Advancing X-ray Dark-Field Imaging for Human-Scale Applications: Helical CT and Surview Imaging

Dark-field imaging with X-rays is a novel interferometric technique that enables visualization of the alveolar structure. In the clinical context, the technique has been limited to radiographic applications and has not yet been implemented for computed tomography (CT) imaging. Initial studies have already demonstrated that dark-field imaging complements and improves conventional radiography of the thorax. Dark-field computed tomography, which is capable of yielding unobstructed 3D views, has only recently been brought to the human scale: With a first prototype system, we demonstrated the feasibility to implement a Talbot-Lau interferometer on a clinical CT system to perform dark-field imaging with clinical acquisition time and field of view. Until now, this prototype was limited to axial scans. In this work, we present our advancements in extending the setups capabilities to also support other modes of acquisition, namely surview and helical scans. The new capabilities of the updated dark-field CT scanner are demonstrated using an anthropomorphic thorax phantom.