MO‐D‐201B‐02: Distributed X‐Ray Source Development

Abstract

This work is funded in part by NTH grant R01EB006837 and General Electric Global Research. Distributed x‐ray sources have unique capabilities, which can enable break‐through medical imaging system performance. In particular, the distributed x‐ray source or “multisource” from GE has high instantaneous power, fast source switching, consistent focal spot sizes, large angular coverage, and high reliability [1]. This multisource is scalable from 1 to 2 rows of sources with source spacing in each row at 25mm currently with potential reduction down to 10mm. The multisource is being scaled up from 8 to 32 sources for the Inverse Geometry Computed Tomography (IGCT) application [2,3], which offers up to 70% x‐ray dose reduction, cone‐beam artifact reduction, and higher temporal resolution compared to conventional CT systems. Another multisource application is digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT). Today's DBT systems rely on physically moving a conventional x‐ray source over an arced path to obtain views at the required angles. A multisource not only eliminates mechanical motion and provides a faster scan, it also allows for multiple x‐ray spectrums (W, Rh, Re) at interleaved positions. Lastly, an x‐ray multisource enables vascular surgeons to see a real‐time 3D view of an interventional tool inside the blood vessels that they are navigating through. The ability to adjust electron beam current for each source (i.e, virtual bow‐tie) provides the precise amount of x‐ray dose required at each view for a particular patient's size thus eliminating excess dose in both IGCT and vascular tomography. This paper summarizes the current multisource development work, challenges, and application benefits.Learning Objectives:1. understand x‐ray multisource architecture and performance2. understand medical imaging system benefits from x‐ray multisource