Refraction effects of diffraction-enhanced radiographic imaging: a new look at bone

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the ability of a novel radiographic technology-diffraction-enhanced imaging-to detect contrast in bone tissue through absorption, refraction, and scatter rejection. Diffraction-enhanced imaging uses a synchrotron x-ray beam to produce images of high contrast by measuring the object's refraction and ultra-small angle scattering of x-rays in addition to the attenuation measured by conventional radiography. We present evidence that diffraction-enhanced imaging provides contrast enhancement at the edges of cortical and cancellous bone and a three-dimensional appearance of trabeculae.