Prototype represents a step toward enhanced soft-tissue tomography
A promising approach for producing medical images with enhanced soft tissue visibility—grating-based x-ray phase contrast—has now advanced from bench-top studies to implementation in an in vivo preclinical computed tomography scanner. A German, Swedish, and Belgian team led by scientists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) published the first experimental results demonstrating the practical potential of this technology, which can significantly improve the contrast in CT scans. This work, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could mark a critical step in moving beyond proof-of-concept experiments to applications —including in vivo preclinical imaging with small-animal models in the mid-term future and, in the long term, medical CT scanning.