New Technology for Computed Radiography

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究旨在探索、开发和评估一种用于数字乳房X线摄影的新型计算机放射线摄影（CR）。这种方法旨在克服当前 CR 技术与非最佳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 线摄影的低成本方法，但由于发展速度缓慢且缺乏真正的创新方法，它从未在美国应用于临床。所提出的方法代表了与现有技术的彻底背离。它包含现成的组件，并且集成成本低廉。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，将用于开发包含扫描 CR 板组件的原型。这将实现高光信号捕获效率、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，这将促使进行修改以提高性能。 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.将进行阈值对比详细研究，以将其性能与当前技术进行比较。预计这种新的数字 X 射线成像方法将比数字乳房 X 射线照相术尝试的现有最先进 CR 技术实现更高的对比度和空间分辨率。 CR 技术非常适合且迫切需要经济高效的数字乳腺 X 线摄影，但当前技术尚未满足此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，还涉及预测所提出的和其他类型 CR 设备在各种条件下的性能的理论公式。这将有助于开发最先进的 CR 设备，这些设备与其他 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。 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.

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.