Tom Weber

Implementation of a Talbot-Lau interferometer in a clinical-like c-arm setup: A feasibility study

X-ray grating-based phase-contrast imaging has raised interest regarding a variety of potential clinical applications, whereas the method is feasible using a medical x-ray tube. Yet, the transition towards a clinical setup remains challenging due to the requirement of mechanical robustness of the interferometer and high demands applying to medical equipment in clinical use. We demonstrate the successful implementation of a Talbot-Lau interferometer in an interventional c-arm setup. The consequence of vibrations induced by the rotating anode of the tube is discussed and the prototype is shown to provide a visibility of 21.4% at a tube voltage of 60 kV despite the vibrations. Regarding clinical application, the prototype is mainly set back due to the limited size of the field of view covering an area of 17 mm × 46 mm. A c-arm offers the possibility to change the optical axis according to the requirements of the medical examination. We provide a method to correct for artifacts that result from the angulation of the c-arm. Finally, the images of a series of measurements with the c-arm in different angulated positions are shown. Thereby, it is sufficient to perform a single reference measurement in parking position that is valid for the complete series despite angulation.

Analytical and simulative investigations of moiré artefacts in Talbot-Lau X-ray imaging

Besides the well-known conventional X-ray attenuation image, Talbot-Lau X-ray imaging (TLXI) provides additional information about the small-angle scattering and refractive features of an object. In general, TLXI setups have to be mechanically robust, since already slight inaccuracies during the measurement process result in moire artefacts. This work derives moire artefacts as a result of phase-stepping inaccuracies. The dependency of these artefacts on the phase-stepping inaccuracies is mathematically derived by a Taylor series expansion and verified by a simulation. Among other things, it is shown that moire artefacts can be calculated by a weighted mean of phase-stepping position deviations to their target positions. These weighting factors vary for each image. Moire artefacts can even be affected by object features which are not displayed in the particular contrast. The findings of this work offer the possibility to develop advanced reconstruction algorithms which suppress moire artefacts in the reconstructed images. This reduces the method’s susceptibility to setup component inaccuracies as well as external influences and hence facilitates TLXI for clinical practice.

Enhanced reconstruction algorithm for moiré artifact suppression in Talbot–Lau x-ray imaging

Talbot-Lau x-ray imaging (TLXI) is an innovative and promising imaging technique providing information about the x-ray attenuation, scattering, and refraction features of objects. However, the method is susceptible to vibrations and system component imprecisions, which are inevitable in clinical and industrial practice. Those influences provoke grating displacements and hence errors in the acquired raw data, which cause moiré artifacts in the reconstructed images. We developed an enhanced reconstruction algorithm capable of compensating these errors by adjusting the grating positions and thus suppressing the occurrence of moiré artifacts. The algorithm has been developed with regard to a future application in medical practice. The capability of the algorithm is demonstrated on a medical data set of a human hand (post-mortem) acquired under clinical conditions using a pre-clinical TXLI prototype. It is shown that the algorithm reliably suppresses moiré artifacts, preserves image contrast, does not blur anatomical structures or prevent quantitative imaging, and is executable on low-dose data sets. In addition, the algorithm runs autonomously without the need of interaction or rework of the final results. In conclusion, the proposed reconstruction algorithm facilitates the use of TLXI in clinical practice and allows the exploitation of the methods full diagnostic potential in future medical applications.