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Brombal L, Arfelli F, Brun F, Di Trapani V, Endrizzi M, Menk RH, Perion P, Rigon L, Saccomano M, Tromba G, Olivo A. Edge-illumination spectral phase-contrast tomography. Phys Med Biol 2024; 69:075027. [PMID: 38471186 PMCID: PMC10991267 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ad3328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
Following the rapid, but independent, diffusion of x-ray spectral and phase-contrast systems, this work demonstrates the first combination of spectral and phase-contrast computed tomography (CT) obtained by using the edge-illumination technique and a CdTe small-pixel (62μm) spectral detector. A theoretical model is introduced, starting from a standard attenuation-based spectral decomposition and leading to spectral phase-contrast material decomposition. Each step of the model is followed by quantification of accuracy and sensitivity on experimental data of a test phantom containing different solutions with known concentrations. An example of a micro CT application (20μm voxel size) on an iodine-perfusedex vivomurine model is reported. The work demonstrates that spectral-phase contrast combines the advantages of spectral imaging, i.e. high-Zmaterial discrimination capability, and phase-contrast imaging, i.e. soft tissue sensitivity, yielding simultaneously mass density maps of water, calcium, and iodine with an accuracy of 1.1%, 3.5%, and 1.9% (root mean square errors), respectively. Results also show a 9-fold increase in the signal-to-noise ratio of the water channel when compared to standard spectral decomposition. The application to the murine model revealed the potential of the technique in the simultaneous 3D visualization of soft tissue, bone, and vasculature. While being implemented by using a broad spectrum (pink beam) at a synchrotron radiation facility (Elettra, Trieste, Italy), the proposed experimental setup can be readily translated to compact laboratory systems including conventional x-ray tubes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Brombal
- Department of Physics, University of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
- INFN Division of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Fulvia Arfelli
- Department of Physics, University of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
- INFN Division of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Francesco Brun
- INFN Division of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
- Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 10, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Vittorio Di Trapani
- Department of Physics, University of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Marco Endrizzi
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, GWC1E 6BT, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ralf H Menk
- INFN Division of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A, I-34149 Basovizza Trieste, Italy
- Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering, Midsweden University, Holmgatan 10, Sundsvall, Sweden
| | - Paola Perion
- Department of Physics, University of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
- INFN Division of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Luigi Rigon
- Department of Physics, University of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
- INFN Division of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 2, I-34127 Trieste, Italy
| | - Mara Saccomano
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, Helmholtz Pioneer Campus, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Giuliana Tromba
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A, I-34149 Basovizza Trieste, Italy
| | - Alessandro Olivo
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, GWC1E 6BT, London, United Kingdom
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Esposito M, Astolfo A, Cipiccia S, Jones CM, Savvidis S, Ferrara JD, Endrizzi M, Dudhia J, Olivo A. Technical note: Cartilage imaging with sub-cellular resolution using a laboratory-based phase-contrast x-ray microscope. Med Phys 2023; 50:6130-6136. [PMID: 37431640 PMCID: PMC10947188 DOI: 10.1002/mp.16599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Microscopic imaging of cartilage is a key tool for the study and development of treatments for osteoarthritis. When cellular and sub-cellular resolution is required, histology remains the gold standard approach, albeit limited by the lack of volumetric information as well as by processing artifacts. Cartilage imaging with the sub-cellular resolution has only been demonstrated in the synchrotron environment. PURPOSE To provide a proof-of-concept demonstration of the capability of a laboratory-based x-ray phase-contrast microscope to resolve sub-cellular features in a cartilage sample. METHODS This work is based on a laboratory-based x-ray microscope using intensity-modulation masks. The structured nature of the beam, resulting from the mask apertures, allows the retrieval of three contrast channels, namely, transmission, refraction and dark-field, with resolution depending only on the mask aperture width. An ex vivo equine cartilage sample was imaged with the x-ray microscope and results were validated with synchrotron tomography and histology. RESULTS Individual chondrocytes, that is, cells responsible for cartilage formation, could be detected with the laboratory-based microscope. The complementarity of the three retrieved contrast channels allowed the detection of sub-cellular features in the chondrocytes. CONCLUSIONS We provide the first proof-of-concept of imaging cartilage tissue with sub-cellular resolution using a laboratory-based x-ray microscope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Esposito
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical EngineeringUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Alberto Astolfo
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical EngineeringUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Silvia Cipiccia
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical EngineeringUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Diamond Light SourceHarwell Science and Innovation CampusDidcotUK
| | | | - Savvas Savvidis
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical EngineeringUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Marco Endrizzi
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical EngineeringUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Alessandro Olivo
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical EngineeringUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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Massimi L, Clark SJ, Marussi S, Doherty A, Shah SM, Schulz J, Marathe S, Rau C, Endrizzi M, Lee PD, Olivo A. Time resolved in-situ multi-contrast X-ray imaging of melting in metals. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12136. [PMID: 35840749 PMCID: PMC9287332 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15501-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work, the application of a time resolved multi-contrast beam tracking technique to the investigation of the melting and solidification process in metals is presented. The use of such a technique allows retrieval of three contrast channels, transmission, refraction and dark-field, with millisecond time resolution. We investigated different melting conditions to characterize, at a proof-of-concept level, the features visible in each of the contrast channels. We found that the phase contrast channel provides a superior visibility of the density variations, allowing the liquid metal pool to be clearly distinguished. Refraction and dark-field were found to highlight surface roughness formed during solidification. This work demonstrates that the availability of the additional contrast channels provided by multi-contrast X-ray imaging delivers additional information, also when imaging high atomic number specimens with a significant absorption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Massimi
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Samuel J Clark
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.,X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S Cass Ave, Lemont, IL, USA
| | - Sebastian Marussi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Adam Doherty
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Saurabh M Shah
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Joachim Schulz
- MicroWorks GmbH, Schnetzlerstraße 9, 76137, Karlsruhe, Germany.,Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76021, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | | | - Christoph Rau
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Oxford Campus, OX11 0DE, Didcot, UK
| | - Marco Endrizzi
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Peter D Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Alessandro Olivo
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
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Zhang G, Li J, Deng K, Yue S, Xie W. Reweighted L1-norm regularized phase retrieval for x-ray differential phase contrast radiograph. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2022; 93:043706. [PMID: 35489897 DOI: 10.1063/5.0081145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Talbot-Lau x-ray grating interferometry greatly decreases the requirements on x-ray sources to realize differential phase contrast imaging and has found many applications in industrial and medical imaging. Phase retrieval from the noisy differential signal is crucial for quantitative analysis, comparison, and fusion with other imaging modalities. In this paper, we introduce a reweighted L1-norm based nonlinear regularization method for the phase retrieval problem. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrated that, comparing with the widely used L1-norm based regularization method and Wiener filter method, the proposed method is more effective both in eliminating the strip noises and in preserving the image detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangya Zhang
- Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Institute Fluid Physics, Mianyang 621999, China
| | - Jing Li
- Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Institute Fluid Physics, Mianyang 621999, China
| | - Kai Deng
- Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Institute Fluid Physics, Mianyang 621999, China
| | - Songjie Yue
- Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Institute Fluid Physics, Mianyang 621999, China
| | - Weiping Xie
- Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Institute Fluid Physics, Mianyang 621999, China
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Esposito M, Massimi L, Buchanan I, Ferrara JD, Endrizzi M, Olivo A. Test and optimisation of a multi-modal phase-based x-ray microscope for soft tissue imaging. PROCEEDINGS OF SPIE--THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR OPTICAL ENGINEERING 2022; 12031:1203102. [PMID: 36567972 PMCID: PMC9783294 DOI: 10.1117/12.2609441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Esposito
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - L. Massimi
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - I. Buchanan
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - J. D. Ferrara
- Rigaku Americas Corporation, 9009 New Trails Drive, The Woodlands, Texas 77381, US
| | - M. Endrizzi
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - A. Olivo
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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Massimi L, Clark SJ, Marussi S, Doherty A, Schulz J, Marathe S, Rau C, Endrizzi M, Lee PD, Olivo A. Dynamic Multicontrast X-Ray Imaging Method Applied to Additive Manufacturing. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 127:215503. [PMID: 34860108 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.127.215503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We present a dynamic implementation of the beam-tracking x-ray imaging method providing absorption, phase, and ultrasmall angle scattering signals with microscopic resolution and high frame rate. We demonstrate the method's ability to capture dynamic processes with 22-ms time resolution by investigating the melting of metals in laser additive manufacturing, which has so far been limited to single-modality synchrotron radiography. The simultaneous availability of three contrast channels enables earlier segmentation of droplets, tracking of powder dynamic, and estimation of unfused powder amounts, demonstrating that the method can provide additional information on melting processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Massimi
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Samuel J Clark
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Marussi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Adam Doherty
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Joachim Schulz
- MicroWorks GmbH, Schnetzlerstrae 9, 76137 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Shashidhara Marathe
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Oxford Campus, OX11 0DE Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Christoph Rau
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Oxford Campus, OX11 0DE Didcot, United Kingdom
| | - Marco Endrizzi
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Peter D Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Alessandro Olivo
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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Olivo A. Edge-illumination x-ray phase-contrast imaging. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2021; 33:363002. [PMID: 34167096 PMCID: PMC8276004 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ac0e6e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Although early demonstration dates back to the mid-sixties, x-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI) became hugely popular in the mid-90s, thanks to the advent of 3rd generation synchrotron facilities. Its ability to reveal object features that had so far been considered invisible to x-rays immediately suggested great potential for applications across the life and the physical sciences, and an increasing number of groups worldwide started experimenting with it. At that time, it looked like a synchrotron facility was strictly necessary to perform XPCI with some degree of efficiency-the only alternative being micro-focal sources, the limited flux of which imposed excessively long exposure times. However, new approaches emerged in the mid-00s that overcame this limitation, and allowed XPCI implementations with conventional, non-micro-focal x-ray sources. One of these approaches showing particular promise for 'real-world' applications is edge-illumination XPCI: this article describes the key steps in its evolution in the context of contemporary developments in XPCI research, and presents its current state-of-the-art, especially in terms of transition towards practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Olivo
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, UCL, London, United Kingdom
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Massimi L, Savvidis S, Endrizzi M, Olivo A. Improved visualization of X-ray phase contrast volumetric data through artifact-free integrated differential images. Phys Med 2021; 84:80-84. [PMID: 33878654 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2021.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Artifacts arising when differential phase images are integrated is a common problem to several X-ray phase-based experimental techniques. The combination of noise and insufficient sampling of the high-frequency differential phase signal leads to the formation of streak artifacts in the projections, translating into poor image quality in the tomography slices. In this work, we apply a non-iterative integration algorithm proven to reduce streak artifacts in planar (2D) images to a differential phase tomography scan. We report on how the reduction of streak artifacts in the projections improves the quality of the tomography slices, especially in the directions different from the reconstruction plane. Importantly, the method is compatible with large tomography datasets in terms of computation time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Massimi
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Savvas Savvidis
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Marco Endrizzi
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Alessandro Olivo
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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