Abstract: A method for dark-field imaging includes acquiring dark-field image projections of an object with an imaging apparatus that includes an x-ray interferometer, applying a pressure wave having a predetermined frequency to the object for each acquired projection, wherein the predetermined frequency is different for each projection, and processing the acquired projections, thereby generating a 3D image of the object. In other words, the method corresponds to acoustically modulated X-ray dark field tomography. An imaging system (400) includes a scanner (401) configured for dark-field imaging, the scanner including: a source/detector pair (402/408) and a subject support (416), a pressure wave generator (420) configured to generate and transmit pressure waves having predetermined frequencies, and a console (424) that controls the scanner and the pressure wave generator to acquire at least two dark-field projection of an object with different pressure waves having different frequencies applied to the object.

Abstract: An imaging system (200) is configured for grating-based DPCI. The imaging system includes a rotating gantry (204) that rotates around an examination region, a radiation source (208), supported by the rotating gantry, that emits radiation that traverses the examination region, a detector array (212), supported by the rotating gantry, that detects radiation that traverses the examination region, and an interferometer, supported by the rotating gantry, which includes a source grating (214), a phase grating (218), and an absorber grating (220). At least one of the phase grating or the absorber grating continuously translates with respect to the other during an integration period and the detector generates and outputs an electrical signal indicative of the detected radiation, wherein the electrical signal includes an absorption component, a coherence component and a phase component.

Abstract: A method includes obtaining first spectral image data, which includes at least a first component corresponding to a targeted first K-edge based contrast agent administered to a subject if a target of the targeted first K-edge based contrast agent is present in the subject, decomposing the first spectral image data into at least the first component, reconstructing the first component thereby generating a first image of the targeted first K-edge contrast agent, determining if the targeted first K-edge contrast agent is present in the first image, and generating a signal indicating the targeted first K-edge contrast agent is present in the first image in response to determining the targeted first K-edge contrast agent is present in the first image.

Abstract: An imaging system (100) includes a radiation source (108) that emits radiation that traverses an examination region, a paralyzable photon counting detector pixel (110) that detects photons traversing the examination region and arriving at an input photon rate and that generates a signal indicative thereof, high flux electronics (122) that produce a total time over threshold value each integration period based on the signal, a reconstruction parameter identifier (124) that estimates the input photon rate based on the total time over threshold value and identifies a reconstruction parameter based on the estimate, and a reconstructor (130) that reconstructs the signal based on the identified reconstruction parameter.

Abstract: The invention relates to a detection apparatus for detecting photons, such as used in radiographic imaging systems. A detection unit (14) generates detection signal pulses having a detection signal pulse height being indicative of the energy of the detected photons (13), wherein a detection values generation unit (16) generates energy-resolved detection values depending on the detection signal pulses. A signal pulse generation unit (15) generates artificial signal pulses having a predefined artificial signal pulse height and a predefined generated rate. The detection values generation unit (16) determines an observed rate being the rate of the artificial signal pulses having an artificial signal pulse height being larger than a predefined threshold as observed by the detection values generation unit (16) and determines an offset of the detection signal pulses depending on the determined observed rate.

Abstract: The invention relates to a detection apparatus (12) for detecting photons. The detection apparatus comprises a pile-up determining unit (15) for determining whether detection signal pulses being indicative of detected photons are caused by a pile-up event or by a non-pile-up event, wherein a detection values generating unit (16) generates detection values depending on the detection signal pulses and depending on the determination whether the respective detection signal pulse is caused by a pile-up event or by a non-pile-up event. In particular, the detection values generating unit can be adapted to reject the detection signal pulses caused by pile-up events while generating the detection values. This allows for an improved quality of the generated detection values.

Abstract: The invention relates to a detection apparatus for detecting radiation. The detection apparatus comprises a GOS material (20) for generating scintillation light depending on the detected radiation (25), an optical filter (24) for reducing the intensity of a part of the scintillation light having a wavelength being larger than 650 nm, and a detection unit (21) for detecting the filtered scintillation light. Because of the filtering procedure relatively slow components, i.e. components corresponding to a relatively large decay time, of the scintillation light weakly constribute to the detection process or are not detected at all by the detection unit, thereby increasing the temporal resolution of the detection apparatus. The resulting fast detection apparatus can be suitable for kVp-switching computed tomography systems.

Abstract: Detection apparatus for detecting radiation The invention relates to a detection apparatus for detecting radiation. The detection apparatus comprises at least two scintillators (14, 15) having different temporal behaviors, each generating scintillation light upon reception of radiation, wherein the generated scintillation light is commonly detected by a scintillation light detection unit (16), thereby generating a common light detection signal. A detection values determining unit determines first detection values by applying a first determination process and second detection values by applying a second determination process, which is different to the first determination process, on the detection signal. The first determination process includes frequency filtering the detection signal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a computed tomography apparatus for imaging an object. The computed tomography apparatus comprises a radiation source (2) for generating modulated radiation (4) traversing the object and a detector (6) for generating detection values depending on the radiation (4) after having traversed the object, while the radiation source (2) and the object are moved relative to each other. A weight providing unit (14) provides modulation weights for weighting the detection values depending on the modulation of the radiation (4) and a reconstruction unit (15) reconstructs an image of the object, wherein the detection values are weighted based on the provided modulation weights and an image of the object is reconstructed from the weighted detection values. This can allow to optimize the dose application to the object by modulating the radiation accordingly, wherein the reconstructed images still have a high quality.

Abstract: An analyzer (124) includes a quantifier (204) configured to quantify an amount of contrast material representing scar tissue created by ablation for tissue of interest in contrast enhanced imaging data and a recommender (210) configured to generate a signal indicative of a recommendation to further ablate the tissue of interest in response to the quantified amount of the contrast material not satisfying a pre-determined threshold. A method includes obtaining contrast enhanced image data indicative of scar tissue created by ablation of tissue of interest, quantifying an amount of contrast material for the scar tissue in the tissue of interest, and generating a signal indicative of a recommendation to further ablate the tissue of interest in response to the quantified amount of the contrast material not satisfying a pre-determined threshold.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an X-ray examination device and a corresponding method. A fast and periodical modulation of the X-ray flux within each detection interval is performed having a low X-ray flux at the beginning of the detection interval to ensure that no detection channel is overloaded. With increasing the X-ray flux particularly the peripheral detection channels will rum into saturation, which is detected. A saturated detector channel is stopped from further detecting radiation, and the time of effective radiation detection without saturation is measured for correcting those detection signals. From all detection signals, after any correction of detection signals from saturated detection channels, an X-ray image can be reconstructed.

Abstract: A detector array includes at least one direct conversion detector pixel (114-114M) configured to detect photons of poly-chromatic ionizing radiation. The pixel includes a cathode layer (116), an anode layer (118) including an anode electrode (118-118 M ) for each of the at least one detector pixels, a direct conversion material (120), disposed between the cathode layer and the anode layer, and a gate electrode disposed in the direct conversion material, parallelto and between the cathode and anode layers.

Abstract: A system (200) includes a first imaging system (201) that utilizes first radiation to image an interior region of interest of a subject, including a first agent in the region of interest and a second imaging system (218) that utilizes second radiation to image a second agent in the region of interest, wherein an output of the second imaging system is used to trigger the first imaging system to scan the region of interest, including the first agent in the region of interest.

Abstract: The invention relates to an imaging apparatus (31) for imaging an object. A reconstruction unit (12) determines component projection data values, which correspond to, for example, a base material of the object, and reconstructs an image of the object based on the determined component projection data values. A component projection data value, which corresponds to a ray, is determined as a combination of weighted base functions, which depend on energy projection data values of the same ray and the orientation of the same ray. This allows considering a possible dependency of the corresponding decomposition on the orientation of the ray, thereby allowing the imaging apparatus to improve the quality of decomposing the provided energy projection data values into the component projection data values and thus of a finally reconstructed image of the object, which is reconstructed based on the component projection data values.

Abstract: The invention relates to an image generation system for generating an image of a region of interest. The image generation system comprises a measured data providing unit for providing measured data of the region of interest, a reconstruction unit (12) for reconstructing a first and a second image of the region of interest from the measured data using a first and a second reconstruction method, a noise determination unit (13) for determining first and second noise values for first and second image elements of the first and second image, and an image element combining unit (14) for combining corresponding first and second image elements into combined image elements forming a combined image based on the first and second noise values. By combining corresponding image elements of two differently reconstructed images based on determined noise values, a combined image of a region of interest can be generated with an improved quality.

Abstract: A medical imaging system includes a generally stationary gantry (102) and a rotating gantry (106), rotatably supported by the generally stationary gantry (102), that rotates about a longitudinal axis around an examination region. The medical imaging system further includes a radiation source (112) that emits a radiation beam that traverses the examination region. The radiation source (112) is moveably affixed to the rotating gantry (106) so as to translate in a direction of the longitudinal axis with respect to the rotating gantry (106) while scanning a subject in the examination region. The medical imaging system further includes a detector array (120) that detects the radiation beam that traverses the examination region and generates a signal indicative thereof. The detector array (120) is moveably affixed to the rotating gantry (106) so as to move in coordination with the radiation source (112) while scanning the subject in the examination region.

Abstract: A detector array (110) of an imaging system (100) includes a radiation sensitive detector (114, 116) that detects radiation and generates a signal indicative thereof. A current-to-frequency (I/F) converter (202) converts the signal to a pulse train having a frequency indicative of the signal for an integration period. Circuitry (120) generates a first moment and at least one higher order moment based on the pulse train.

Abstract: A method for processing projection data in the projection domain includes receiving the projection data. The projection data is generated by a spectral detector and includes two or more independent energy-resolved measurements in which at least one of the two or more measurements has first photon statistics. The method further includes generating a de-noised measurement in electronic format for the at least one of the two or more measurements having the first photon statistics. The de-noised measurement has second photon statistics which are better than the first photon statistics.

Abstract: A system includes an image estimator (128) that generates estimated native image data from data acquired when a K-edge material is present in a scanned region during data acquisition, wherein the estimated native image data is indicative of native image data generated from data acquired when the K-edge material is not present in the scanned region during the data acquisition.

Abstract: The invention relates to a detection apparatus comprising a filter (20) for filtering a conical radiation beam (4) such that at least a first region (22) and a second region (23) of the radiation beam are generated having different energy spectra, wherein the first region of the radiation beam illuminates a first detector area (25) on a detection surface (21) of a detector, thereby generating a first set of detection values, and the second region of the radiation beam illuminates a second detector area (26) on the detection surface, thereby generating a second set of detection values. For example, by using the filter the detection apparatus can be used as dual-energy computed tomography apparatus, wherein, for instance, a standard computed tomography apparatus can be transformed to a dual-energy computed tomography apparatus by adding the filter to the standard computed tomography apparatus, preferentially without modifying the radiation source and the detector.