Accelerating X-ray fluorescence computed tomography.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Physics
• Materials Science

Background:

• X-ray fluorescence tomography (XFCT) is a powerful technique for elemental analysis but is often limited by long acquisition times.
• Existing XFCT methods require extensive data collection, hindering real-time applications and throughput.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel strategies for accelerating X-ray fluorescence tomography (XFCT) imaging.
• To enhance both data acquisition speed and image reconstruction accuracy in XFCT.

Main Methods:

• An alternative imaging scheme utilizing an emission tomography (ET) system was developed to capture fluorescence photons for entire slices or volumetric projections simultaneously.
• Novel image reconstruction algorithms were designed to improve quantitative accuracy and enable imaging of specific regions of interest.

Main Results:

• The proposed ET-based imaging scheme demonstrated a potential ten to hundredfold improvement in imaging speed.
• The new reconstruction algorithms facilitate enhanced quantitative accuracy and targeted imaging, further reducing data acquisition demands.

Conclusions:

• The integrated approach of advanced acquisition and reconstruction strategies significantly accelerates XFCT.
• These advancements pave the way for more efficient and accurate elemental mapping using XFCT in various scientific and medical fields.