PHASE-CONTRAST IMAGING WITH SYNCHROTRON X-RAYS FOR DETECTING CANCER LESIONS

Rationale and Objectives. We obtained image contrast in pathologic spe cimens without the use of contrast material by using phase-contrast im aging with synchrotron X-rays. Methods. An experiment was performed at the three-pole superconducting vertical wiggler beam line BL-14B at t he Photon Factory in Tsukuba, Japan. The X-ray phase-contrast imaging system consisted of a double crystal monochromator, an asymmetrically cut crystal monochromator, a triple Laue-case X-ray interferometer, an d film. The pathologic specimen was a sample from human liver that had metastatic carcinoma. Results. The X-ray phase-contrast images of the pathologic specimen clearly depicted the cancerous lesion without the use of contrast enhancement, and the image showed good correlation wi th the photograph of the specimen. The X-ray absorption image did not differentiate between the normal liver tissue and the tumor. Conclusio n. The results of this preliminary experiment reveal that for material s such as biologic specimens with a lo Ri atomic number, X-ray phase-c ontrast imaging better differentiates tissues than does the absorption contrast imaging commonly used in radiology.