X-ray-induced acoustic computed tomography with an ultrasound transducer ring-array

摘要

The objective of this study is to develop and test a unique X-ray-induced acoustic computed tomography system that combines the advantages of high X-ray imaging contrast and high ultrasonic spatial resolution. The system features a 5 MHz 128-element ultrasound transducer ring-array formed into a full circular aperture. A parallel data receiver, which consists of a dedicated 128-channel preamplifier and a 128-channel data acquisition module, provides full tomographic imaging at a speed of up to 25 frames per second. Details of the system design and calibration are presented, along with the characteristic results of the imaging resolution. The tomographic imaging performance is demonstrated through images of a phantom with a spatial resolution up to 138 μm. The study results indicate that this imaging device and the methodology provide a rapid and high resolution approach for the dynamic imaging of information, and it may have the potential for becoming a promising noninvasive imaging modality to be used in future applications.