Model predictions for the wide-angle x-ray scatter signals of healthy and malignant breast duct biopsies.

Wide-angle x-ray scatter (WAXS) could potentially be used to diagnose ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in breast biopsies. The regions of interest were assumed to consist of fibroglandular tissue and epithelial cells and the model assumed that biopsies with DCIS would have a higher concentration of the latter. The scattered number of photons from a 2-mm diameter column of tissue was simulated using a 110-kV beam and selectively added in terms of momentum transfer.

A method to estimate the fractional fat volume within a ROI of a breast biopsy for WAXS applications: animal tissue evaluation.

Purpose: To develop a method to estimate the mean fractional volume of fat (ν¯fat) within a region of interest (ROI) of a tissue sample for wide-angle x-ray scatter (WAXS) applications. A scatter signal from the ROI was obtained and use of ν¯fat in a WAXS fat subtraction model provided a way to estimate the differential linear scattering coefficient μs of the remaining fatless tissue.

Methods: The efficacy of the method was tested using animal tissue from a local butcher shop.

WAXS fat subtraction model to estimate differential linear scattering coefficients of fatless breast tissue: phantom materials evaluation.

Purpose: Develop a method to subtract fat tissue contributions to wide-angle x-ray scatter (WAXS) signals of breast biopsies in order to estimate the differential linear scattering coefficients μ(s) of fatless tissue. Cancerous and fibroglandular tissue can then be compared independent of fat content. In this work phantom materials with known compositions were used to test the efficacy of the WAXS subtraction model.

An analytic model for the response of a CZT detector in diagnostic energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy.

A CdZnTe detector (CZTD) can be very useful for measuring diagnostic x-ray spectra. The semiconductor detector does, however, exhibit poor hole transport properties and fluorescence generation upon atomic de-excitations. This article describes an analytic model to characterize these two phenomena that occur when a CZTD is exposed to diagnostic x rays.

A semianalytic model to extract differential linear scattering coefficients of breast tissue from energy dispersive x-ray diffraction measurements.

The goal of this work is to develop a technique to measure the x-ray diffraction signals of breast biopsy specimens. A biomedical x-ray diffraction technology capable of measuring such signals may prove to be of diagnostic use to the medical field. Energy dispersive x-ray diffraction measurements coupled with a semianalytical model were used to extract the differential linear scattering coefficients [mus(x)] of breast tissues on absolute scales.

Optimum momentum transfer arguments for x-ray forward scatter imaging.

In our research program we have shown through modeling, related numerical calculations, and experimental measurements that there exists a potential use of scattered radiation for medical x-ray imaging. Each incident photon of wavelength lambda which scatters at a small angle theta with respect to its initial direction of travel has a change in momentum characterized by the photon momentum transfer argument x = lambda(-1) sin(theta/2). In this work, we show that in order to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) obtained with scattered x rays, one must detect photons with specific x values.