New Technology for Computed Radiography

描述(申请人提供)：这项研究的目的是探索、开发和评估一种用于数字乳房X光摄影的新型计算机X线摄影(CR)。这种方法旨在克服当前CR技术与超理想空间分辨率和剂量效率相关的众所周知的局限性。CR技术是数字乳房X光检查的低成本方法，但由于发展速度缓慢且缺乏真正创新的方法，它从未在美国临床上使用过。拟议的方法代表着与现有技术的根本背离。它集成了现成的组件，而且集成成本可能不高。我们广泛的计算和实验工作的结果，表明良好的图像质量和剂量效率，将被用于开发包含扫描CR版的组件的原型。这将实现高光学信号捕获效率、更快的读出、良好的空间分辨率、紧凑的尺寸和低成本。将对系统的电子、光学和机械特性进行评估，以促使改进性能。人们普遍接受的方法，如调制传递函数和探测量子效率，将被应用于评估新成像系统的成像能力和整体性能。将进行门槛对比详细研究，以比较其与当前技术的性能。预计这种新的数字X射线成像方法将实现比已尝试用于数字乳房X光检查的现有最先进的CR技术更高的对比度和空间分辨率。CR技术是经济高效的数字乳房X光检查的理想选择和迫切需要，但目前的技术还没有达到这项任务所需的高图像质量标准。这项研究不仅涉及原型的开发，而且还涉及预测所提出的和其他类型的CR器件在各种条件下的性能的理论公式。这将使最先进的CR设备的开发与其他X射线成像模式相当或更好，并具有便携性和易于集成的额外优势。这种固有的低成本、高分辨率、盒式包装的CR平板阅读器的潜在影响可能非常大，因为它可以很容易地适应当前临床实践的需要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This research is aimed at exploring, developing, and evaluating a new type of computed radiography (CR) for digital mammography. This approach is designed to overcome the well-known limitations of current CR technology that are associated with supoptimal spatial resolution and dose efficiency. CR technology is the low cost approach to digital mammography but it has never been used clinically in the US due to the slow pace of development and the lack of a trully innovative approach. The proposed approach represents a radical departure from prior technology. It incorporates readily-available components, and integration can be inexpensive. The results of our extensive computational and experimental work, that suggest good image quality and dose efficiency, will be used to develop a prototype that incorporates the components for scanning CR plates. This would enable high optical signal capture efficiency, faster readout, good spatial resolution, compact size, and low cost. Evaluation of the electronic, optical and mechanical characteristics of the system will be performed that will prompt modifications for improved performance. Universally accepted methodology such as modulation transfer function and detective quantum efficiency will be applied for the evaluation of the imaging capabilities and overall performance of the new imaging system. Threshold contrast detail studies will be conducted to compare its performance with current technologies. It is anticipated that this new digital x-ray imaging approach will enable greater contrast and spatial resolution than existing state-of-the-art CR technology that has been attempted for digital mammography. CR technology is ideally suited and desperately needed for cost efficient digital mammography but the current technology has not yet met the high image quality standards that are required for this task. This research deals not only with the development of a protoype but also with the theoretical formulation to predict the performance of the proposed and aother types of CR devices under a variety of conditions. This would enable the development of state-of-the art CR devices that are equivalent or better to other x-ray imaging modalities with the added advantage of portatbility and ease of integration. The potential impact of this inherently low-cost high resolution CR plate reader in a cassette-like package can be very high as it can be easily adapted to the needs of current clinical practice.