Whole-body x-ray dark-field radiography of a human cadaver

Andrejewski, Jana; De Marco, Fabio; Willer, Konstantin; Noichl, Wolfgang; Gustschin, Alex; Koehler, Thomas; Meyer, Pascal; Kriner, Fabian; Fischer, Florian; Braun, Christian; Fingerle, Alexander A.; Herzen, Julia; Pfeiffer, Franz und Pfeiffer, Daniela (2021): Whole-body x-ray dark-field radiography of a human cadaver. In: European Radiology Experimental, Bd. 5, Nr. 1, 6

Abstract

BackgroundGrating-based x-ray dark-field and phase-contrast imaging allow extracting information about refraction and small-angle scatter, beyond conventional attenuation. A step towards clinical translation has recently been achieved, allowing further investigation on humans.MethodsAfter the ethics committee approval, we scanned the full body of a human cadaver in anterior-posterior orientation. Six measurements were stitched together to form the whole-body image. All radiographs were taken at a three-grating large-object x-ray dark-field scanner, each lasting about 40 s. Signal intensities of different anatomical regions were assessed. The magnitude of visibility reduction caused by beam hardening instead of small-angle scatter was analysed using different phantom materials. Maximal effective dose was 0.3 mSv for the abdomen.ResultsCombined attenuation and dark-field radiography are technically possible throughout a whole human body. High signal levels were found in several bony structures, foreign materials, and the lung. Signal levels were 0.25 0.13 (mean +/- standard deviation) for the lungs, 0.08 +/- 0.06 for the bones, 0.023 +/- 0.019 for soft tissue, and 0.30 +/- 0.02 for an antibiotic bead chain. We found that phantom materials, which do not produce small-angle scatter, can generate a strong visibility reduction signal.Conclusion We acquired a whole-body x-ray dark-field radiograph of a human body in few minutes with an effective dose in a clinical acceptable range. Our findings suggest that the observed visibility reduction in the bone and metal is dominated by beam hardening and that the true dark-field signal in the lung is therefore much higher than that of the bone.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Medizin
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• Sprache: Englisch