Single-exposure dual-energy-subtraction X-ray imaging using a synchrotron source.

Projection radiography of the chest has long been plagued by the presence of bony anatomy obscuring visibility of the lungs and heart. Dual-energy subtraction is a well known method for differentiating bone and soft tissue, but existing techniques are not ideally suited to dynamic imaging. Herein a new technique to address this problem is presented. The harmonic content of a monochromated X-ray beam is exploited, and two in-line detectors are used to perform single-exposure dual-energy imaging. Images of a phantom demonstrate the ability to both separate and quantitatively measure the thickness of constituent materials, whilst images of a mouse thorax demonstrate the ability to separate bone and soft tissue in a biological specimen. The technique is expected to improve the performance of dynamic lung imaging.