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Embossed radiography utilizing energy subtraction

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Abstract

Currently, it is difficult to carry out refraction-contrast radiography by using a conventional X-ray generator. Thus, we developed an embossed radiography system utilizing dual-energy subtraction for decreasing the absorption contrast in unnecessary regions, and the contrast resolution of a target region was increased by use of image-shifting subtraction and a linear-contrast system in a flat panel detector (FPD). The X-ray generator had a 100-μm-focus tube. Energy subtraction was performed at tube voltages of 45 and 65 kV, a tube current of 0.50 mA, and an X-ray exposure time of 5.0 s. A 1.0-mm-thick aluminum filter was used for absorbing low-photon-energy bremsstrahlung X-rays. Embossed radiography was achieved with cohesion imaging by use of the FPD with pixel sizes of 48 × 48 μm, and the shifting dimension of an object in the horizontal direction ranged from 100 to 200 μm. At a shifting distance of 100 μm, the spatial resolutions in the horizontal and vertical directions measured with a lead test chart were both 83 μm. In embossed radiography of non-living animals, we obtained high-contrast embossed images of fine bones, gadolinium oxide particles in the kidney, and coronary arteries approximately 100 μm in diameter.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to express our thanks to the reviewers for giving very helpful advice concerning our paper. This work was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research and Advanced Medical Scientific Research from MECSST, Health and Labor Sciences Research Grants, Grants from the Keiryo Research Foundation, Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan, the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The 3rd Department of Surgery, Toho University School of Medicine, 2-17-6 Ohashi, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8515, Japan

    Akihiro Osawa, Manabu Watanabe, Hiroshi Matsukiyo, Toshiyuki Enomoto & Jiro Nagao

  2. Department of Physics, Iwate Medical University, 2-1-1 Nishitokuta, Yahaba, 028-3694, Japan

    Eiichi Sato

  3. Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Iwate University, 4-3-5 Ueda, Morioka, 020-8551, Japan

    Purkhet Abderyim

  4. Tokyo Medical University, 6-1-1 Shinjyuku, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8402, Japan

    Katsuo Aizawa

  5. Department of Nutritional Science, Faculty of Applied Bio-science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan

    Etsuro Tanaka

  6. Department of Cardiac Physiology, National Cardiovascular Center Research Institute, 5-7-1 Fujishirodai, Suita, Osaka, 565-8565, Japan

    Hidezo Mori

  7. Electron Tube Division #2, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K, 314-5 Shimokanzo, Iwata, Shizuoka, 438-0193, Japan

    Toshiaki Kawai

  8. Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, 19-1 Uchimaru, Morioka, 020-8505, Japan

    Shigeru Ehara

  9. Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, 19-1 Uchimaru, Morioka, 020-8505, Japan

    Shigehiro Sato

  10. Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, 19-1 Uchimaru, Morioka, 020-8505, Japan

    Akira Ogawa

  11. Department of Electronics, Faculty of Engineering, Tohoku Gakuin University, 1-13-1 Chuo, Tagajo, Miyagi, 985-8537, Japan

    Jun Onagawa

Authors
  1. Akihiro Osawa
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  2. Manabu Watanabe
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  3. Eiichi Sato
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  4. Hiroshi Matsukiyo
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  5. Toshiyuki Enomoto
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  6. Jiro Nagao
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  7. Purkhet Abderyim
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  8. Katsuo Aizawa
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  9. Etsuro Tanaka
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  10. Hidezo Mori
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  11. Toshiaki Kawai
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  12. Shigeru Ehara
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  13. Shigehiro Sato
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  14. Akira Ogawa
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  15. Jun Onagawa
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Akihiro Osawa.

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Osawa, A., Watanabe, M., Sato, E. et al. Embossed radiography utilizing energy subtraction. Radiol Phys Technol 2, 77–86 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12194-008-0048-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12194-008-0048-8

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