X-ray scanner for breast cancer diagnosis
What exactly are slot scanning x-rays and how can they be used in the fight against breast cancer? To answer this question, we have created a short video. The first step is to understand how a conventional digital x-ray image is acquired. A flat panel detector is a rectangular sensor -- similar to that found in a digital camera -- that converts x-rays into an image. The detector is exposed by the lilac coloured x-ray beam for a period of less than a second. In slot scanning, a narrow image sensor moves in synchrony with an x-ray fan beam. As the tungsten blades of a collimator, located just beneath the x-ray tube, move from side to side, so the lilac x-ray fan beam sweeps back and forth. Image acquisition typically takes about three seconds. Slot scanning has the major advantage of reducing x-ray scatter and this in turn leads to better quality images at lower dose, both key attributes for a successful mammography system. The narrow image sensor used in slot scanning not only costs far less than a flat panel detector, the size of its picture elements (or pixels) are also much smaller, further enhancing image quality. While there are some downsides -- a more powerful x-ray tube is needed to offset the effects of collimation, and the breast must be stationary for a longer period -- the benefits of slot scanning are considerable.
What exactly are slot scanning x-rays and how can they be used in the fight against breast cancer? To answer this question, we have created a short video. The first step is to understand how a conventional digital x-ray image is acquired. A flat panel detector is a rectangular sensor -- similar to that found in a digital camera -- that converts x-rays into an image. The detector is exposed by the lilac coloured x-ray beam for a period of less than a second. In slot scanning, a narrow image sensor moves in synchrony with an x-ray fan beam. As the tungsten blades of a collimator, located just beneath the x-ray tube, move from side to side, so the lilac x-ray fan beam sweeps back and forth. Image acquisition typically takes about three seconds. Slot scanning has the major advantage of reducing x-ray scatter and this in turn leads to better quality images at lower dose, both key attributes for a successful mammography system. The narrow image sensor used in slot scanning not only costs far less than a flat panel detector, the size of its picture elements (or pixels) are also much smaller, further enhancing image quality. While there are some downsides -- a more powerful x-ray tube is needed to offset the effects of collimation, and the breast must be stationary for a longer period -- the benefits of slot scanning are considerable.