Refraction-contrast tomosynthesis imaging using dark-field imaging optics

Abstract

A soft tissue tomosynthesis imaging system using Laue-case analyzer for dark-field imaging (DFI) optics is described. Two images from which refraction component is deduced are obtained in a single exposure of DFI, while two exposures are required in diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI). The measurement time and radiation dose are thus reduced to half those from DEI. Additionally, the proposed reconstruction algorithm, using only one tenth the number of projections required in computed tomography (CT) imaging, produced images in no way inferior to refraction-contrast CT images. We ex vivo imaged an excised human lung tissue using the system constructed at the KEK vertical wiggler beamline PF-BL14C to demonstrate the proposed imaging protocol efficacy.