Ex vivo high-resolution hybrid micro-CT imaging using photon counting and energy integrating detectors

A. J. Allphin; R. Nadkarni; D. P. Clark; C. T. Badea

doi:10.1117/12.2654370

10 April 2023 Ex vivo high-resolution hybrid micro-CT imaging using photon counting and energy integrating detectors

A. J. Allphin, R. Nadkarni, D. P. Clark, C. T. Badea

Proceedings Volume 12468, Medical Imaging 2023: Biomedical Applications in Molecular, Structural, and Functional Imaging; 124680V (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2654370
Event: SPIE Medical Imaging, 2023, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Spectral micro-CT shows great potential to provide accurate material composition by utilizing the energy dependence of x-ray attenuation in different materials. This is especially well-suited for pre-clinical imaging using nanoparticle-based contrast agents in situations where quantitative material decomposition helps probe processes which are otherwise limited by poor soft tissue contrast. Our group has developed multiple generations of pre-clinical prototype PCCT systems and applied them in cancer and cardiac studies using nanoparticle contrast agents. This work aims to describe and assess the performance of a hybrid system for ex vivo high-resolution micro-CT using photon counting and energy integrating detectors. Both phantom and ex vivo mouse micro-CT data were reconstructed using our iterative, multi-channel algorithm based on the split Bregman method and regularization with rank-sparse kernel regression. A post-reconstruction spectral decomposition method was used. The system is capable of high resolution (15.6 lp/mm, 10% MTF) tomographic imaging. Despite the anti-coincidence corrections, the spectral performance of the PCD is, however, not perfect. Preliminary results show that adding energy integrating data to the PCD scan reduces the prevalence of certain PCD-specific artifacts and offers the potential for various hybrid approaches to PCD corrections. We also show that our spectral hybrid micro-CT separates calcified plaques from the iodine accumulation in our atherosclerosis mouse model. This is not possible in the EID-based CT imaging. Such hybrid spectral micro-CT will benefit both nanotechnology and imaging developments by providing an ex vivo high resolution imaging method that can validate experiments in theranostics.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

A. J. Allphin, R. Nadkarni, D. P. Clark, and C. T. Badea "Ex vivo high-resolution hybrid micro-CT imaging using photon counting and energy integrating detectors", Proc. SPIE 12468, Medical Imaging 2023: Biomedical Applications in Molecular, Structural, and Functional Imaging, 124680V (10 April 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2654370

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