 28, 30, 32, and 34 keV x-ray energies demonstrated statistically significant higher image quality than reference AB-CT images. The optimum x-ray energy, 30 keV, displayed the largest area under the curve ðAUC VGC Þ of 0.754 (p ¼ 0.009). This was followed by 32 keV (AUC VGC ¼ 0.731, p ≤ 0.001), 34 keV (AUC VGC ¼ 0.723, p ≤ 0.001), and 28 keV (AUC VGC ¼ 0.654, p ¼ 0.015).Conclusions: An optimum energy range (around 30 keV) in the PB-CT technique allows for higher image quality at a dose comparable to conventional mammographic techniques. This results in improved radiological image quality compared with conventional techniques, which may ultimately lead to higher diagnostic efficacy and a reduction in breast cancer mortalities.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of x-ray energy on the radiological image quality in propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography of the breast

et al. 2021

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“…A full volume acquisition is obtained via subsequent 180-degree scans performed at different vertical positions 42 , each of a duration of 40 seconds or less, resulting in an expected total examination time of 5 to 10 minutes. According to breast dimension and glandularity, the x-ray energy is selected between 25 and 30 keV 43 , with a target mean glandular dose delivery of 5 mGy or less. A detailed description of this breast CT project was recently reported 12 .…”

Section: Iia Synchrotron Radiation Breast Ctmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motion artifacts assessment and correction using optical tracking in synchrotron radiation breast CT

et al. 2021

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The SYRMA-3D collaboration is setting up a breast computed tomography (bCT) clinical program at the Elettra synchrotron radiation facility in Trieste, Italy.Unlike the few dedicated scanners available at hospitals, synchrotron radiation bCT requires the patient's rotation, which in turn implies a long scan duration (from tens of seconds to few minutes). At the same time, it allows the achievement of high spatial resolution. These features make synchrotron radiation bCT prone to motion artifacts.This article aims at assessing and compensating for motion artifacts through an optical tracking approach.Methods: In this study, patients' movements due to breathing have been first assessed on 7 volunteers and then simulated during the CT scans of a breast phantom and a surgical specimen, by adding a periodic oscillatory motion (constant speed, 1 mm amplitude, 12 cycles/minute). CT scans were carried out at 28 keV with a mean glandular dose of 5 mGy. Motion artifacts were evaluated and a correction algorithm based on the optical tracking of fiducial marks was introduced. A quantitative analysis based on the structural similarity (SSIM) index and the normalized mean square error (nMSE) was performed on the reconstructed CT images.Results: CT images reconstructed through the optical tracking procedure were found to be as good as the motionless reference image. Moreover, the analysis of SSIM and nMSE demonstrated that an uncorrected motion of the order of the system's point spread function (around 0.1 mm in the present case) can be tolerated. Conclusions:Results suggest that a motion correction procedure based on an optical tracking system would be beneficial in synchrotron-radiation breast CT.

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“…Indeed, micro-CT has proven to be useful for virtual dissections, 3D reconstruction and morphological descriptions of the head [ 1 , 2 ], muscles [ 2 , 3 , 4 ], brain [ 5 ], digestive [ 6 , 7 ] and reproductive [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ] systems, as well as insect fossils [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Moreover, Synchrotron radiation X-ray phase-contrast microtomography (SR-PhC micro-CT) allows the use of high-resolution imaging coupled with segmentation, for 3D morphological analyses with high image contrast-to-noise ratios in biological tissues, and does not require the use of contrast agents, even in samples with weak X-ray absorption [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. In recent decades, it has been applied as a non-invasive technique to observe external and internal anatomical structures of living insects [ 20 , 21 ], and specimens immersed in ethanol after fixation [ 2 , 6 ] or embedded in amber [ 22 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Compound Eyes in Adults of Four Coleopteran Species Using Synchrotron X-ray Phase-Contrast Microtomography (SR-PhC Micro-CT)

Giglio

Vommaro

Agostino

et al. 2022

Life

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Compound eyes in insects are primary visual receptors of surrounding environments. They show considerable design variations, from the apposition vision of most day-active species to the superposition vision of nocturnal insects, that sacrifice resolution to increase sensitivity and are able to overcome the challenges of vision during lightless hours or in dim habitats. In this study, Synchrotron radiation X-ray phase-contrast microtomography was used to describe the eye structure of four coleopteran species, showing species-specific habitat demands and different feeding habits, namely the saproxylic Clinidium canaliculatum (Costa, 1839) (Rhysodidae), the omnivorous Tenebrio molitor (Linnaeus, 1758) and Tribolium castaneum (Herbest, 1797) (Tenebrionidae), and the generalist predator Pterostichus melas italicus (Dejean, 1828) (Carabidae). Virtual sections and 3D volume renderings of the heads were performed to evaluate the application and limitations of this technique for studying the internal dioptrical and sensorial parts of eyes, and to avoid time-consuming methods such as ultrastructural analyses and classic histology. Morphological parameters such as the area of the corneal facet lens and cornea, interocular distance, facet density and corneal lens thickness were measured, and differences among the studied species were discussed concerning the differences in lifestyle and habitat preferences making different demands on the visual system. Our imaging results provide, for the first time, morphological descriptions of the compound eyes in these species, supplementing their ecological and behavioural traits.

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Experimental optimization of the energy for breast-CT with synchrotron radiation

Cited by 14 publications

References 51 publications

Effect of x-ray energy on the radiological image quality in propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography of the breast

Effect of x-ray energy on the radiological image quality in propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography of the breast

Motion artifacts assessment and correction using optical tracking in synchrotron radiation breast CT

Exploring Compound Eyes in Adults of Four Coleopteran Species Using Synchrotron X-ray Phase-Contrast Microtomography (SR-PhC Micro-CT)

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