title: A feasibility study of X-ray phase-contrast mammographic tomography at the Imaging and Medical beamline of the Australian Synchrotron.
abstract: Results are presented of a recent experiment at the Imaging and Medical beamline of the Australian Synchrotron intended to contribute to the implementation of low-dose high-sensitivity three-dimensional mammographic phase-contrast imaging, initially at synchrotrons and subsequently in hospitals and medical imaging clinics. The effect of such imaging parameters as X-ray energy, source size, detector resolution, sample-to-detector distance, scanning and data processing strategies in the case of propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography (CT) have been tested, quantified, evaluated and optimized using a plastic phantom simulating relevant breast-tissue characteristics. Analysis of the data collected using a Hamamatsu CMOS Flat Panel Sensor, with a pixel size of 100 µm, revealed the presence of propagation-based phase contrast and demonstrated significant improvement of the quality of phase-contrast CT imaging compared with conventional (absorption-based) CT, at medically acceptable radiation doses.
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Yakov I
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Nesterets
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Timur E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Gureyev
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Sheridan C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Stevenson
authors.affiliation: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Jeremy M C
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Marcus J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kitchen
authors.affiliation: School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, Australia.
authors.forename: Konstantin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Pavlov
authors.affiliation: Maroondah BreastScreen, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lockie
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brun
authors.affiliation: Elettra - Sincrotrone Trieste SCpA, Basovizza (Trieste), Italy.
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tromba
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008327:Mammography / Q000295:instrumentation*; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017356:Synchrotrons / Q000295:instrumentation*; D041622:Tomography, Optical / Q000295:instrumentation; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction / Q000295:instrumentation*
keywords: X-rays; computed tomography; mammography; phase contrast