On characterizing X-ray detectors for low-dose imaging

TL;DR

This paper reviews the characterization of X-ray detectors for low-dose medical imaging, providing guidelines and tools to assess detector performance and ensure safety and efficacy in clinical applications.

Contribution

It introduces standardized figures of merit for detector evaluation and offers practical tools for their calculation, enhancing the assessment process.

Findings

Guidelines for selecting relevant figures of merit

Development of MATLAB, Mathcad, and web tools for calculations

Emphasis on low-dose imaging and patient safety

Abstract

The last decade has seen a renewed exploration of semiconductor materials for X-ray detection, foremost focusing on lead-based perovskites and other metal halides as direct-conversion materials and scintillators. However, the reported performance characteristics are often incomplete or misleading in assessing the practical utility of materials. This Perspective offers guidelines for choosing, estimating and presenting the relevant figures of merit. We also provide ready-to-used tools for calculating these figures of merit: MATLAB application, Mathcad worksheet and a website. The X-ray detectors for medical imaging are at focus for their increasing societal value and since they bring about the most stringent requirements as the image shall be acquired at as low as reasonably attainable (i.e. ALARA principle) dose received by the patient.