MONOCHROMATIC COMPUTED-TOMOGRAPHY OF THE HUMAN BRAIN USING SYNCHROTRON X-RAYS - TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY

A monochromatic computed tomography (CT) scanner is being developed at the X17 superconducting wiggler beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS), Brookhaven National Laboratory, to image the human head and neck. The system configuration is one of a horizontal fan beam and an upright seated rotating subject. The purposes of the project are to demonstrate improvement in the image contrast and in the image quantitative accuracy that can be obtained in monochromatic CT and to apply the system to specific clinical research programs in neuroradiology. This paper describes the first phantom studies carried out with a prototype system, using the dual photon absorptiometry (DPA) method at energies of 20 and 38 keV. The results show that improvements in image contrast and quantitative accuracy are possible with monochromatic DPA CT. Estimates of the clinical performance of the planned CT system are made on the basis of these initial results.