XACT-guided interventional procedures: A feasibility study

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Radiology

Background:

• X-ray Induced Acoustic Computed Tomography (XACT) is an emerging 3D imaging technique using X-ray-induced acoustic waves.
• It offers real-time 3D imaging without mechanical rotation, overcoming limitations of MRI and CT.
• XACT integrated with ultrasound (US) provides complementary soft-tissue contrast for interventional radiology (IR).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of XACT as a novel imaging tool for IR.
• To assess XACT's capability in guiding needle placement.
• To monitor contrast agent dynamics during interventional procedures.

Main Methods:

• Developed a 3D XACT system with a 256-element 2D matrix array and portable X-ray tube.
• Integrated XACT with pulse-echo US using a 128-element linear US array for dual-modality imaging.
• Utilized GPU-accelerated algorithms for 3D XACT image reconstruction on phantoms and soft tissue samples.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated 3D XACT imaging for needle placement monitoring and contrast agent tracking.
• Achieved imaging speeds of 3-4 seconds per frame.
• Dual-modality imaging provided clear visualization of needles and soft tissues with ~2 mm resolution.

Conclusions:

• XACT imaging is feasible for interventional radiology applications.
• Its 3D imaging and speed offer an alternative to cone beam CT.
• Combined XACT and US imaging provides richer soft-tissue information for IR.