Non-destructive Research Of Small Animals Based On X-ray Grating Phase-contrast Imaging

Recently, grating-based phase-contrast X-ray imaging has become a hot topic,and it is considered as the key technology for future clinical medical nondestructive diagnosis, because of its high compatibility with the conventional x-ray source.Compared with the existing X-ray absorption-contrast imaging technology,phase-contrast imaging has the unique ability to distinguish soft tissue. This technology, according to the different program by which information is extracted,can acquire absorption-contrast, phase-contrast, and scattering-contrast image in the instant process. Information provided by the three images is distinct and complementary; therefore, the technology is of great scientific value and potential applications on early cancer prevention and treatment, diagnose without contrast media, as well as non-destructive detecting of animals.In this dissertation, based on the classical-optical grating-based imaging system at National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), the grating-based phase-contrast X-ray imaging was used to non-destructively detect the structure of small animals and mainly developed research in the following two aspects.1. Non-destructive grating-based phase-contrast X-ray imaging for lung of mouseLung cancer is one of malignant tumors with highest death rate. To cure such a malignant tumor, finding an effective way to make early diagnosis has become an urgent demand. The grating-based phase-contrast X-ray imaging was used to detect the structure of lungs of mice planted by B16/F10 melanoma cells. It is a meaningful attempt in X-ray phase-contrast imaging applied to early cancer detection. The experiment showed that in the phase-contrast imaging, some spots in the surface and rich details of the internal tissue in the cancerous lungs were found with a higher contrast noise ratio compared to the normal one. Hence, it shows the potential application of early cancer detection by X-ray phase-contrast imaging with advantages of fast speed and high definition.2. Non-destructive grating-based phase-contrast X-ray imaging of crucian carpResearch on the structure of common fish is very important to guarantee food safety and human health. So, grating-based phase-contrast X-ray imaging was used to detect the structure of local crucian carp treated by formalin non-destructively. We found that the images clearly show the structure of intestine tissue for the first time using such imaging technology under conventional X-ray source. Concerning the contrast noise ratio, we also found that the value of fish fixed by formalin higher than that of fresh fish, no matter in the absorption-contrast imaging, the phase-contrast imaging or the scattering-contrast imaging, which shows that such procedure could be an important choice in non-destructive grating-based phase-contrast X-ray imaging.