title: Phase-Contrast Hounsfield Units of Fixated and Non-Fixated Soft-Tissue Samples.
abstract: X-ray phase-contrast imaging is a novel technology that achieves high soft-tissue contrast. Although its clinical impact is still under investigation, the technique may potentially improve clinical diagnostics. In conventional attenuation-based X-ray computed tomography, radiological diagnostics are quantified by Hounsfield units. Corresponding Hounsfield units for phase-contrast imaging have been recently introduced, enabling a setup-independent comparison and standardized interpretation of imaging results. Thus far, the experimental values of few tissue types have been reported; these values have been determined from fixated tissue samples. This study presents phase-contrast Hounsfield units for various types of non-fixated human soft tissues. A large variety of tissue specimens ranging from adipose, muscle and connective tissues to liver, kidney and pancreas tissues were imaged by a grating interferometer with a rotating-anode X-ray tube and a photon-counting detector. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of formalin fixation on the quantitative phase-contrast imaging results.
authors: Department of Physics & Institute of Medical Engineering, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors: Marian
authors: M
authors: Willner
authors: Department of Physics & Institute of Medical Engineering, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors: Gabriel
authors: G
authors: Fior
authors: Department of Physics & Institute of Medical Engineering, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors: Mathias
authors: M
authors: Marschner
authors: Department of Physics & Institute of Medical Engineering, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors: Lorenz
authors: L
authors: Birnbacher
authors: Department of Physics & Institute of Medical Engineering, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors: Jonathan
authors: J
authors: Schock
authors: Institute of Forensic Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Braun
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Alexander A
authors: AA
authors: Fingerle
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Peter B
authors: PB
authors: Noël
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany.
authors: Ernst J
authors: EJ
authors: Rummeny
authors: Department of Physics & Institute of Medical Engineering, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors: Franz
authors: F
authors: Pfeiffer
authors: Department of Physics & Institute of Medical Engineering, Technische Universität München, Garching, Germany.
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Herzen
mesh_terms: D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000502:physiology; D008099:Liver / Q000502:physiology; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast / Q000379:methods; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology; D010179:Pancreas / Q000502:physiology; D017785:Photons; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction / Q000379:methods