X-ray Photon Counting and Two-Color X-ray Imaging Using Indirect Detection

X-ray imaging is a widely used imaging modality in the medical diagnostic field due to its availability, low cost, high spatial resolution, and fast image acquisition. X-ray photons in standard X-ray sources are polychromatic. Detectors that allow to extract the "color" information of the individual X-rays can lead to contrast enhancement, improved material identification or reduction of beam hardening artifacts at the system level, if we compare them with the widely spread energy integrating detectors. Today, in the field of computed tomography (CT), prototypes of clinical grade systems based on spectral photon counting detectors are currently available for clinical research from different companies. One of the key system components in that development is the X-ray photon detector. This article reviews the photon detection hardware, from the conversion of X-rays into electrical signals to the pulse processing electronics. A review of available photon counting application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for spectroscopic X-ray imaging is presented with emphasis on the CT medical imaging application.

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“…Dierickx et al [3], [4] have investigated the approach of indirect detection systems read out by single pulse processing electronics.…”

Section: (Left)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Photon Counting Detectors for X-Ray Imaging With Emphasis on CT

Ballabriga

Alozy

Bandi³

et al. 2021

IEEE Trans. Radiat. Plasma Med. Sci.

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“…Modern technologies allow to development of advanced integrated systems for X-ray imaging in crystallography, medical diagnostic, or industry [1][2][3]. Nowadays the Single Photon Counting (SPC) based systems have become more and more popular in terms of medical imaging due to their high dynamic range (determined by counter depth), noiseless imaging, the possibility of counting photons only within a given energy window (in systems with two or more discriminators).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectrum1k — integrated circuit for medical imaging designed in CMOS 40 nm

et al. 2022

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We present a multichannel integrated circuit of pixel architecture designed in CMOS 40 nm technology. The chip is composed of 40 × 24 pixels of 75 µm pitch working in the single photon counting mode, each built of front-end amplifier, peak and hold detector, 6-bit analog to digital converter, and memory composed of 64 × 12-bit counters. Thanks to the proposed functionality it is possible to store in each pixel separately information of incoming particles energy spectrum. The chip is dedicated to operating with both electrons and holes of 2.2 ke−–35 ke− energy range. The IC occupies an area of 2 × 4.5 mm2, is already back from fabrication, and is under preliminary measurements.

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“…Recently, the indirect photon-counting detector for x-ray imaging is introduced. They reported two-energylevel photon-counting performance by design of a photon-counting image sensor [5]. For breast imaging, an indirect photon-counting detector was developed with combinations of scintillator and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) for digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Monte Carlo simulation study on effects of energy weighted dual-energy subtraction images with indirect photon-counting detector in mammography

Baek¹,

Lee²,

Cho³

et al. 2020

J. Inst.

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The purpose of this study is to design an indirect photon-counting detector using a GAGG scintillator with Monte Carlo simulation and to evaluate the efficacy of the result using an energy weighted subtraction method. Factors to validate the efficacy of energy weighted subtraction were the type of scintillator and the profile of the x-ray spectrum. Images were obtained using GAGG and CsI scintillators with incident x-ray spectra split from continuous x-rays and were processed using energy weighted subtraction and energy subtraction. The composition of the phantom for image acquisition consisted of calcium embedded in the breast tissue, and the phantom images were analyzed by comparing the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Based on the simulation results, GAGG demonstrates improved CNR compared to CsI, and the energy weighted subtraction method yields similar or higher CNR values compared to the energy subtraction method except in the case of using the CsI detector in a continuous x-ray spectrum. Moreover, the CNR values were higher for split x-rays than for continuous x-rays. In conclusion, GAGG detectors, the energy weighted subtraction method, and a split spectrum can be used to enhance the contrast of images while augmenting the fine calcification of simulated breast images. K: X-ray mammography and scinto-and MRI-mammography; X-ray radiography and digital radiography (DR)

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X-ray Photon Counting and Two-Color X-ray Imaging Using Indirect Detection

Cited by 11 publications

References 15 publications

Photon Counting Detectors for X-Ray Imaging With Emphasis on CT

Photon Counting Detectors for X-Ray Imaging With Emphasis on CT

Spectrum1k — integrated circuit for medical imaging designed in CMOS 40 nm

A Monte Carlo simulation study on effects of energy weighted dual-energy subtraction images with indirect photon-counting detector in mammography

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