Laser-wakefield accelerators as hard x-ray sources for 3D medical imaging of human bone

Sci Rep. 2015 Aug 18:5:13244. doi: 10.1038/srep13244.

Abstract

A bright μm-sized source of hard synchrotron x-rays (critical energy Ecrit > 30 keV) based on the betatron oscillations of laser wakefield accelerated electrons has been developed. The potential of this source for medical imaging was demonstrated by performing micro-computed tomography of a human femoral trabecular bone sample, allowing full 3D reconstruction to a resolution below 50 μm. The use of a 1 cm long wakefield accelerator means that the length of the beamline (excluding the laser) is dominated by the x-ray imaging distances rather than the electron acceleration distances. The source possesses high peak brightness, which allows each image to be recorded with a single exposure and reduces the time required for a full tomographic scan. These properties make this an interesting laboratory source for many tomographic imaging applications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Absorptiometry, Photon / instrumentation
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Femur / diagnostic imaging*
  • Humans
  • Image Enhancement / instrumentation
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / instrumentation*
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Lasers*
  • Particle Accelerators / instrumentation*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed / instrumentation*