| 1. |
- Malusek, Alexandr, et al.
(author)
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In-situ calibration of clinical built-in KAP meters with traceability to a primary standard using a reference KAP meter
- 2014
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In: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing: Hybrid Open Access. - 0031-9155 .- 1361-6560. ; 59:23, s. 7195-7210
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The air kerma-area product (KAP) is used for settings of diagnostic reference levels. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommends that doses in diagnostic radiology (including the KAP values) be estimated with an accuracy of at least +/- 7% (k = 2). Industry standards defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) specify that the uncertainty of KAP meter measurements should be less than +/- 25% (k = 2). Medical physicists willing to comply with the IAEAs recommendation need to apply correction factors to KAP values reported by x-ray units. The aim of this work is to present and evaluate a calibration method for built-in KAP meters on clinical x-ray units. The method is based on (i) a tandem calibration method, which uses a reference KAP meter calibrated to measure the incident radiation, (ii) measurements using an energy-independent ionization chamber to correct for the energy dependence of the reference KAP meter, and (iii) Monte Carlo simulations of the beam quality correction factors that correct for differences between beam qualities at a standard laboratory and the clinic. The method was applied to the KAP meter in a Siemens Aristos FX plus unit. It was found that values reported by the built-in KAP meter differed from the more accurate values measured by the reference KAP meter by more than 25% for high tube voltages (more than 140 kV) and heavily filtered beams (0.3 mm Cu). Associated uncertainties were too high to claim that the IECs limit of 25% was exceeded. Nevertheless the differences were high enough to justify the need for a more accurate calibration of built-in KAP meters.
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| 2. |
- Sandborg, Michael, 1961-, et al.
(author)
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A Monte Carlo study of grid performance in diagnostic radiology: task-dependent optimization for digital imaging
- 1994
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In: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0031-9155 .- 1361-6560. ; 39:10, s. 1659-1676
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A Monte Carlo computational model has been used to optimize grid design in digital radiography. The optimization strategy involved finding grid designs that, for a constant signal-to-noise ratio, resulted in the lowest mean absorbed dose in the patient. Different examinations were simulated to explore the dependence of the optimal scatter-rejection technique on the imaging situation. A large range of grid designs was studied, including grids with both aluminium and fibre interspaces and covers, and compared to a 20 cm air gap. The results show that the optimal tube potential in each examination does not depend strongly on the scatter-rejection technique. There is a significant dose reduction associated with the use of fibre-interspaced grids, particularly in paediatric radiography. The optimal grid ratio and strip width increase with increasing scattering volume. With increasing strip density, the optimal strip width decreases, and the optimal grid ratio increases. Optimal grid ratios are higher than those used today, particularly for grids with large strip density. It is, however, possible to identify grids of good performance for a range of strip densities and grid ratios provided the strip width is selected accordingly. The computational method has been validated by comparison with measurements with a caesium iodide image receptor.
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| 3. |
- Sandborg, Michael, 1961-, et al.
(author)
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Influence on X-ray energy spectrum, contrasting detail and detector on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) in projection radiography
- 1992
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In: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0031-9155 .- 1361-6560. ; 7:6, s. 1245-1263
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A lower limit to patient irradiation in diagnostic radiology is set by the fundamental stochastics of the energy imparted to the image receptor (quantum noise). Image quality is investigated and expressed in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio due to quantum noise. The Monte Carlo method is used to calculate signal-to-noise ratios (SNRDelta S) and detective quantum efficiencies (DQEDelta S) in imaging thin contrasting details of air, fat, bone and iodine within a water phantom using X-ray spectra (40-140 kV) and detectors of CsI, BaFCl and Gd2O2S. The atomic composition of the contrasting detail influences considerably the values of SNRDelta S due to the different modulations of the energy spectra of primary photons passing beside and through the contrasting detail. By matching the absorption edges of the contrasting detail and the detector, a partially absorbing detector may be more efficient (yield higher SNRDelta S) than a totally absorbing one; this is demonstrated for the case of detecting an iodine detail using a CsI detector. The degradation of SNRDelta S and DQEDelta S due to scatter is larger when the detector is operated in the photon counting compared to in the energy integrating mode and for partially absorbing compared to totally absorbing detectors.
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| 6. |
- Tapiovaara, Markku, et al.
(author)
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Evaluation of image quality in fluoroscopy by measurements and Monte Carlo calculations
- 1995
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In: Physics in Medicine and Biology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0031-9155 .- 1361-6560. ; 40:4, s. 589-607
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The authors have studied image quality in fluoroscopy, as related to the detectability of low-contrast iodine or acrylic (PMMA) details added to a homogeneous 20 cm thick PMMA phantom, by experimental measurements of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and by Monte Carlo calculation. The agreement between the measured and calculated SNR at equal absorbed dose in the phantom showed that the imaging performance of X-ray image intensifier (XRII) based fluoroscopic systems is well understood and can be mainly accounted for by X-ray attenuation in the phantom and the detail, and by the interaction statistics of primary and secondary (scattered) X-ray quanta in the input phosphor of the XRII. The electronic noise sources in the video chain bad only a small effect on the detectability of the details studied here. The optimal X-ray tube potential was 50-60 kV for detecting the low-contrast iodine detail in the phantom, and 70-100 kV for detecting the thin PMMA detail. For the task of detecting the iodine detail the use of a fibre-interspaced antiscatter grid improved the dose-to-information conversion efficiency of the imaging system by a factor of 2.2 as compared to imaging without the grid, and additional filtering of the X-ray beam by 0.25 mm Cu increased the efficiency by a factor of 1.6. Monte Carlo results were further used to estimate the potential of increasing the dose-to-information conversion efficiency by imaging system design changes. For the detection task of a static, low-contrast, low-spatial-frequency iodine contrast material detail embedded in a 20 cm thick soft-tissue phantom, the greatest contributions for further improvement could be achieved by improved antiscatter devices, X-ray spectrum modification, and by decreasing the absorption in the material layers in front of the CsI phosphor of the XRII. Contrary to this, no significant efficiency increase could be obtained by increasing the CsI phosphor coating thickness from the present value of 180 mg cm-2, or by changes in the video chain characteristics. The maximum potential of efficiency improvement is a factor of 6.3 when compared to the reference fluoroscopy system operated at 60 kV with 2.7 mm Al primary beam filtration, and a factor of 3.9 when compared to the reference system at 50 kV with the primary beam filtration added by 0.25 mm Cu.
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