A Study of Multiple Refractive Scattering of Monoenergetic X-Rays from Ensembles of Monodisperse Spheres

TL;DR

This paper presents a Monte Carlo simulation approach to model multiple refractive scattering of monoenergetic X-rays in fine-structured objects like lung tissue, highlighting phase imaging techniques such as DEI for better visualization.

Contribution

It introduces a 3D vector-based Monte Carlo program to analyze X-ray scattering, focusing on phase contrast imaging of low-contrast biological tissues.

Findings

Effective modeling of X-ray scattering in fine structures

Enhanced imaging potential using phase contrast techniques

Demonstration of DEI's applicability for lung tissue imaging

Abstract

A Monte Carlo program based on a three dimensional vector approach was developed to model multiple refractive scattering of X-ray photons in objects with a fine structure. A particular interest was paid to the investigation of lung tissue. Alveoli are low contrast and low absorbing structures. Hence, they are not visible in the conventional radiography which is based on the changes in the absorption arising from density differences and from variation in the thickness and composition of the object. Another possibility to image fine structure objects is to use the phase imaging techniques. As known, the phase change constant delta at low energies (15-30 keV) is 1000 times larger than the absorption constant beta. The Diffraction Enhance Imaging (DEI) technique is one of the recent phase sensitive techniques based on the use of an analyzer crystal placed between the sample and the detector.