Author(s)

Osahiko Hagiwara¹, Eiichi Sato^2*, Yasuyuki Oda², Satoshi Yamaguchi³, Yuichi Sato⁴, Hiroshi Matsukiyo¹, Toshiyuki Enomoto¹, Manabu Watanabe¹, Shinya Kusachi¹

¹Department of Surgery, Toho University Ohashi Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan.
²Department of Physics, Iwate Medical University, Yahaba, Japan.
³Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Iwate Medical University, Morioka, Japan.
⁴Central Radiation Department, Iwate Medical University Hospital, Morioka, Japan.

To obtain two kinds of tomograms at two different X-ray energy ranges simultaneously, we have constructed a dual-energy X-ray photon counter with a lutetium-oxyorthosilicate photomultiplier detector system, three comparators, two microcomputers, and two frequency-voltage converters. X-ray photons are detected using the detector system, and the event pulses are input to three comparators simultaneously to determine threshold energies. At a tube voltage of 100 kV, the three threshold energies are 16, 35 and 52 keV, and two energy ranges are 16 - 35 and 52 - 100 keV. X-ray photons in the two ranges are counted using microcomputers, and the logical pulses from the two microcomputers are input to two frequency-voltage converters. In dual-energy computed tomography (CT), the tube voltage and current were 100 kV and 0.29 mA, respectively. Two tomograms were obtained simultaneously at two energy ranges. The energy ranges for gadolinium-L-edge and K-edge CT were 16 - 35 and 52 - 100 keV, respectively. The maximum count rate of dual-energy CT was 105 kilocounts per second with energies ranging from 16 to 100 keV, and the exposure time for tomography was 19.6 min.

X-Ray Photon Counting, LSO-PMT Detector, Dual-Energy Counter, Energy-Dispersive CT, Gd-L-Edge CT, Gd-K-Edge CT

Hagiwara, O. , Sato, E. , Oda, Y. , Yamaguchi, S. , Sato, Y. , Matsukiyo, H. , Enomoto, T. , Watanabe, M. and Kusachi, S. (2017) Dual-Energy X-Ray Computed Tomography Scanner Using Two Different Energy-Selection Electronics and a Lutetium-Oxyorthosilicate Photomultiplier Detector. International Journal of Medical Physics, Clinical Engineering and Radiation Oncology, 6, 266-279. doi: 10.4236/ijmpcero.2017.63024.