DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY
Click to edit Master subtitle style Ajay Kumar Yadav Lecturer
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Introduction
Digital imaging systems entered in the radiology departments >15 years ago using:
v v v
photostimulable phosphors (PSP) (CR technology) CCD (Charge Coupled Device) photoconduction (Thoravision)
PSP
plates have been developed >25 years and represent the most diffused technology Recent introduction of AMFPI (Active Matrix Flat Panel Imager) has opened new possibilities for:
v v v
image quality improvement, patient dose reduction and, new imaging technique (tomosyntesis, dual 4/14/12 energy imaging, etc.)
Technologies for digital radiography imaging
CR
v PSP - laser scanning - Optics - PM
CCD
v Scintillator - Optics/Fiber Optics - CCD
AMFPI (work
v
(a-Silicon) in progress)
v X-ray detectors (Selenium, CsI) - AMA (flat panel)
ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuits)
v detectors: CdTe, c-Si, v electronic on-board
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Success of CR technology
Success of CR:
high dynamic range (> 104) digital nature easy to introduce relative low cost improvements for more than 25 years
but
not for image or dose performances !
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DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY
q DDR
DIRECT DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY q IDDR INDIRECT DIGITAL RADIOGRAPHY (DR)
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on phosphors gained for CR. The most important scintillator for IDDR is the CsI(Tl) that can be produced in needle structure (1-10 m) for a better geometric resolution.
Indirect Radiography (IDDR) using the knowledge and the technology IDDR started
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Structure of a AMFPI
AMFPI
of:
v v
(Active Matrix Flat Panel Imager) is composed
a x-ray detection layer an AMA (Active Matrix Array) of TFT (Thin Film Transistors) layer
Two
v v
type of x-ray detectors are today mainly used:
Selenium (photoconductor) CsI(Tl) (scintillator)
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AMFDI imaging detectors
Indirect
v
conversion:
Light produced by the interaction of x-ray in the scintillator are converted to charge by the a-Si
Direct
v
conversion:
Electrons produced by the interaction of x-ray in Se are collected in the storage capacitor of each pixel Charge amplification and line collection are the same in the 2 technologies
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AMFDI imaging detectors
Resolution properties
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Flat panel technology: direct conversion
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Flat panel technology: indirect conversion
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Flat panel technology: assembly
(a) Direct conversion
(b) Indirect conversion
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TFT layer
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Detector performances: x-ray detectors
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Detector performances
The
best objective measure of detector performance is the Contrast to Noise ratio (CNR) quantity is related to the detective quantum efficiency (DQE).
this
But:
v
object contrast is a function of material imaged and x-ray spectra DQE is a function of exposure, spatial frequency and x-ray spectrum
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Detective Quantum Efficiency
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Modulation Transfer Function Evaluation
methodology
Comparison
of
MTF of 3 flat panel detectors:
Results:
v
Direct conversion FP exhibits highest MFT at high spatial frequencies
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Another comparison of imaging performance of digital detectors
MTF
comparison of CR and DR systems
Comparison of edge analysis techniques for the determination of the MTF of digital radiographic systems
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Noise Power Spectrum
NPS:
v
Important differences between detectors NPS is function of entrance air kerma to the detector Highest noise values for Direct conversion systems. (at 2 cycles/mm the same level of noise is obtained with the DC system with 4-5 On site evaluation of three flat panel detectors for digital times the 4/14/12
Detective Quantum Efficiency
DQE:
v
Important differences between detectors DQE is influenced by the entrance air kerma to the detector Lowest DQE for Direct conversion systems
On site evaluation of three flat panel detectors for digital radiography
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Imaging performance
Contrast-detail
v
analysis
Several phantoms are available for this test (TO16, CDRAD, ..) Operator judges the contrast for which the disk perceptibility is vanishing.
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Imaging performance
v v
Contrast-detail analysis
This test has provided the same evaluation of the 3 DR systems: DR with lowest DQE has lower contrast-detail performance Good relationship between DQE and CD
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Effects of pixel loss on image quality
Effects on contrast-detail curve for a loss of 50% of pixels No important deterioration of image for pixel loss
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Stability of FP performances in radiotherapy and FP used for portal imaging
evaluation on dosimetry performance stability:
v v
Dark signal is a function of detector temperature The reproducibility of the a-Si EPIDs at the central pixel region was excellent: 0.5% SD over a period of up to 23 months. This result proves that the gain of the tested a-Si EPIDs does not depend on radiation history or temperature fluctuations.
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Conclusion
Distinctions
obvious:
v v
between CR and DR are less
some storage phosphor (CR) devices are automated with direct image display some direct flat-panel devices (DR) are used like a portable cassette.
Digital
v v v v v
detector technologies now available include
PSP line-scan systems in a cassetteless enclosure, optically coupled CCD-camera systems, fiber-optically coupled slot-scan CCD array detectors, indirect x-ray conversion scintillators and thinfilm-transistor (TFT) photodiode arrays 4/14/12 and direct
Conclusion
Today
FP: it has become apparent that current devices suffer from a number of intrinsic limitations that affect their cost, performance and robustness. Technologies, emerging from advances in displays, offer the potential of enabling the creation of fundamentally different forms of active matrix x-ray imagers:
v
imagers would incorporate innovations as flexible, plastic substrates or sophisticated in-pixel circuitry
Potential
impact of such radically different forms of imagers can be important (more rapid diffusion of DR in developed and developing coutries)
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Conclusions
Compared
to SFS, digital radiography is still in its infancy. CR is a mature technology and constant technological progresses are maintaining the large prevalence of CR compared to DR The lower cost of CR indicates that this technology can be introduced in developing countries providing great improvement in image quality Advantages of digital images for postprocessing, new digital modalities (dual energy, digital subtraction), support to the diagnosys (CAD- Computer Aided Diagnosys technology) and Teleradiology will4/14/12 impose
THANK YOU
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