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- Title
The technical development of photon-counting detector CT.
- Authors
McCollough, Cynthia H.; Rajendran, Kishore; Leng, Shuai; Yu, Lifeng; Fletcher, Joel G.; Stierstorfer, Karl; Flohr, Thomas G.
- Abstract
Since 1971 and Hounsfield's first CT system, clinical CT systems have used scintillating energy-integrating detectors (EIDs) that use a two-step detection process. First, the X-ray energy is converted into visible light, and second, the visible light is converted to electronic signals. An alternative, one-step, direct X-ray conversion process using energy-resolving, photon-counting detectors (PCDs) has been studied in detail and early clinical benefits reported using investigational PCD-CT systems. Subsequently, the first clinical PCD-CT system was commercially introduced in 2021. Relative to EIDs, PCDs offer better spatial resolution, higher contrast-to-noise ratio, elimination of electronic noise, improved dose efficiency, and routine multi-energy imaging. In this review article, we provide a technical introduction to the use of PCDs for CT imaging and describe their benefits, limitations, and potential technical improvements. We discuss different implementations of PCD-CT ranging from small-animal systems to whole-body clinical scanners and summarize the imaging benefits of PCDs reported using preclinical and clinical systems. Key Points: • Energy-resolving, photon-counting-detector CT is an important advance in CT technology. • Relative to current energy-integrating scintillating detectors, energy-resolving, photon-counting-detector CT offers improved spatial resolution, improved contrast-to-noise ratio, elimination of electronic noise, increased radiation and iodine dose efficiency, and simultaneous multi-energy imaging. • High-spatial-resolution, multi-energy imaging using energy-resolving, photon-counting-detector CT has been used in investigations into new imaging approaches, including multi-contrast imaging.
- Subjects
ELECTRONIC noise; DETECTORS; VISIBLE spectra; COMPUTED tomography; SPATIAL resolution
- Publication
European Radiology, 2023, Vol 33, Issue 8, p5321
- ISSN
0938-7994
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00330-023-09545-9