A Prototype Micro-Angiographic Fluoroscope and Its Application in Animal Studies.

In order to satisfy the high resolution (3 to 10 cycles/mm) imaging requirements in neurovascular image-guided interventional (IGI) procedures, a micro-angiographic fluoroscope (MAF) is being developed to enable both rapid sequence angiography (15 fps) at high exposure levels (hundreds of μR/frame) as well as fluoroscopy at high frame rates (30 fps) and low exposure levels (5 to 20 μR/frame). The prototype MAF consists of a 350-μm-thick CsI(Tl) scintillator coupled by a 2:1 fiber-optical taper to an 18 mm diameter variable-gain light image intensifier with two-stage microchannel plate (MCP) viewed by a 12-bit, 1024x1024, 30 fps CCD camera with digital interface board. The optical set-up enables variation of effective pixel-size from 31 to 50 micron. The first frame lag of the MAF in fluoroscopic 30 fps mode (2:1 binning) was less than 0.8% at exposures of 5-23 μR/frame. MTF, NPS, and DQE in angiographic mode were measured for IEC standard spectrum RQA 5. At spatial frequencies of 4 and 10 cycles/mm the MTF was 14% and 1.5%, and the DQE was 12% and 1.2%, respectively, while the DQE(0) was 60%. Acquisition software was developed to acquire 15 fps angiography and 30 fps fluoroscopy for real-time dark field and flat field correction or real-time roadmapping. Images obtained with the MAF in small animal IGI procedures are demonstrated. The linearity versus x-ray intensity and MCP working range effects has been studied. We plan to expand the current 3.6 cm diameter field of view to 6 cm in the next model of the MAF.