Erschienen in:
04.04.2023 | Review
The technical development of photon-counting detector CT
verfasst von:
Cynthia H. McCollough, Kishore Rajendran, Shuai Leng, Lifeng Yu, Joel G. Fletcher, Karl Stierstorfer, Thomas G. Flohr
Erschienen in:
European Radiology
|
Ausgabe 8/2023
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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.