In situ x-ray-induced acoustic computed tomography with a contrast agent: a proof of concept

X-ray-induced acoustic computed tomography (XACT) has shown great potential as a hybrid imaging modality for real-time non-invasive x-ray dosimetry and low-dose three-dimensional (3D) imaging. While promising, one drawback of the XACT system is the underlying low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), limiting its in vivo clinical use. In this Letter, we propose the first use of a conventional x-ray computed tomography contrast agent, Gastrografin, for improving the SNR of in situ XACT imaging. We obtained 3D volumetric XACT images of a mouse's stomach with orally injected Gastrografin establishing the proposal's feasibility. Thus, we believe, in the future, our proposed technique will allow in vivo imaging and expand or complement conventional x-ray modalities, such as radiotherapy and accelerators.