The characterization of a phase contrast x-ray imaging prototype

Abstract

Conventional x-ray imaging presents challenges for early detection and diagnosis, especially in areas such as mammography, where similar attenuation characteristics between malignant and normal breast tissue result in low contrast between them. An emerging technology called phase-contrast x-ray imaging has the potential to overcome this challenge by also incorporating phase shift effects, which contain more information than attenuation alone. The goal of this study was to verify through the accepted technique of contrast-detail analysis that the image quality provided by a phase-contrast prototype system is superior to that provided by a conventional imaging system. The use of a CDMAM phantom further reinforces the validity of the results, as this method has been proven to increase the accuracy, because it employs a four-alternative fixed choice method for the test objects instead of known locations. In the study, phasecontrast and conventional images of a CDMAM phantom were acquired and presented to observers for analysis. The corresponding contrast-detail curves comparing the systems demonstrate higher image quality produced by the phase-contrast system, an encouraging indication of the future of phase-contrast technology and a step forward in proving the feasibility of its introduction into a clinical environment.