An Improved Phase Retrieval Algorithm for X-ray In-line Phase-Contrast Imaging

Phase contrast imaging technique has been improved promptly in recent years. Among these techniques in-line phase-contrast imaging is widely used. Various algorithms for in-line phase retrieval have been proposed so far such as TIE(transport of intensity equation), CTF(contrast transfer function), first born-approximations, GSF(Gerchberg-Saxton-Fienup), etc. Bronnikov's algorithm(BA) is a type of linear algorithm that is simple and efficient. But it can only be used without absorption situations. In this paper, an improved algorithm based on BA was presented. The approach adds Δφ(x,y) to the phase map φ_b(x,y) retrieved by BA to make the reconstructed phase map more precise. Further, the approach was evaluated on simulated images and confirmed to be accurate at higher absorption rates.

Hard X-ray in-line outline imaging for blood vessels:first generation synchrotron radiation without contrast agents in vitro

Objective: Phase-contrast X-ray imaging which reduces radiation exposure, is a promising technique for observing the inner structures of biological soft tissues without the aid of contrast agents. The present study intends to depict blood vessels of rabbits and human livers with hard X-ray in-line outline imaging without contrast agents using synchrotron radiation. Methods: All samples were fixed with formalin and sliced into 6 mm sections. The imaging experiments were performed with Fuji-IX80 films on the 4W1A light beam of the first generation synchrotron radiation in Beijing, China. The device of the experiment, which supplies a maximum light spot size of 20×10 mm was similar to that of in-line holography. The photon energy was set at 8 KeV and high quality imagines were obtained by altering the distance between the sample and the film. Results: The trees of rabbit-liver blood vessels and the curved vessels of the cirrhotic human liver were revealed on the images, where vessels < 20 μm in diameter were differentiated. Conclusion: These results show that the blood vessels of liver samples can be revealed by using hard X-ray in-line outline imaging with the first generation synchrotron radiation without contrast agents.

Influence of tube voltage and current on in-line phase contrast imaging using a microfocus x-ray source

In-line x-ray phase contrast imaging has attracted much attention due to two major advantages： its effectiveness in imaging weakly absorbing materials, and the simplicity of its facilities. In this paper a comprehensive theory based on Wigner distribution developed by Wu and Liu [Med. Phys. 31 2378-2384 （2004）] is reviewed. The influence of x-ray source and detector on the image is discussed. Experiments using a microfocus x-ray source and a CCD detector are conducted, which show the role of two key factors on imaging： the tube voltage and tube current. High tube current and moderate tube voltage are suggested for imaging.

3D imaging lipidometry in single cell by in-flow holographic tomography

The most recent discoveries in the biochemical field are highlighting the increasingly important role of lipid droplets(LDs)in several regulatory mechanisms in living cells.LDs are dynamic organelles and therefore their complete characterization in terms of number,size,spatial positioning and relative distribution in the cell volume can shed light on the roles played by LDs.Until now,fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy are assessed as the gold standard methods for identifying LDs due to their high sensitivity and specificity.However,such methods generally only provide 2D assays and partial measurements.Furthermore,both can be destructive and with low productivity,thus limiting analysis of large cell numbers in a sample.Here we demonstrate for the first time the capability of 3D visualization and the full LD characterization in high-throughput with a tomographic phase-contrast flow-cytometer,by using ovarian cancer cells and monocyte cell lines as models.A strategy for retrieving significant parameters on spatial correlations and LD 3D positioning inside each cell volume is reported.The information gathered by this new method could allow more in depth understanding and lead to new discoveries on how LDs are correlated to cellular functions.

Anisotropic total variation minimization approach in in-line phase-contrast tomography and its application to correction of ring artifacts

In-line phase-contrast computed tomography（IL-PC-CT） imaging is a new physical and biochemical imaging method.IL-PC-CT has advantages compared to absorption CT when imaging soft tissues. In practical applications, ring artifacts which will reduce the image quality are commonly encountered in IL-PC-CT, and numerous correction methods exist to either pre-process the sinogram or post-process the reconstructed image. In this study, we develop an IL-PC-CT reconstruction method based on anisotropic total variation（TV） minimization. Using this method, the ring artifacts are corrected during the reconstruction process. This method is compared with two methods： a sinogram preprocessing correction technique based on wavelet-FFT filter and a reconstruction method based on isotropic TV. The correction results show that the proposed method can reduce visible ring artifacts while preserving the liver section details for real liver section synchrotron data.

Noise properties of multi-combination information in x-ray grating-based phase-contrast imaging

Grating-based x-ray phase contrast imaging has attracted increasing interest in recent decades as multimodal and laboratory source usable method.Specific efforts have been focused on establishing a new extraction method to perform practical applications.In this work,noise properties of multi-combination information of newly established information extraction method,so-called angular signal radiography method,are investigated to provide guidelines for targeted and specific applications.The results show that how multi-combination of images can be used in targeted practical applications to obtain a high-quality image in terms of signal-to-noise ratio.Our conclusions can also hold true for upcoming targeted practical applications such as biomedical imaging,non-destructive imaging,and materials science.

Effects of Tube Voltage on Phase-Contrast Imaging for Different Microfocus X-Ray Tubes

In the past decade, phase-contrast imaging (PCI) has become a hot research with an increased improvement of the image contrast with respect to conventional absorption radiography. In this paper, effects of tube voltage (kVp) on propagation-based phase-contrast imaging have been investigated with two types of microfocus x-ray tubes, a conventional sealed x-ray tube with the focal spot size of 13 - 20 μm and an open x-ray tube with minimum focal spot size less than 2 μm. A cooled x-ray CCD detector with the pixel size of 24 μm was used to acquire digital images. Two thin plastic sheets with different thickness were used as radiography phantoms. Two different phenomena were observed for the two x-ray tubes. For the open tube, phase-contrast effect has a slight drop with the increasing of tube voltage, however, it is opposite for the sealed tube. A further investigation indicates that the variation of focal spot size causes the abnormal result for the sealed tube. It also shows that phase-contrast effect is more sensitive to focal spot size than tube voltage.

Application of phase-contrast cine gnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in endoscopic aqueductoplasty

Objective To evaluate the application of phasecontrast cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in endoscopic aqueductoplasty for patients with obstructive hydrocephalus. Methods The clinical diagnosis of hydrocephalus due to aqueduct obstruction in 23 patients was confirmed by phase contrast cine MRI examination.

Methodology development and application of X-ray imaging beamline at SSRF

This paper introduces some latest developments regarding the X-ray imaging methodology and applications of the X-ray imaging and biomedical application beamline(BL13W1)at Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility in the past 5 years.The photon energy range of the beamline is 8–72.5 keV.Several sets of X-ray imaging detectors with different pixel sizes(0.19–24 lm)are used to realize X-ray microcomputed tomography(X-ray micro-CT)and X-ray in-line phase-contrast imaging.To satisfy the requirements of user experiments,new X-ray imaging methods and image processing techniques are developed.In vivo dynamic micro-CT experiments with living insects are performed in 0.5 s(sampling rate of 2 Hz,2 tomograms/s)with a monochromatic beam from a wiggler source and in 40 ms(sampling rate of 25 Hz,25 tomograms/s)with a white beam from a bending magnet source.A new X-ray imaging method known as move contrast X-ray imaging is proposed,with which blood flow and moving tissues in raw images can be distinguished according to their moving frequencies in the time domain.Furthermore,X-ray speckle-tracking imaging with twice exposures to eliminate the edge enhancement effect is developed.A high-precision quantification method is realized to measure complex three-dimensional blood vessels obtained via X-ray micro-CT.X-ray imaging methods such as three-dimensional X-ray diffraction microscopy,small-angle X-ray scattering CT,and X-ray fluorescence CT are developed,in which the X-ray micro-CT imaging method is combined with other contrast mechanisms such as diffraction,scattering,and fluorescence contrasts respectively.Moreover,an X-ray nano-CT experiment is performed with a 100 nm spatial resolution.Typical user experimental results from the fields of material science,biomedicine,paleontology,physics,chemistry,and environmental science obtained on the beamline are provided.

In-line imaging measurements of particle size,velocity and concentration in a particulate two-phase flow

A novel method is developed for in-line measurements of particle size, velocity and concentration in a dilute, particulate two-phase flow based on trajectory image processing. The measurement system consists of a common industrial CCD camera, an inexpensive LED light and a telecentric lens. In this work, the image pre-processing steps include stitching, illumination correction, binarization, denoising, and the elimination of unreal and defocused particles. A top-hat transformation is found to be very effective for the binarization of images with non-uniform background illumination. Particle trajectories measured within a certain exposure time are used to directly obtain particle size and velocity. The particle concentration is calculated by using the statistics of recognized particles within the field of view. We validate our method by analyzing experiments in a gas-droplet cyclone separator. This in-line image processing method can significantly reduce the measurement cost and avoid the data inversion process involved in the light scattering method.

Optimal velocity encoding during measurement of cerebral blood flow volume using phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography

This study investigated the effect of velocity encoding on measurement of brain blood flow and blood volume of inflow and outflow using phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography. A single two-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography slice was applied perpendicular to the internal carotid artery and the vertebral artery at C2 level. For each subject, the velocity encoding was set from 30 to 90 cm/s with an interval of 10 cm/s for a total of seven settings. Various velocity encodings greatly affected blood flow volume, maximal blood flow velocity and mean blood flow velocity in the internal carotid artery, but did not significantly affect vertebral arteries and jugular veins. When velocity encoding was 60-80 cm/s, the inflow blood volume was 655 _＋ 118 mL/min, and the outflow volume was 506 _＋ 186 mL/min. The ratio of outflow/inflow was steady at 0.78-0.83, and there was no aliasing in any of the images. These findings suggest that velocity encodings of 60 80 cm/s should be selected during measurement of cerebral blood flow volume using phase-contrast magnetic resonance angiography.

Quantitative assessment of physiological cerebrospinal fluid flow in the cervical spinal canal with 3.0T phase-contrast cine MRI

A total of 50 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 54 years underwent phase-contrast cine MR to assess cerebrospinal fluid flow characteristics in different regions of the vertebral canal. The results revealed that the cerebrospinal fluid peak flow velocity and peak flow rate in the systolic phase were significantly greater than those in the diastolic phase at the same level in the subarachnoid space of the cervical spinal canal. The ventral peak flow velocity and peak flow rate were significantly greater than the post-lateral peak flow velocity and flow rate, while there were no differences between left and right post-lateral subarachnoid peak velocity and flow rate. Moreover, there were no significant differences in peak flow velocity and peak flow rate between the systolic and diastolic phases, ventral, right post-lateral or left post-lateral peak flow velocity and peak flow rate at the same level in the subarachnoid space of the cervical spinal canal among different age groups （18 24, 25 34, 35-44, ≥45 years）.

Phase imaging of irradiated foils at the OMEGA EP facility using phase-stepping X-ray Talbot–Lau deflectometry

Diagnosing the evolution of laser-generated high energy density(HED)systems is fundamental to develop a correct understanding of the behavior of matter under extreme conditions.Talbot–Lau interferometry constitutes a promising tool,since it permits simultaneous single-shot X-ray radiography and phase-contrast imaging of dense plasmas.We present the results of an experiment at OMEGA EP that aims to probe the ablation front of a laser-irradiated foil using a Talbot–Lau X-ray interferometer.A polystyrene(CH)foil was irradiated by a laser of 133 J,1 ns and probed with 8 keV laser-produced backlighter radiation from Cu foils driven by a short-pulse laser(153 J,11 ps).The ablation front interferograms were processed in combination with a set of reference images obtained ex situ using phase-stepping.We managed to obtain attenuation and phase-shift images of a laser-irradiated foil for electron densities above 1022 cm−3.These results showcase the capabilities of Talbot–Lau X-ray diagnostic methods to diagnose HED laser-generated plasmas through high-resolution imaging.

Phase-contrast Imaging Simulation Based on a Micro-CT System

Propagation-based phase-contrast imaging was simulated based on paraxial Fresnel-Kirchoff diffraction integral and spherical wave illumination. Under a developed micro-CT system parameters, the effects of focal-spot size and imaging geometry on phase-contrast imaging have been investigated using a 2-mm-thickness polystyrene edge phantom. An equivalent mono-energy was used to substitute the polychromatic spectrum of the micro-focus X-ray source. To consider effects of focal-spot size and detector resolution, the obtained phase-contrast image with an ideal point source was convolved with source intensity distribution and point spread function of detector. Simulations show reasonable influences of the two parameters which are in good agreement with experimental results.

Portable lensless wide-field microscopy imaging platform based on digital inline holography and multi-frame pixel super-resolution

In this paper,an irregular displacement-based lensless wide-field microscopy imaging platform is presented by combining digital in-line holography and computational pixel super-resolution using multi-frame processing.The samples are illuminated by a nearly coherent illumination system,where the hologram shadows are projected into a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor-based imaging sensor.To increase the resolution,a multi-frame pixel resolution approach is employed to produce a single holographic image from multiple frame observations of the scene,with small planar displacements.Displacements are resolved by a hybrid approach:(i)alignment of the LR images by a fast feature-based registration method,and(ii)fine adjustment of the sub-pixel information using a continuous optimization approach designed to find the global optimum solution.Numerical method for phase-retrieval is applied to decode the signal and reconstruct the morphological details of the analyzed sample.The presented approach was evaluated with various biological samples including sperm and platelets,whose dimensions are in the order of a few microns.The obtained results demonstrate a spatial resolution of 1.55 μm on a field-of-view of<30 mm^(2).

Experimental research on the feature of an x-ray Talbot–Lau interferometer versus tube accelerating voltage

X-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer has been used most widely to perform x-ray phase-contrast imaging with a con- ventional low-brilliance x-ray source, and it yields high-sensitivity phase and dark-field images of samples producing low absorption contrast, thus beating tremendous potential for future clinical diagnosis. In this work, by changing the accel- erating voltage of the x-ray tube from 35 kV to 45 kV, x-ray phase-contrast imaging of a test sample is performed at each integer value of the accelerating voltage to investigate the characteristic of an x-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer （located in the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Japan） versus tube voltage. Ex- perimental results and data analysis show that within a range this x-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer is not sensitive to the accelerating voltage of the tube with a constant fringe visibility of ~ 44%. This x-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer research demonstrates the feasibility of a new dual energy phase-contrast x-ray imaging strategy and the possibility to collect a refraction spectrum.

X-ray diffraction enhanced imaging study of intraocular tumors in human beings

Diffraction enhanced imaging （DEI） with edge enhancement is suitable for the observation of weakly absorbing objects. The potential ability of the DEI was explored for displaying the microanatomy and pathology of human eyeball in this work. The images of surgical specimens from malignant intraocular tumor of hospitalized patients were taken using the hard X-rays from the topography station of Beamline 4W1A at Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility （BSRF）. The obtained radiographic images were analyzed in correlation with those of pathology. The results show that the anatomic and pathologic details of intraocular tumors in human beings can be observed clearly by DEI for the first time, with good visualization of the microscopic details of eyeball ring such as sclera, choroids and other details of intraocular organelles. And the best resolution of DEI images reaches up to the magnitude of several tens of μm. The results suggest that it is capable of exhibiting clearly the details of intraocular tumor using DEI method.

High spatial-resolution biological tissue imaging in the second near-infrared region via optical parametric amplification pumped by an ultrafast vortex pulse [Invited]

Applying an ultrafast vortex laser as the pump,optical parametric amplification can be used for spiral phase-contrast imaging with high gain,wide spatial bandwidth,and high imaging contrast.Our experiments show that this design has realized the 1064 nm spiral phase-contrast idler imaging of biological tissues(frog egg cells and onion epidermis)with a spatial resolution at several microns level and a superior imaging contrast to both the traditional bright-or dark-field imaging under a weak illumination of 7 nW/cm^(2).This work provides a powerful way for biological tissue imaging in the second near-infrared region.

Exploring potential of different X-ray imaging methods for early-stage lung cancer detection

Purpose To explore the potential of X-ray imaging for early-stage lung cancer screening and to help finding an optimal lung cancer screening method.Methods Experimentally and simulatively comparing performances of different X-ray techniques(absorption-contrast imaging and phase-contrast imaging)for model lung cancer samples.Results Absorption imaging shows performance equal to or better than that of low-radiation dose.Conclusion Absorption imaging is still the most promising imaging method for early lung cancer detection.

Quantitative analysis of intraspinal cerebrospinal fluid flow in normal adults

The present study quantitatively analyzed intraspinal cerebrospinal fluid flow patterns in 19 normal adults using fast cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging. Results showed increased downward flow velocity and volume compared with upward flow, and the average downward flow volume of intraspinal cerebrospinal fluid decreased from top to bottom at different intervertebral disc levels. Upward and downward cerebrospinal fluid flow velocity reached a peak at the thoracic intraspinal anterior region, and velocity reached a minimum at the posterior region. Overall measurements revealed that mean upward and downward flow volume positively correlated with the subarachnoid area. Upward peak flow velocity and volume positively correlated with spinal anteroposterior diameter. However, downward peak flow velocity and volume exhibited a negative correlation with spinal anteroposterior diameter. Further flow measurements showed that flow velocity in upward and downward directions was associated with subarachnoid anteroposterior diameter, respectively. The present experimental results showed that cerebrospinal fluid flow velocity and volume varied at different intraspinal regions and were affected by subarachnoid space area and anteroposterior diameter size.