‘Ghost imaging’ may limit x-ray radiation dosage
A team of physicists in China has used ghost imaging to make detailed x-ray images they claim has lowered the radiation dose by a “million times" compared to previous attempts using the technique, Science Magazine reports.
Ghost imaging, developed 20 years ago, involves illuminating an object with light that has passed through a filter with a known pattern. On the opposite side of the filter, a single-pixel camera snaps a shot a thousand times over. A computer then renders the final image.
Despite all the hype, utilizing ghost imaging in medicine will be a challenge, according to Wu Ling-An, physicist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and part of the ghost imaging study published March 28 in Optica.
A single ghost image requires many exposures. But, Wu maintains the radiation per exposure can be made to outperform traditions x-ray machines.
"The potential payback, if it works for medical images, is big," said Daniele Pelliccia, who created some of the first ghost x-ray images in 2015, in the report.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.