Flat-panel detector-based cone beam volume CT breast imaging: detector evaluation

摘要

Preliminary evaluation of large-area flat panel detectors (FPDs) indicates that FPDs have some potential advantages over film-screen and CCD-based imagers: compactness, high resolution, high frame rate, large dynamic range, small image lag (<1%), and excellent linearity (～1%). A real time large-area flat panel detector (FPD) Varian PaxScan 2520 was evaluated for cone-beam volume breast imaging (CBVCTBI) in terms of dynamic range, linearity, image lag, and spatial as well as low contrast resolution. In addition, specially made breast phantoms were imaged with our prototyped CBVCTBI system to provide real outcomes to evaluate the detector under full imaging system conditions including the x-ray source, gantry geometry, x-ray technique selection, data acquisition system and reconstruction algorithms. We have concentrated on the low kVp range (30 to 80 kVp) in the context of the breast-imaging task. For ～288 images/scan the exposure required was ～2.5mR/projection. This is equivalent to that of a conventional mammography screening exam. The results indicate that the FPD-based CBVCTBI system can achieve sufficient high- and low-contrast resolution for diagnostic CBVCT breast imaging with a clinically acceptable exposure level. The advantages of the new FPD make it a promising candidate for CBVCTBI.