Abstract
Spectral molecular imaging is a new imaging technique able to discriminate and quantify different components of tissue simultaneously at high spatial and high energy resolution. Our MARS scanner is an x-ray based small animal CT system designed to be used in the diagnostic energy range (20–140 keV). In this paper, we demonstrate the use of the MARS scanner, equipped with the Medipix3RX spectroscopic photon-processing detector, to discriminate fat, calcium, and water in tissue. We present data collected from a sample of lamb meat including bone as an illustrative example of human tissue imaging. The data is analyzed using our 3D Algebraic Reconstruction Algorithm (MARS-ART) and by material decomposition based on a constrained linear least squares algorithm. The results presented here clearly show the quantification of lipid-like, water-like and bone-like components of tissue. However, it is also clear to us that better algorithms could extract more information of clinical interest from our data. Because we are one of the first to present data from multi-energy photon-processing small animal CT systems, we make the raw, partial and fully processed data available with the intention that others can analyze it using their familiar routines. The raw, partially processed and fully processed data of lamb tissue along with the phantom calibration data can be found at http://hdl.handle.net/10092/8531.
Highlights
Chip carrier board on which the ASIC and sensor layer assembly is mounted, and 3) a readout board that allows connection between the ASIC and a host computer at a network speed of one gigabit
The Medipix "flip-chip" design permits various sensors to be bonded to the Medipix ASIC [13]
The combination of high spatial and spectral resolution with specific identification and quantification of multiple tissue components, noninvasively, is unique to specific cells and molecules. This cellular and molecular specific imaging is known as Spectral Molecular Imaging [27]
Summary
As each material has a specific measurable x-ray spectrum, spectroscopic imaging can simultaneously measure several biomarkers of biological processes at the cellular and molecular level, using simultaneously acquired data for multiple energy bins [26]. The combination of high spatial and spectral resolution with specific identification and quantification of multiple tissue components, noninvasively, is unique to specific cells and molecules. This cellular and molecular specific imaging is known as Spectral Molecular Imaging [27]. It is the quantification which is the key component of molecular imaging. The data is analysed using the MARSART 3D reconstruction routine [36] and a post-reconstruction constrained linear least squares material decomposition algorithm
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