High-spatial-resolution and real-time medical imaging using a high-sensitivity HARPICON camera

A HARPICON(TM) camera has been applied to a digital angiography system with fluorescent-screen optical-lens coupling. It uses avalanche multiplication in the photoconductive layer for high-sensitivity imaging. The limiting spatial resolutions in the 1050 scanning-line mode of the camera are about 30 and 50 micro m at input field sizes of 20 x 20 and 50 x 50 mm on the screen, respectively. For high-speed imaging, the 525 scanning-line mode at a rate of 60 images s(-1) can be selected. High-quality images of coronary arteries in dogs were obtained by intra-aortic coronary angiography and superselective coronary angiography using a single-energy X-ray above the iodine K-edge energy.