An innovative digital imaging set-up allowing a low-dose approach to phasecontrast applications in the medical field

Recently, new imaging modalities based on the detection of weak phase pertu rbations effects, among which are phase contrast and diffraction imaging, h ave been developed by several researchers. Due to their high sensitivity to weakly absorbing details, these techniques seem to be very promising for a pplications in the medical field. On the other hand, digital radiology is u ndergoing a wide diffusion, and its benefits are presently very well unders tood. Up to now, however, the strong pixel size constraints associated with phase contrast pattern detection limited the possibility of exploiting the advantages of phase contrast in digital radiology applications, In this pa per, an innovative setup capable of removing the pixel size constraints, an d thus opening the way to low dose digital phase contrast imaging, is descr ibed. Furthermore, we introduce an imaging technique based on the detection of radiation scattered at small angles: the information extracted from the sample is increased at no dose expense. We believe that several radiologic al fields, mammography being the first important example, may benefit from the herein described innovative imaging techniques. (C) 2001 American Assoc iation of Physicists in Medicine.