TY  - JOUR
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1361-6560/ad3328
TI  - Edge-illumination spectral phase-contrast tomography
KW  - Edge illumination
KW  -  Photon-counting detector
KW  -  Spectral imaging
KW  -  X-ray phase-contrast imaging
KW  -  X-ray tomography
SN  - 0031-9155
N1  - Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
ID  - discovery10190596
AV  - public
JF  - Physics in Medicine & Biology
N2  - Following the rapid, but independent, diffusion of X-ray spectral and phase-contrast systems, this work demonstrates the first combination of spectral and phase-contrast computed tomography (CT) obtained by using the edge-illumination technique and a CdTe small-pixel (62 ?m) spectral detector. A theoretical model is introduced, starting from a standard attenuation-based spectral decomposition and leading to spectral phase-contrast material decomposition. Each step of the model is followed by quantification of accuracy and sensitivity on experimental data of a test phantom containing different solutions with known concentrations. An example of a micro CT application (20 ?m voxel size) on an iodine-perfusedex-vivomurine model is reported. 
The work demonstrates that spectral-phase contrast combines the advantages of spectral imaging, i.e. high-Z material discrimination capability, and phase-contrast imaging, i.e. soft tissue sensitivity, yielding simultaneously mass density maps of water, calcium, and iodine with an accuracy of 1.1%, 3.5%, and 1.9% (root mean square errors), respectively. Results also show a 9-fold increase in the signal-to-noise ratio of the water channel when compared to standard spectral decomposition. The application to the murine model revealed the potential of the technique in the simultaneous 3D visualization of soft tissue, bone, and vasculature. While being implemented by using a broad spectrum (pink beam) at a synchrotron radiation facility (Elettra, Trieste, Italy), the proposed experimental setup can be readily translated to compact laboratory systems including conventional X-ray tubes.
IS  - 7
PB  - IOP Publishing
Y1  - 2024/04/07/
VL  - 69
A1  - Brombal, Luca
A1  - Arfelli, Fulvia
A1  - Brun, Francesco
A1  - Di Trapani, Vittorio
A1  - Endrizzi, Marco
A1  - Menk, Ralf
A1  - Perion, Paola
A1  - Rigon, Luigi
A1  - Saccomano, Mara
A1  - Tromba, Giuliana
A1  - Olivo, Alessandro
ER  -