Triple-energy photon-counting x-ray imaging for bone-strontium estimation: A simulation study

IF 3.2 2区医学 Q1 RADIOLOGY, NUCLEAR MEDICINE & MEDICAL IMAGING

Medical physics Pub Date : 2025-09-23 DOI:10.1002/mp.18125

Jesse Tanguay, Bobby Tang, Eric Da Silva

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Abstract

Background

Strontium quantification in bone is clinically relevant but typically requires specialized stand-alone systems. Photon-counting detectors offer energy-resolved imaging that may enable low-dose estimation of both strontium concentration and bone mineral density in a single acquisition.

Purpose

To evaluate the feasibility of triple-energy photon-counting x-ray imaging for low-dose quantification of strontium in bone, using a simulation framework that accounts for energy bin sensitivity, detector noise, and anatomical geometry.

Methods

A forward model of a photon-counting detector was used to simulate energy-resolved x-ray measurements through a simplified model of the human finger, incorporating cortical bone, trabecular bone, and soft tissue. Strontium uptake was modeled as a mass concentration relative to bone. A generalized least-squares estimator was used to compute the strontium-to-bone concentration from energy-resolved measurements. We optimized tube voltage and energy thresholds for three clinically relevant anode/filter combinations and three levels of electronic noise (5, 10, and 15 keV), with the goal of minimizing the limit of quantification (LOQ) and absorbed dose. A Fisher information analysis was conducted to assess the relative contribution of each energy bin to estimation precision.

Results

Optimal tube voltages and thresholds depended strongly on electronic noise but only modestly on anode/filter choice. At a 5 keV noise floor, an LOQ of 100 ppm could be achieved with an absorbed dose of $\sim$ 13 $μ Gy$ , whereas 10 and 15 keV noise levels required $\sim$ 100 $μ Gy$ and >175 $μ Gy$ , respectively. At a fixed dose of 20 $μ Gy$ , reliable detection (SNR > 1) was possible at concentrations as low as 50 ppm for 5 and 10 keV noise floors. The mid-energy bin consistently contributed the most to estimation precision across all scenarios. At low noise, the high-energy bin was second most informative; at higher noise levels, the low-energy bin overtook it due to shifting energy thresholds that placed the strontium K-edge ( $\sim$ 16 keV) in the lower bins.

Conclusions

Triple-energy photon-counting x-ray imaging offers a promising strategy for low-dose quantification of strontium in bone. Its performance is primarily limited by electronic noise, while spectral shaping through anode and filter selection plays a secondary role when acquisition parameters are optimized.

Abstract Image

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用于骨锶估计的三能光子计数x射线成像：模拟研究。

背景：骨中的锶定量是临床相关的，但通常需要专门的独立系统。光子计数探测器提供能量分辨率成像，可以在一次采集中对锶浓度和骨矿物质密度进行低剂量估计。目的：利用考虑能量仓灵敏度、探测器噪声和解剖几何的模拟框架，评估三能光子计数x射线成像用于骨中锶低剂量定量的可行性。方法：利用光子计数检测器的正演模型，通过简化的人体手指模型模拟能量分辨x射线测量，包括皮质骨、小梁骨和软组织。锶摄取以相对于骨的质量浓度为模型。利用广义最小二乘估计量计算能量分辨测量的锶-骨浓度。我们优化了三种临床相关的阳极/滤波器组合和三种电子噪声水平（5、10和15 keV）的管电压和能量阈值，目标是最大限度地减少定量（LOQ）和吸收剂量。进行Fisher信息分析，以评估每个能量仓对估计精度的相对贡献。结果：最佳电子管电压和阈值与电子噪声有很大关系，而与阳极/滤波器的选择关系不大。在5 keV噪声底下，吸收剂量为～ $\sim$ 13 μ Gy $\mu{\rm Gy}$即可达到100 ppm的LOQ，而10和15 keV噪声水平分别需要～ $\sim$ 100 μ Gy $\mu{\rm Gy}$和>175 μ Gy $\mu{\rm Gy}$。在20 μ Gy $\mu{\rm Gy}$的固定剂量下，对于5 keV和10 keV的噪声底，在低至50 ppm的浓度下可以进行可靠的检测（信噪比bbb1）。在所有场景中，中等能量仓始终对估计精度贡献最大。在低噪音情况下，高能量垃圾箱信息量第二；在较高的噪声水平下，由于能量阈值的变化，锶k边缘（～ $\sim$ 16 keV）处于较低的噪声水平，低能仓超过了它。结论：三能光子计数x线成像为骨中锶的低剂量定量提供了一种有前途的策略。其性能主要受到电子噪声的限制，而通过阳极和滤波器选择进行频谱整形在优化采集参数时起次要作用。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Medical physics 医学-核医学

CiteScore

6.80

自引率

15.80%

发文量

660

审稿时长

1.7 months

期刊介绍： Medical Physics publishes original, high impact physics, imaging science, and engineering research that advances patient diagnosis and therapy through contributions in 1) Basic science developments with high potential for clinical translation 2) Clinical applications of cutting edge engineering and physics innovations 3) Broadly applicable and innovative clinical physics developments Medical Physics is a journal of global scope and reach. By publishing in Medical Physics your research will reach an international, multidisciplinary audience including practicing medical physicists as well as physics- and engineering based translational scientists. We work closely with authors of promising articles to improve their quality.