发表机构
Monash University; University of Melbourne; Monash Health; Peninsula University Hospital, Bayside Health（莫纳什大学; 墨尔本大学; 莫纳什健康; 半岛大学医院，湾边健康）
机构由 AI 辅助整理，请以论文原文为准。AI 中文总结
本研究评估了一种结合微焦点X射线源和光子计数探测器的相衬显微CT系统，用于保乳手术中的术中肿瘤切缘评估，在12分钟内实现了40.7微米分辨率的成像，与组织学结果高度相关。
AI 中文摘要
目的：在保乳手术中进行术中肿瘤切缘评估，需要对切除的组织进行快速、高分辨率的成像，使手术团队能够在单次手术中采取适当行动。本研究评估了一种定制的基于传播的相衬显微计算机断层扫描（micro-CT）系统，该系统无需专门的光学元件即可满足这些临床约束。方法：实验装置将微焦点X射线源与光子计数探测器以锥束几何结构配对。我们探索了源的空间相干性如何在不使用额外专用光学元件的情况下提供基于传播的相衬，并在此基础上平衡锥束几何结构中X射线通量的最大化。系统性能在两种阳极靶材和过滤配置以及不同管功率设置下进行了评估。成像能力通过拟人乳腺组织体模和福尔马林固定石蜡包埋（FFPE）乳腺组织标本进行了验证，重建结果与金标准组织学进行了比较。结果：在40 kVp下运行的无过滤钨靶产生了最佳图像质量。优化后的系统在12分钟的扫描时间内，对直径为5 cm的样品实现了各向同性体素大小为40.7微米的高分辨率CT重建。重建体积与相应的组织学切片显示出强烈的视觉相关性。结论：将微焦点源与光子计数探测器相结合，能够在临床可行的时间范围内实现高分辨率相衬显微CT，显示出在术中切缘评估方面的巨大潜力。
英文摘要
Objective: Intra-operative tumour margin assessment during breast-conserving surgery requires rapid, high-resolution imaging of excised tissue, allowing the surgical team to take appropriate action within a single operation. This study evaluates a custom propagation-based phase-contrast micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) system designed to meet these clinical constraints without specialised optical elements. Methods: The experimental setup pairs a microfocus x-ray source with a photon-counting detector in a cone-beam geometry. We explore how the spatial coherence of the source can provide propagation-based phase contrast -- with no additional specialised optical elements -- and balance this against maximising the x-ray flux of the cone-beam geometry. System performance was evaluated across two anode target materials and filtration configurations at various tube power settings. Imaging capabilities were validated using anthropomorphic breast tissue phantoms and a formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) breast tissue specimen, with reconstructions compared against gold-standard histology. Results: An unfiltered tungsten target operated at 40 kVp yielded optimal image quality. The optimised system achieved high-resolution CT reconstructions of a 5 cm diameter sample with an isotropic voxel size of 40.7 $\upmu\text{m}$ in a scan time of 12 minutes. Reconstructed volumes demonstrated strong visual correlation with corresponding histology slides. Conclusion: Combining a microfocus source with a photon-counting detector enables high-resolution, phase-contrast micro-CT within a clinically viable timeframe, demonstrating strong potential for intra-operative margin assessment.
