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Crystals
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Development and Application of Novel Dual Energy X-ray Imaging Methods
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Development and Application of Novel Dual Energy X-ray Imaging Methods

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Crystalline Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 16684

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. George Fountos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University of West Attica, Athens, Greece
Interests: X-ray medical imaging; dual energy; Monte Carlo simulations; detectors; CMOS sensors; scintillators; single crystals
Dr. Christos Michail

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University of West Attica, Athens, Greece
Interests: X-ray medical imaging; dual energy; Monte Carlo simulations; detectors; CMOS sensors; scintillators; single crystals
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dual-energy X-ray imaging is an alternative technique to simple transmission X-ray imaging which produces two separate radiographs using two different X-ray energies. This technique allows to obtain both density and atomic number, thus, to provide information about material composition and to improve image contrast. Dual energy technique is capable to differentiate materials with similar electron densities that have different photon absorption. This information is very helpful for mineral characterization and quantification, since minerals are crystalline compounds with specific chemical composition and crystal structure.

Due to the variety of research fields in Dual energy X-ray imaging, the Editorial Board of Crystals has decided to devote a Special Issue of the journal to the analysis of “Development and Application of Novel Dual Energy X-ray Imaging Methods”.

Being honored to serve as Guest Editors, we hereby invite all colleagues who work on “Development and Application of Novel Dual Energy X-ray Imaging Methods” to contribute to this issue.

Prof. Dr. George Fountos
Dr. Christos Michail
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Crystals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Dual Energy
  • Crystalline compounds
  • Mineral characterization
  • Crystallography
  • X-ray
  • Medical imaging
  • Computed Tomography

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 3663 KiB  
Article
Mineral Characterization in Human Body: A Dual Energy Approach
by Niki Martini, Vaia Koukou, Christos Michail and George Fountos
Crystals 2021, 11(4), 345; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11040345 - 28 Mar 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1995
Abstract
Kidney and uteric stones are a common cause of pain and disturbance in numerous people worldwide, as they tend to reappear. There are several studies investigating the association of urolithiasis and nephrolithiasis with atherosclerosis, as patients suffering from the former diseases were found [...] Read more.
Kidney and uteric stones are a common cause of pain and disturbance in numerous people worldwide, as they tend to reappear. There are several studies investigating the association of urolithiasis and nephrolithiasis with atherosclerosis, as patients suffering from the former diseases were found to have been diagnosed with atherosclerotic plaques. Hydroxyapatite and calcium oxalate are the most common mineral crystals found in both kidney/uteric stones and atherosclerotic plaques’ calcifications. Even though for stones smaller than 5 mm surgery is not recommended, the knowledge of the stone composition is an important tool for the physician in order to provide better treatment for the patient. The mineral crystal characterization of atherosclerotic plaques’ calcifications smaller than 3 mm (spotty calcifications) will assist the physician to limit the possibility of myocardial infraction and stroke, as the presence of hydroxyapatite indicates possible plaque rapture. To this aim, a dual energy (DE) X-ray method was developed in this work. The calcium/phosphorus mass ratio (mCa/mP) was determined through analytical simulations and the results were verified experimentally. Both monoenergetic and polyenergetic simulation studies were implemented for hydroxyapatite, calcium carbonate and calcium oxalate with thicknesses ranging from 0.50 to 3.00 mm, at 100 μm increments, to obtain the optimized irradiation conditions. The experimental verification of the proposed method was performed using an X-ray tube combined with a high resolution complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) active pixel sensor (APS) detector. The Mann–Whitney U test indicated that statistically significant differences were found between the different types of minerals examined for thicknesses of 0.70 mm or higher. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of Novel Dual Energy X-ray Imaging Methods)
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14 pages, 6348 KiB  
Article
On the Optical Response of Tellurium Activated Zinc Selenide ZnSe:Te Single Crystal
by Dionysios Linardatos, Anastasios Konstantinidis, Ioannis Valais, Konstantinos Ninos, Nektarios Kalyvas, Athanasios Bakas, Ioannis Kandarakis, George Fountos and Christos Michail
Crystals 2020, 10(11), 961; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10110961 - 22 Oct 2020
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2696
Abstract
In this study, the light output of a zinc selenide activated with tellurium (ZnSe: Te) single crystal was measured for X-ray radiography applications. A cubic crystal (10 × 10 × 10 mm) was irradiated using X-rays with tube voltages from 50 to 130 [...] Read more.
In this study, the light output of a zinc selenide activated with tellurium (ZnSe: Te) single crystal was measured for X-ray radiography applications. A cubic crystal (10 × 10 × 10 mm) was irradiated using X-rays with tube voltages from 50 to 130 kV. The resulting energy absorption efficiency, detective quantum efficiency, and absolute luminescence efficiency were compared to published data for equally sized GSO: Ce (gadolinium orthosilicate) and BGO (bismuth germanium oxide) crystals. The emitted light was examined to estimate the spectral compatibility with widely used optical sensors. Energy absorption efficiency and detective quantum efficiency of ZnSe: Te and BGO were found to be similar, within the X-ray energies in question. Light output of all three crystals showed a tendency to increase with increasing X-ray tube voltage, but ZnSe: Te stood at least 2 EU higher than the others. ZnSe: Te can be coupled effectively with certain complementary metal–oxide–semiconductors (CMOS), photocathodes, and charge-coupled-devices (CCD), as the effective luminescence efficiency results assert. These properties render the material suitable for various imaging applications, dual-energy arrays included. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of Novel Dual Energy X-ray Imaging Methods)
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21 pages, 1053 KiB  
Article
Dual-Energy X-ray Medical Imaging with Inverse Compton Sources: A Simulation Study
by Gianfranco Paternò, Paolo Cardarelli, Mauro Gambaccini and Angelo Taibi
Crystals 2020, 10(9), 834; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10090834 - 18 Sep 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3062
Abstract
It has been long recognized that dual-energy imaging could help to enhance the detectability of lesions in diagnostic radiology, by removing the contrast of surrounding tissues. Furthermore, X-ray attenuation is material specific and information about the object constituents can be extracted for tissue [...] Read more.
It has been long recognized that dual-energy imaging could help to enhance the detectability of lesions in diagnostic radiology, by removing the contrast of surrounding tissues. Furthermore, X-ray attenuation is material specific and information about the object constituents can be extracted for tissue characterisation, i.e., to assess whether lesions represent a malignant or benign process. However, a true separation between the low and high energy components is not possible with conventional sources because of their broad X-ray spectrum, and the artifacts produced in the subtracted image can be only partially removed. Finally, dose issues have also prevented so far the application of dual-energy techniques within the clinical context. Very recently, a new intense and monochromatic X-ray source was proposed to fill the gap between a synchrotron radiation facility and the standard X-ray tube. Indeed, inverse Compton scattering (ICS) sources, which are based on the interaction of a powerful laser beam and a bright beam of relativistic electrons, are among the most promising innovative sources of monochromatic X and gamma radiation. In this contribution, we review the main features that allow an ICS source to meet the requirements of a medical imaging application. Specific examples of K-edge subtraction are then provided, to show the potential of ICS in clinical applications that require intravenous injection of a contrast medium. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of Novel Dual Energy X-ray Imaging Methods)
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16 pages, 4293 KiB  
Article
Luminescence Efficiency of Cadmium Tungstate (CdWO4) Single Crystal for Medical Imaging Applications
by Christos Michail, Vaia Koukou, Niki Martini, George Saatsakis, Nektarios Kalyvas, Athanasios Bakas, Ioannis Kandarakis, George Fountos, George Panayiotakis and Ioannis Valais
Crystals 2020, 10(6), 429; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10060429 - 27 May 2020
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4331
Abstract
Background: In this study, the light output of a cadmium tungstate (CdWO4) single crystal was measured under various X-ray radiographic energies. Methods: A CdWO4 single crystal (10 × 10 × 10 mm3) was exposed to X-rays in the [...] Read more.
Background: In this study, the light output of a cadmium tungstate (CdWO4) single crystal was measured under various X-ray radiographic energies. Methods: A CdWO4 single crystal (10 × 10 × 10 mm3) was exposed to X-rays in the 50–130 kVp range. Measurements were evaluated against published data for single crystals of equal dimensions (CaF2:Eu and Lu3Al5O12:Ce). Since the crystal was examined for application in medical imaging detectors, the emitted optical spectrum was classified with respect to the spectral compatibility of numerous commercial optical sensors. Results: The luminescence efficiency (LE) was found to constantly increase with X-ray energy and was higher than that of CaF2:Eu for energies above 90 kVp. However, the efficiency of the previously published Lu3Al5O12:Ce was found to be constantly higher than that of CdWO4. The light emitted from CdWO4 can be optimally detected by certain charge-coupled devices (CCDs), amorphous silicon photodiodes, and photocathodes. Conclusions: The high density (7.9 g/cm3) of CdWO4 and the luminescence signal of this material make it suitable for medical imaging (such as dual energy), high-energy physics or for applications of scintillators in harsh environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of Novel Dual Energy X-ray Imaging Methods)
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Review

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21 pages, 2347 KiB  
Review
Dual Energy X-ray Methods for the Characterization, Quantification and Imaging of Calcification Minerals and Masses in Breast
by Niki Martini, Vaia Koukou, Christos Michail and George Fountos
Crystals 2020, 10(3), 198; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10030198 - 13 Mar 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3874
Abstract
Dual energy (DE) technique has been used by numerous studies in order to detect breast cancer in early stages. Although mammography is the gold standard, the dual energy technique offers the advantage of the suppression of the contrast between adipose and glandular tissues [...] Read more.
Dual energy (DE) technique has been used by numerous studies in order to detect breast cancer in early stages. Although mammography is the gold standard, the dual energy technique offers the advantage of the suppression of the contrast between adipose and glandular tissues and reveals pathogenesis that is not present in conventional mammography. Both dual energy subtraction and dual energy contrast enhanced techniques were used in order to study the potential of dual energy technique to assist in detection or/and visualization of calcification minerals, masses and lesions obscured by overlapping tissue. This article reviews recent developments in this field, regarding: i) simulation studies carried out for the optimizations of the dual energy technique used in order to characterize and quantify calcification minerals or/and visualize suspected findings, and ii) the subsequent experimental verifications, and finally, the adaptation of the dual energy technique in clinical practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of Novel Dual Energy X-ray Imaging Methods)
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