Applications of phase-contrast x-ray imaging to medicine using an x-ray interferometer

摘要

Abstract: We are investigating possible medical applications ofphase- contrast X-ray imaging using an X-rayinterferometer. This paper introduces the strategy ofthe research project and the present status. The mainsubject is to broaden the observation area to enable invivo observation. For this purpose, large X-rayinterferometers were developed, and 2.5 cm $MUL 1.5 cminterference patterns were generated using synchrotronX-rays. An improvement of the spatial resolution isalso included in the project, and an X-rayinterferometer designed for high-resolutionphase-contrast X-ray imaging was fabricated and tested.In parallel with the instrumental developments, varioussoft tissues are observed by phase- contrast X-ray CTto find correspondence between the generated contrastand our histological knowledge. The observation done sofar suggests that cancerous tissues are differentiatedfrom normal tissues and that blood can produce phasecontrast. Furthermore, this project includes exploringmaterials that modulate phase contrast for selectiveimaging.!25