Seminars Archive

SYnchrotron Radiation for MEdical Physics (SYRMEP):from research to clinical applications

Abstract
From the very beginning, SYRMEP collaboration has studied how to improve the image quality in radiography, especially in mammography, working both on the source and the detector side. A dedicated bending magnet beamline was built at the Elettra synchrotron facility in which the collaboration has carried out preliminary studies on phantoms and \"in vitro\" tissue samples. Exploiting the characteristics of synchrotron radiation innovative phase techniques, such as Phase Contrast (PhC) radiography and Diffraction Enhanced Imaging (DEI), have been investigated, and tomography at micrometric scale or with low dose has been implemented. The scientific results obtained have brought to several applications, in particular to two clinical studies. The \"in vivo\" synchrotron mammography project aims at investigating unresolved cases, selected by radiologist after routine examination, by means of PhC imaging. The beamline layout has been modified and a clinical facility has been added. A suitable mammographic unit has been developed together with a dosimetric system and exposure control system. After the approval of the concerned authorities, the clinical examinations have started with encouraging results. As a first step screen film systems is used, but the introduction of digital detectors, conventional and custom, is under investigation in order to take advantage on post-processing procedures and/or to implement new imaging modalities such as low dose tomography and tomosynthesis. The second clinical study concerns the fracture risk in osteoporosis and was carried out in a hospital environment. The starting point of the research was a series of micro-tomography measurements of a trabecular bone carried out at the SYRMEP beamline. The mechanical properties of the 3D reconstructed architecture were investigated by means of the Cell Method (CM), a recently numerical method that presents some advantages compared with conventional ones (like FEM). The simulations were in good agreement with experimental results obtained on sintered replicas of the same 3D microstructures reproduced by means of a rapid prototyping process. A particular implementation of the CM on 2D radiographic images has been tested at CSMMO (Azienda Sanitaria n.2 Isontina, Gorizia). The preliminary results show that it is able to give an indication of the trabecular strucuture quality and can help the physician in the identification of the actual fracture risk. These clinical studies are carried out in parallel with the experimental activity. Several projects aim at improving beamline performance and testing new imaging modalities.