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Contrast Enhanced Vessel Imaging using MicroCT
Published on: January 27, 2011
Lung imaging in rodents using dual energy micro-CT.
1Center for In Vivo Microscopy, Department of Radiology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Proceedings of Spie--The International Society for Optical Engineering
|September 13, 2013
Summary
Dual energy micro-CT accurately quantifies lung air, blood, and tissue fractions. This method aids preclinical pulmonary research by assessing physiological changes in rodent models.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Pulmonary Research
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Dual energy CT (DECT) imaging offers material decomposition capabilities.
- Accurate quantification of lung components is crucial for pulmonary research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate dual energy micro-CT for estimating vascular, tissue, and air fractions in rodent lungs.
- To validate a post-reconstruction three-material decomposition method.
Main Methods:
- Simulations to assess decomposition accuracy under realistic micro-CT noise.
- Ex vivo lung imaging with contrast agent and controlled air inflation.
- In vivo imaging in mice with respiratory gating and varying positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP).
Main Results:
- Mean accuracy for Air (95.5%), Blood (96%), and Tissue (92.4%).
- Overall absolute accuracy of 94.6% for all material fractions.
- Significant increase in air fraction with PEEP at end-expiration in vivo.
Conclusions:
- The developed method accurately estimates lung air, blood, and tissue fractions using dual energy micro-CT.
- This technique is applicable to preclinical pulmonary studies investigating disease, genetic changes, or drug effects.
