Monte Carlo simulation of glandular dose in a dedicated breast CT system

A dedicated breast CT system (DBCT) is a new method for breast cancer detection proposed in recent years. In this paper, the glandular dose in the DBCT is simulated using the Monte Carlo method. The phantom shape is half ellipsoid, and a series of phantoms with different sizes, shapes and compositions were constructed. In order to optimize the spectra, monoenergy X-ray beams of 5-80 keV were used in simulation. The dose distribution of a breast phantom was studied: a higher energy beam generated more uniform distribution, and the outer parts got more dose than the inner parts. For polyenergtic spectra, four spectra of Al filters with different thicknesses were simulated, and the polyenergtic glandular dose was calculated as a spectral weighted combination of the monoenergetic dose.     

Experimental measurement of radiation dose in a dedicated breast CT system

Radiation dose is an important performance indicator of a dedicated breast CT (DBCT). In this paper, the method of putting thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) into a breast shaped PMMA phantom to study the dose distribution in breasts was improved by using smaller TLDs and a new half-ellipsoid PMMA phantom. Then the weighted CT dose index (CTDI_w) was introduced to average glandular assessment in DBCT for the first time and two measurement modes were proposed for different sizes of breasts. The dose deviations caused by using cylindrical phantoms were simulated using the Monte Carlo method and a set of correction factors were calculated. The results of the confirmatory measurement with a cylindrical phantom (11 cm/8 cm) show that CTDI_w gives a relatively conservative overestimate of the average glandular dose comparing to the results of Monte Carlo simulation and TLDs measurement. But with better practicability and stability, the CTDI_w is suitable for dose evaluations in daily clinical practice. Both of the TLDs and CTDI_w measurements demonstrate that the radiation dose of our DBCT system is lower than conventional two-view mammography.     

Beam hardening correction for a cone-beam CT system and its effect on spatial resolution

In this paper, we present a beam hardening correction (BHC) method in three-dimension space for a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) system in a mono-material case and investigate its effect on the spatial resolution. Due to the polychromatic character of the X-ray spectrum used, cupping and streak artifacts called beam hardening artifacts arise in the reconstructed CT images, causing reduced image quality. In addition, enhanced edges are introduced in the reconstructed CT images because of the beam hardening effect. The spatial resolution of the CBCT system is calculated from the edge response function (ERF) on different planes in space. Thus, in the CT images with beam hardening artifacts, enhanced ERFs will be extracted to calculate the modulation transfer function (MTF), obtaining a better spatial resolution that deviates from the real value. Reasonable spatial resolution can be obtained after reducing the artifacts. The 10% MTF value and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the point spread function with and without BHC are presented.     

Coupler design for an L-band electron linac

The RF coupler is a key component for an accelerating structure which is the most important component for a linac. In order to feed microwave power into the accelerating cavities effectively, the coupler has to be well matched with the feeding waveguide. In this paper, an electron linac coupler was designed, constructed and tested. A numerical simulation method based on the Kyhl's method was employed to search for the optimal dimensions of the coupler. The frequency and the coupling coefficient as a function of the coupler dimensions were also calculated. The results fitted the Kyhl's method simulation results well and gave tolerances of the coupler. The coupler was brazed to the accelerating cavities and it was cold-tested and hot-tested. The experimental results were consistent with the numerical simulation results.     

Computed laminography and reconstruction algorithm

Computed laminography (CL) is an alternative to computed tomography if large objects are to be inspected with high resolution. This is especially true for planar objects. In this paper, we set up a new scanning geometry for CL, and study the algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) for CL imaging. We compare the results of ART with variant weighted functions by computer simulation with a digital phantom. It proves that ART algorithm is a good choice for the CL system.     

Measurement of the spatial resolution and the relative density resolution in an industrial cone-beam micro computed tomography system

The spatial resolution and the relative density resolution are the two most critical indicators in CT system. The method recommended in the ASTM E1695-95 and GJB 5311-2004 is only suitable to the fan-beam CT system. In this paper, for industrial cone-beam micro CT system, we will adopt the edge response function (ERF) created by the step edges of a steel ball to measure the system 3D PSF and MTF. To describe the contrast discrimination function more accurately, we will first propose to extend the two-dimensional measurement region to the three-dimensional space. Our experimental spatial resolution is (55.56±0.56) lp/mm and the relative density resolution is 1% within 300 μm×300 μm×300 μm according to the 3σ rule.