SBIR Phase I: NARROW-BEAM DEDICATED BREAST COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

这个SBIR一期项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是改善致密乳房妇女的癌症检测和诊断，这在每年接受筛查的4000万妇女中占很大比例。乳房致密的妇女患癌症的风险更低，而且被过度诊断。这种风险来自于目前可用的x射线成像技术的局限性：乳房x线照相术、断层合成术和乳腺CT。提出的技术利用了CT成像科学的优势-优于乳房x线照相术和断层合成-同时结合了CT图像采集的创新。该技术将提供高质量的乳房三维图像，在与现有乳腺癌筛查标准相当的辐射水平下，提供高可见度的微钙化（癌症的微小痕迹）。这项技术有可能减轻误诊的经济负担，而不会给患者带来新的风险。拟议的项目启动了一种新的乳房断层成像形式的发展，建立在发现无散射x射线图像可以提高小微钙化的可见性的基础上。提出的设计克服了乳房x线照相术和断层合成的局限性——主要是健康组织掩盖癌症——以及现有乳腺CT的局限性，包括微钙化可视性差、乳房后方解剖覆盖范围有限、筛查剂量水平下图像质量不足。所建议的CT设计最大限度地减少了对患者的剂量暴露，并提供了几乎无散射的获得的原始数据。这些改进使图像质量更高，微钙化可见性更强。该SBIR第一阶段项目的总体目标是为改进的研究和模拟建立一个原型。在样机开发的第一阶段，将采用准直器和屏蔽装置来控制散射和剂量。在第二阶段，该设备将被整合到现有的功能性乳房CT扫描仪中。性能目标包括与现有方法相比，将平均大小乳房的辐射剂量减少多达30%，实现近无散射图像采集，并提高小微钙化的可见性。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This broader impact/commercial potential of this SBIR Phase I project is to improve detection and diagnosis of cancer in women with dense breasts, a significant fraction of the 40 million women screened annually. Women with dense breasts are at greater risk for low cancer detection and overdiagnosis of disease. This risk arises from limitations in the x-ray imaging techniques currently available to them: mammography, tomosynthesis and breast CT. The proposed technology utilizes the benefits of CT imaging science - advantageous over mammography and tomosynthesis - while incorporating innovations in CT image acquisition. The technology will deliver high quality three-dimensional images of the breast providing high visibility of microcalcifications (small traces of cancer) at radiation levels on par with existing breast cancer screening standards. This technology has the potential to reduce the financial burdens of misdiagnosis without introducing new risks to the patient. The proposed project initiates development of a new form of tomographic breast imaging, built upon the discovery that scatter-free x-ray images result in improved visibility of small microcalcifications. The proposed design overcomes limitations of mammography and tomosynthesis - primarily the masking of cancer by healthy tissue - and limitations of existing breast CT that include poor microcalcification visibility, limited posterior breast anatomy coverage, and inadequate image quality at screening dose levels. The proposed CT design minimizes dose exposure to the patient and delivers acquired raw data that are near scatter-free. These improvements result in higher quality images with greater microcalcification visibility. The overarching objective of this SBIR Phase 1 project is to build a prototype for improved study and simulation. In the first stage of prototype development, a collimator and shielding apparatus will be implemented to control scatter and dose. In the second stage, this apparatus will be incorporated into an existing, functional breast CT scanner. Performance objectives include a reduction in radiation dose to an average-sized breast by as much as 30% over existing methods, achievement of near scatter-free image acquisition, and improved visibility of small microcalcifications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.