Performance of high-resolution CT for detection and discrimination tasks related to stenotic lesions - A phantom study using model observers.

Background: Accurate detection and grading of atheromatous stenotic lesions within the cardiac, renal, and intracranial vasculature is imperative for early recognition of disease and guiding treatment strategies.

Purpose: In this work, a stenotic lesion phantom was used to compare high resolution and normal resolution modes on the same CT scanner in terms of detection and size discrimination performance.

Materials And Methods: The phantom is comprised of three acrylic cylinders (each 15.

Preliminary performance characterization of DbPET2.1, a PET scanner dedicated to the imaging of the breast and extremities.

The combined effort of several laboratories at our institution resulted in the building of the first high resolution PET/CT prototype dedicated to imaging the body extremities. Ongoing clinical trials for breast cancer diagnosis and assessment of response to treatment underlined the need for a second generation prototype with improved electronics and spatial resolution. A preliminary version has been assembled and fully characterized.

Evolution of spatial resolution in breast CT at UC Davis.

Purpose: Dedicated breast computed tomography (bCT) technology for the purpose of breast cancer screening has been a focus of research at UC Davis since the late 1990s. Previous studies have shown that improvement in spatial resolution characteristics of this modality correlates with greater microcalcification detection, a factor considered a potential limitation of bCT. The aim of this study is to improve spatial resolution as characterized by the modulation transfer function (MTF) via changes in the scanner hardware components and operational schema.

Real-time dosimeter employed to evaluate the half-value layer in CT.

Half-value layer (HVL) measurements on commercial whole body computer tomography (CT) scanners require serial measurements and, in many institutions, the presence of a service engineer. An assembly of aluminum filters (AAF), designed to be used in conjunction with a real-time dosimeter, was developed to provide estimates of the HVL using clinical protocols. Two real-time dose probes, a solid-state and air ionization chamber, were examined.

Development of a patient-specific two-compartment anthropomorphic breast phantom.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a technique for the construction of a two-compartment anthropomorphic breast phantom specific to an individual patient's pendant breast anatomy. Three-dimensional breast images were acquired on a prototype dedicated breast computed tomography (bCT) scanner as part of an ongoing IRB-approved clinical trial of bCT. The images from the breast of a patient were segmented into adipose and glandular tissue regions and divided into 1.

An X-Ray computed tomography/positron emission tomography system designed specifically for breast imaging.

Mammography has served the population of women who are at-risk for breast cancer well over the past 30 years. While mammography has undergone a number of changes as digital detector technology has advanced, other modalities such as computed tomography have experienced technological sophistication over this same time frame as well. The advent of large field of view flat panel detector systems enable the development of breast CT and several other niche CT applications, which rely on cone beam geometry.

Initial characterization of a dedicated breast PET/CT scanner during human imaging.

Unlabelled: We have constructed a dedicated breast PET/CT scanner capable of high-resolution functional and anatomic imaging. Here, we present an initial characterization of scanner performance during patient imaging.

Methods: The system consisted of a lutetium oxyorthosilicate-based dual-planar head PET camera (crystal size, 3 x 3 x 20 mm) and 768-slice cone-beam CT.

Computed tomography for imaging the breast.

Despite the success of screening mammography contributing to the reduction of cancer mortality, a number of other imaging techniques are being studied for breast cancer screening. In our laboratory, a dedicated breast computed tomography (CT) system has been developed and is currently undergoing patient testing. The breast CT system is capable of scanning the breast with the woman lying prone on a tabletop, with the breast in the pendant position.