title: The electron density of bone for inhomogeneity correction in radiotherapy planning using CT numbers.
abstract: A CT scanner has been used to measure the electron density of a range of bone types in vivo. It is shown that there is a linear relationship between the CT number of bone and its electron density, which is expected theoretically if different bone types are treated as a variable mixture of osseous material and marrow. A method of calibrating any CT scanner using a simply prepared solution is proposed, which should enable electron densities of bone to be estimated from CT numbers with an accuracy of 5%.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002138:Calibration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed