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Biomedical subjects

A Fenster

Publications and source records attributed to A Fenster.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

A new system for quantitative arterial imaging and blood flow measurements.

A new x-ray imaging system is being developed for quantitative arterial imaging and blood flow measurements. The system consists of an x-ray image intensifier optically coupled with a 1024-element photo-diode detector array. Low-noise, quantitative images are obtained by irradiating small regions of interest to minimize the detection of scattered radiation and intensifier tube veiling glare, and by making use of the large dynamic range (8000:1) and response linearity of the solid-state photo-detector. In the first of two modes of operation, low-noise scanned projection images are produced. Stenosis size (reduction of lumen area) in phantoms is determined with a maximum uncertainty of 10% over a range of iodine contrast agent concentrations of 4 to 100 mg/ml in a 1.0 cm2 cross-sectional area tube, independent of stenosis orientation and size. In the second mode, flow information is obtained by detecting the movement of a small, locally injected iodine bolus. Peak flow velocity and locations of flow separation and turbulence resulting from simulated stenoses are determined with stenosis sizes ranging from 0 to 84% area reduction.

Angiography↗
PubMed1980

Split-filter computed tomography: a simple technique for dual energy scanning.

A simple technique for obtaining dual energy information from a single computed tomography (CT) scan is described. The method involves filtering the two halves of the X-ray fan beam differently. It is shown that during a 360 degree scan, this split-filtration geometry results in dual energy noise analysis, valid for polychromatic X-ray beams, is presented and used to determine the optimal parameters for the split-filter scans. Using the theoretically optimal split-filter design installed on a commercial CT scanner, photoelectric and Compton images of a head phantom were obtained. Recombination of the photoelectric and Compton components of attenuation at arbitrary energies demonstrates the ability to remove spectral artifacts from conventional CT images.

Calibration↗
PubMed1978

Split xenon detector for tomochemistry in computed tomography.

The design of a split high-pressure xenon detector array for tomochemistry in computed tomography (CT) is described. Each detector produces a signal from the front primarily due to low energy photons and a signal from the back primarily due to high energy photons. Two methods are described whereby these signals are used to determine the photoelectric and Compton coefficients. From these, the electron density and average atomic number can be determined for each pixel in the image. These methods were tested by computer simulations of scans of a simple phantom, and the resulting Compton and photoelectric images are presented and compared with a conventional CT image. It was found that electron density and atomic number can be determined to an accuracy of better than 4%. The sensitivity to noise was studied, and it was found that the standard deviation of the mean of a 5 X 5 pixel region in the conventional image is about a factor of 3 lower than in the same region in the Compton image and about a factor of 40 lower than in the photoelectric image.

Humans↗
PubMed1975

New methods of imaging in diagnostic radiology.

The basic ideas of electrostatic imaging with special reference to ionography are reviewed. The concept of edge contrast is explained in terms of calculated powder particle trajectories and methods for controlling edge contrast are presented. Also, methods for reading a foil from outside the ionography chamber using the electric field extending through the foil are described. An example of an image taken with liquid in the chamber (liquid lonography) is presented, and the possible extension of liquid ionography to nuclear medicine is discussed.

Absorptiometry, Photon↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Computer-controlled flow simulator for MR flow studies.

A novel computer-controlled flow simulator for use in magnetic resonance (MR) flow experiments was evaluated. The accuracy in constant-flow mode was better than 1%. The accuracy in pulsatile-flow mode was found to be dependent on the interconnecting tubing. The short-term and long-term reproducibilities of pulsatile waveforms were less than or equal to 0.4 mL/sec (1 standard deviation). Increased response times due to the lengths of tubing required in MR flow experiments were surmounted by using a modified tubing configuration and precompensated waveforms. Piston reversal was found not to cause major difficulties in MR flow experiments.

Blood Circulation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Computer-assisted identification and quantification of multiple sclerosis lesions in MR imaging volumes in the brain.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the principal imaging technique for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, quantifying the number and extent of lesions on MR images manually is arduous. The authors have developed a computerized three-dimensional (3D) quantitative system to assist in the identification and analysis of MS lesions in proton-density (PD)- and T2-weighted volumes of the head. The system provides intuitive, interactive operations that allow flexible extraction of information from the data. Use of the system to analyze MR examinations of a phantom containing regular "lesions" showed that accurate (average error, < 0.21 cm3) and precise (10% or better for lesions > 1 cm3) measurements of objects less than 7 cm3 is possible, and that an estimate of the quantization error predicted the uncertainty in the volume. Analysis of four MR examinations of a chronic-progressive MS patient conducted over an 18-month period was performed. A two-dimensional histogram showing the frequency of voxels with particular PD- and T2-weighted intensities revealed a distinct cluster only in histograms of sections that contained lesions. Measurements and 3D volume rendering of lesions clearly showed changes in lesion shape, position, and size.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

MR multispectral analysis of multiple sclerosis lesions.

Although quantification of the lesion burden from serial MR examinations of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common technique to assess disease activity in clinical trials, pathologic change may occur within a lesion without a corresponding change in volume. Therefore, measures of lesion volume and composition may improve the sensitivity of detecting disease activity. A new technique has been developed that provides information about the intensity composition of MS lesions in standard spin-echo MR examinations. The new technique is based on the multispectral "feature space" intensity distributions of the lesions and normal tissues. Analysis of MR examinations of materials with known T1 and T2 times showed that feature space position from spin-echo examinations is largely determined from proton density (rho), T2, and the interecho delay. Information about intensity composition was obtained by reducing the multidimensional intensity distribution to one dimension while minimizing the loss of information. This technique was used to analyze eight lesions in standard spin-echo MR examinations of three patients with MS. Lesion distributions were compared between examinations by first calibrating the examinations based on the intensity distributions of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), an internal reference tissue. Many of the lesion distributions had a distinctive peak at low intensity, corresponding to normal-appearing white matter (WM). Within the lesion distributions, increases in high intensity peaks generally were accompanied by reductions in the WM peak. Serial analysis of the lesion distributions revealed some dramatic fluctuations, even when lesion volume remained constant.

Calibration↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Closed-system ionography for diagnostic radiology.

Three methods are described whereby radiographic electrostatic images are transferred from inside of a liquid ionography chamber to the outside. One of these methods is implemented showing that multiple-charge images can be transferred from a single original without significant degradation of image quality and each copy may be developed with a different amount of edge contrast. This new method of imaging was applied to a radiograph of a test pattern and a hand phanton. An exposure of about 6 mR to the imaging chamber is needed to produce a useful image with a resolution of about 8 1p/mm.

Ions↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Experimental dual xenon detectors for quantitative CT and spectral artifact correction.

A 41-channel xenon detector array has been built in our laboratory to be used in a fan-beam CT scanner. Each channel is split into a front and rear detector producing two signals for each ray through the patient. Since the front and rear detectors measure different photon energies of the x-ray spectra, dual energy information is obtained from a single CT scan. This information can be used to determine electron density and effective atomic number images of the patient and correct spectral artefacts. A 7.7-cm-diam plexiglas cylinder, filled with water and various plastics, was scanned. With this phantom, electron density was determined to an accuracy of 2% and effective atomic number to 4%. Details of the detector design and calibration are discussed and electron density, effective atomic number, and spectral artifact corrected images are presented.

Technology, Radiologic↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Second scatter contribution to dose in a cobalt-60 beam.

Semi-analytic and direct numerical integration approaches have been used to study the contribution of doubly scattered photons to dose at a point P in a homogeneous water medium irradiated by a cobalt-60 point source. The semi-analytic analysis was used for an infinite field radius to calculate the variation of second scatter dose with depth, the angular dependence of the second scatter dose, and the spectra. Direct numerical integration was used to calculate the second scatter dose at a depth of 10 cm for various finite field radii ranging from 0 to 25 cm. Maps were made of the locations of scattering sites that were important to the second scatter dose. These calculations show that the second scatter contribution is generally less than the first scatter dose with the exception of a few sites remote from the point of interest. In many ways, the pattern of dose deposition by second scatter is similar to first scatter with less pronounced features. In other respects, the second scatter appears more isotropic. The implications of these calculations for approximate radiotherapy dose calculations are discussed.

Cobalt Radioisotopes↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A xenon ionization detector for digital radiography.

Xenon gas x-ray detectors have been used successfully in CT scanners; however, they have been found to be unsuitable for digital radiography. We have designed and built a new type of xenon x-ray detector array and tested its suitability for digital radiography. The detector consists of two parallel plates separated by a 0.5-mm gap, filled with xenon gas at a pressure of about 30 atm. One of the plates is the high-voltage electrode, while the other is a circuit board etched to form an array of metal collector strips focused on the x-ray source. Since there are no metal septa separating the individual detector elements, the dose efficiency of the detector is high, but image degradation will occur due to cross-talk between detector elements. Measurements of the cross-talk show that about an 18% reduction in contrast will occur, when a low contrast object, subtending one detector element, is imaged. We have also measured a detector MTF of 14% at 2 lp/mm, a signal of 10 pC for a 1-mR x-ray exposure at the detector entrance, a 6% nonlinearity in the detector signal over about 3 orders of magnitude in x-ray exposure, and a charge collection time (time response) of about 0.1 ms. From these results it is concluded that this new detector design is feasible for digital radiography.

Computers↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A xenon ionization detector for scanned projection radiography: theoretical considerations.

Xenon ionization detectors have been used successfully in computed tomography (CT) scanners; however, the detector design used in CT scanners does not provide sufficient spatial resolution for scanned projection radiography. We have been investigating a new design of xenon detector with individual element widths of 0.5 mm. In this design, there are no metal septa separating individual elements. As a result, detection efficiency is better than the design with septa, and construction of an array with submillimeter element widths is simpler; however, crosstalk will now occur between elements. Theoretical calculations of efficiency and resolution for our septaless design of xenon detector are presented. Results of these calculations indicate that for a spectrum of 100 kVp, element dimensions of 0.5 mm X 0.5 mm X 10 cm, a front window of 0.5-mm aluminum, and a xenon pressure of 20 atm, quantum efficiency will be greater than 95%, detective quantum efficiency (DQE) will be approximately 75%, and both energy and conversion efficiencies will be limited to 50% by K-fluorescent escape. The calculations also predict that for the same design, the reduction in lesion contrast induced by crosstalk will be less than 10% for all typical spectra. These theoretical results have encouraged us to pursue the construction of a prototype septaless xenon detector for scanned projection radiography.

Models, Theoretical↗