X-ray dark-field vector radiography - A novel technique for osteoporosis imaging

X-ray dark-field vector radiography (XVR) has emerged as an imaging technique which can efficiently yield dark-field scatter images of high quality, even with conventional X-ray tube sources. The XVR yields direction-dependent information about the X-ray scattering of the trabecular bone microstructure without the requirement of resolving the micrometer size structures directly causing the scattering. In this pilot study, we demonstrated that XVR-based degree of anisotropy correlated with femoral bone strength in the context of osteoporosis.