Viermetz, M., Gustschin, N., Schmid, C., Haeusele, J., von Teuffenbach, M., Meyer, P., Bergner, F., Lasser, T., Proksa, R., Koehler, T., & Pfeiffer, F. Dark-field computed tomography reaches the human scale. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119(8), e2118799119. (2022) https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2118799119
Purpose: Considering the wave nature of X-rays, complementary contrast can be achieved by further measuring their small-angle scattering (dark-field) properties. This provides additional valuable diagnostic information on otherwise unresolved tissue microstructure. In our work, we have translated this wave-optical mechanism from the optical bench to a human-sized prototype CT system. This involved the integration of an interferometer into a clinical CT gantry and overcoming several associated challenges regarding vibrations, continuous gantry rotation, and large field of view. This development puts complementary X-ray contrast within reach for real-word medical applications.