High-resolution visualization of tumours in rabbit lung using refraction contrast X-ray imaging.
Contrast enhancement by refraction was used to visualize tumours in the rabbit lung. VX2 tumour cells were intravenously injected into a rabbit. After 14 days the rabbit was euthanized and the lungs were imaged. Refraction-enhanced X-ray images were obtained with a sample-to-detector distance of 2.65-6m. The beamline BL20B2 at the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility was used for the experiment, with a monochromatic X-ray beam with an energy of 33.2 keV. In the case of projection images, it was found that refraction did not help visualization of small tumours: the nodules did not show up with sharply defined edges. In tomography, tumours with a size of 1-10mm were clearly visualized, together with blood vessels with a diameter down to 0.4mm. These results show that refraction-enhanced imaging may be useful in human lung tomography to find small tumours.
Sera
T
T
Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, SPring-8, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan. sera@riken.jp
Uesugi
K
K
Yagi
N
N
Umetani
K
K
Kobatake
M
M
Imai
S
S
D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011817:Rabbits; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D012031:Refractometry / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014056:Tomography, X-Ray / Q000379:methods*