A novel quantitative imaging technique for material differentiation based on differential phase contrast CT

Zhihua Qi; Joseph Zambelli; Nicholas Bevins; Guang-Hong Chen

doi:10.1117/12.844536

22 March 2010 A novel quantitative imaging technique for material differentiation based on differential phase contrast CT

Zhihua Qi, Joseph Zambelli, Nicholas Bevins, Guang-Hong Chen

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7622, Medical Imaging 2010: Physics of Medical Imaging; 76220O (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.844536
Event: SPIE Medical Imaging, 2010, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Compared to single energy CT, which provides information only about the x-ray linear attenuation coefficients, dual energy CT is able to obtain the electron density and effective atomic number for different materials in a quantitative way. In this study, as an alternative to dual energy CT, a novel quantitative imaging method based on phase contrast CT is described. Rather than requiring two scans with different x-ray photon energies, diffraction grating-based phase contrast CT is capable of reconstructing images of both the linear attenuation and refractive index decrement from a single scan. From the two images, quantitative information of both the electron density and effective atomic number can be extracted. Experimental results demonstrate that: (1) electron density can be accurately determined from refractive index decrement through a linear relationship; and (2) effective atomic number can be explicitly derived from the ratio of linear attenuation to refractive index decrement, using a simple function, i.e., a power function plus a constant. The presented method will shed insight into the field of material separation and find its use in medical and non-medical applications.

Citation Download Citation

Zhihua Qi, Joseph Zambelli, Nicholas Bevins, and Guang-Hong Chen "A novel quantitative imaging technique for material differentiation based on differential phase contrast CT", Proc. SPIE 7622, Medical Imaging 2010: Physics of Medical Imaging, 76220O (22 March 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.844536

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