Volumetric computed tomography with carbon nanotube X-ray source array for improved image quality and accuracy

Abstract Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is widely used in medical and dental imaging. Compared to a multidetector CT, it provides volumetric images with high isotropic resolution at a reduced radiation dose, cost and footprint without the need for patient translation. The current CBCT has several intrinsic limitations including reduced soft tissue contrast, inaccurate quantification of X-ray attenuation, image distortions and artefacts, which have limited its clinical applications primarily to imaging hard tissues and made quantitative analysis challenging. Here we report a multisource CBCT (ms-CBCT) which overcomes the shortcomings of the conventional CBCT by using multiple narrowly collimated and rapidly scanning X-ray beams from a carbon nanotube field emission source array. Phantom imaging studies show that, the ms-CBCT increases the accuracy of the Hounsfield unit values by 60%, eliminates the cone beam artefacts, extends the axial coverage, and improves the soft tissue contrast-to-noise ratio by 30–50%, compared to the CBCT configuration.