COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

INSTRUMENTATION AND
OPERATION

OUTLINE

CT SYSTEM COMPONENTS DEFINITION OF

A SCANNER
SCANNER COORDINATE SYSTEM XYZ,
ISOCENTER
IMAGING SYSTEM
COMPUTER SYSTEM
DISPLAY, RECORDING, AND STORAGE
SYSTEMS

CT MAIN SYSTEMS

IMAGING SYSTEM
COMPUTER SYSTEM
DISPLAY, RECORDING, STORAGE
SYSTEM
DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM

CT SYSTEM
GANTRY

X-RAY TUBE
GANTRY CONTROL

DETECTORS

S/H

ADC

DAC

HIGH VOLTAGE
GENERATOR

SCAN CONTROLLER

ARRAY PROCESSOR
HOST
COMPUTER
STORAGE

CONSOLE

SCANNER

SCANNER

GANTRY
PATIENT COUCH

GANTRY HOUSES:

X-RAY TUBE
GENERATOR (LOW VOLTAGE DESIGN)
COLLIMATORS
DETECTORS

GANTRY CHARACTERISTICS

APERTURE
TILTING RANGE

MOST OF THE SCANNERS

HAVE 70CM APERTURE

70 CM

COORDINATE SYSTEM

COORDINATE SYSTEM

COORDINATE SYSTEM

ISOCENTER

TILTING RANGE OF MOST

SCANNERS- +30 TO -30
DEGREES

PATIENT COUCH :
450 LBS (204 KG)
DISTRIBUTED WEIGHT LIMIT

SCANNABLE RANGE:
COVERAGE FROM HEAD TO
THIGH (162CM)

MAX. SCANNABLE RANGE

IMAGING SYSTEM

PRODUCTION OF X-RAYS
SHAPING OF X-RAY BEAM ENERGY
FILTERING X-RAY BEAM

IMAGING SYSTEM
COMPONENTS

X-RAY TUBE
GENERATOR HIGH VOLTAGE
COLLIMATORS
FILTER
DETECTORS
DETECTOR ELECTRONICS

X-RAY TUBE AND X-RAY

PRODUCTION

CATHODE -------MADE OF TUNGSTEN

IN CT STILL SMALL AND LARGE

THERMIONIC EMISSION

CATHODE HEATED UP TO AT LEAST 2,200 DEG. CELSIUS

TO LIBERATE ELECTRONS FOR TRANSIT TO ANODE

FOCAL SPOT- CT UTILIZES

DIFFERENT FOCAL SPOTS

THE FILAMENT SIZE LENGTH FOCAL SPOT

SMALLER FOCAL SPOT - Low mA

SMALLER FOCAL SPOT sharper image

ANODE +++++ MADE OF

TUNGSTEN AND
MOLYBDENUM
TUNGSTEN
TARGET

TARGET MADE OF TUNGSTEN

AND
RHENIUM

mA tube current

The number of electrons flowing from

cathode to anode

kVp

Potential difference between cathode

and anode (Volts) kilo means 1,000
x.

S time of exposure
mAs tube current for certain
length of time

X-RAY PRODUCTION RESULTS

IN A LOT OF HEAT AND VERY
LITTLE
X-RAYS BEING GENERATED
HEAT UNITS CALCULATION
HU= kVp X mA x time
MOST CT TUBES HEAT CAPACITY
3-5 MILLION HU

REDUCTION OF HEAT UNITS

TECHNIQUE COMPENSATION

kVp

mA

Time
INCREASED NOISE

TOO LOW OF kVp:

NOISE !!!!

X-RAY EMISSION

TUBE CURRENT CHANGE

CURRENT

INTENSITY
ENERGY NO CHANGE

2 * mA = 2 * number of photons
4 * mA = 4 * number of photons

Why changing
mA or time

Avoiding motion mA
time
Pediatric technique modification
Reducing noise - mAs
NOISE

MOTION

Tube voltage (kVp) CHANGE

INTENSITY kVp

ENERGY

15% INCREASE OF KVP = 2 * mAs

kVp IN CT

80-140
TOO LOW NOISE
(NOT ENOUGH PENETRATION OF THE PATIENT )
PHOTON STARVATION - NOISE!!!!!

HIGH VOLTAGE GENERATOR

(HVG)

GENERATES HIGH VOLTAGE

POTENTIAL BETWEEN CATHODE AND
ANODE OF AN X-RAY TUBE

CT GENERATOR

5-50 kHz
30-60 kW
KVP SELECTION:
80, 100, 120, 130,140

mA selection:
30, 50, 65, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 400

COLLIMATION IN CT
PRE-PATIENT COLLIMATION

POST-PATIENT COLLIMATION

ADC

BASIC DATA AQUSITION SCHEME IN CT

FILTRATION

ADC

FILTRATION CHANGE

INTENSITY
FILTRATION

ENERGY

FILTRATION MATERIAL

ALUMINIUM ( SPECIAL FILTER IN CT)

BOWTIE
TO MAKE THE BEAM HARDER AND
MORE MONOENERGETIC

Filter
DEFINES SLICE
THICKNESS

Patient
REDUCES SCATTER
RECHING THE PATIENT

Detector

CT DETECTORS

DETECTOR TYPES:
SCINTILLATION

S. CRYSTAL
S. CRYSTAL

PHOTODIODE
PM TUBE

SCINTILLATION CRYSTALS
USED WITH PM TUBES:

SODIUM IODIDE AFTERGLOW + LOW

DYNAMIC RANGE ( USED IN THE
PAST)

CALCIUM FLUORIDE

BISMUTH GERMANATE

S. CRYSTAL USED WITH

PHOTODIODE

CALCIUM TUNGSTATE
RARE EARTH OXIDES - CERAMIC

DETECTOR TYPE: GAS

IONIZATION

XENON GAS
30 ATM

EFFICIENCY OF DETECTORSQDE

SCINTILLATION 95% - 100%COMMONLY USED IN III & IV

GENERATION SCANNERS

GAS 50% - 60%

COMPUTER SYSTEM

RECONSTRUCTION AND
POSTPROCESSING
CONTROL OF ALL SCANNER
COMPONENTS
CONTROL OF DATA ACQUSITION,
PROCESSING, DISPLAY.
DATA FLOW DIRECTION

COMPUTER SYSTEM IN CT

MINICOMPUTERS

COMPUTER SYSTEM
COMPOSED OF:

HARDWARE
SOFTWARE

COMPUTER PROCESSING IN
CT

SEQUENTIAL PROCESSING
MULTITASKING
MULTIPROCESSING

SOFTWARE PROGRAM (S)

HELPING CT USER TO
COMMUNICATE WITH THE
CT SYSTEM

CT OPERATING SYSTEMPROGRAMS THAT CONTROL

THE HARDWARE
COMPONENTS AND THE
OVERALL OPERATION OF
THE CT COMPUTER

CT OPERATING SYSTEM

UNIX
WINDOWS

HOST COMPUTER

CONTROL OF ALL COMPONENTS

CONTROL OF DATA ACQUSITION,
PROCESSING, DISPLAY.
DATA FLOW DIRECTION

ARRAY PROCESSOR

TAKES DETECTOR MEASUREMENTS

FORM HUNDREDS OF PROJECTIONS.
RESPONSIBLE FOR RETROSPECTIVE
RECONSTRUCTION AND
POSTPROCESSING OF DATA.

THE MORE PROCESSORS IN THE COMPUTER

THE SHORTER THE RECONSTRUCTION TIME

DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM

(DAS)

SET OF ELECTRONICS BETWEEN

DETECTORS AND HOST COMPUTER.
IT CONTAINS: AMPLIFIER, ADC, DAC,
GENERATOR, S/H.

AMPLIFIER

SIGNAL FROM DETECTORS GOES TO

AMPLIFIERS FOR SIGNAL
MAGNIFICATION AND THEN IS SENT
TO SAMPLE/HOLD UNIT

ADC

CONVERTS ANALOG SIGNAL OUTPUT

FROM THE SCANNING EQUIPMENT TO
A DIGITAL SIGNAL SO IT CAN BE
PROCESSED BY A COMPUTER.

SAMPLE/HOLD UNIT (S/H)

LOCATED BETWEEN AMPLIFIER AND ADC

PERFORMS SAMPLING AND ASSIGNS
SHADES OF GRAY TO THE PIXELS IN THE
DIGITAL MATRIX CORRESPONDING TO
THE STRUCTURES

DAS
GANTRY

X-RAY TUBE
GANTRY CONTROL

DETECTORS

S/H

ADC

DAC

HIGH VOLTAGE
GENERATOR

SCAN CONTROLLER

ARRAY PROCESSOR
HOST
COMPUTER
STORAGE

CONSOLE

IMAGE DISPLAY, RECORDING,

STORAGE

DISPLAYS IMAGE ( OUTPUT FROM

COMPUTER)
PROVIDES HARD COPY OF THE IMAGE
FACILITATES THE STORAGE AND
RETRIEVAL OF DIGITAL DATA
COMMUNICATES IMAGES IN THE
NETWORK

IMAGE
DISPLAY

IMAGE RECORDING SYSTEMS

(LASER PRINTERS)

SOLID STATE
LASER PRINTERS
GAS LASER
PRINTERS

HARD COPY

IMAGE STORAGE MEDIA

MAGNETIC TAPES
MAGNETO-OPTICAL DISK (MOD)
CD

COMMUNICATION

PACS

OVERREAD NETWORK
While most teleradiology systems purchased over
the last decade were intended for on-call
purposes, the past two years have seen a rapid
increase in the use of teleradiology to link
hospitals and affiliated satellite facilities, other
primary hospitals, and imaging centers. A number
of the enabling technologies needed for effective
overread networks, such as more affordable highspeed telecommunications networks and
improved data compression techniques, have
matured in recent years.

NightHawk Radiology Services has developed

an innovative approach to the delivery of
radiology services by operating centralized,
state-of-the-art reading centers in Sydney,
Australia and Zurich, Switzerland. Staffing
U.S.-trained, board-certified radiologists
specializing in emergency radiology, these
locations are ideally situated for U.S. care
because when its the middle of the night in
Boston, its daytime Down Under. When its
early morning in Los Angeles, its daytime in
the Alps. From the centralized reading centers,
NightHawk radiologists interpret exams and
report the results to attending physicians in
real-time, usually less than 20 minutes.

CT ROOM LAYOUT