Methods for optimal design of new detectors for advanced medical-imaging procedures

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Due to the health risks associated with exposure to x rays in medical diagnostic procedures, it is essential that x-ray detectors be designed to produce the best possible images while exposing the patient to the lowest acceptable levels of radiation. This balance between image quality and x-ray exposure on the detector is described by the "detective quantum efficiency" (DQE) of the detector and is particularly important in computed tomography (CT) imaging which is now responsible for half of all diagnostic medical exposures in North America. A new generation of detectors is currently under development that can measure the energy of x-ray photons for use in advanced imaging procedures including CT. While it is essential that these systems be designed to ensure low dose to patients, the tools required to develop optimal designs are primitive and inadequate for the task. As a consequence, we believe some detectors currently under have little chance of success, while others are not being developed to exploit the full potential of these advanced applications.