High-contrast, high-resolution CT scans, now with less radiation

Normal x-rays, the type you might get if you go to a hospital for a broken leg, for example, image your bones by bombarding tissue with x-rays and measuring the intensity transmitted behind it. The CT scanning creates a 3D image by combining x-ray "slices" to get a composite image. Both face limitations on the smallest density variation they can image, a problem when trying to image two very similar types of tissue, for example cancerous and healthy tissue. These days, scientists are working with "X-ray grating interferometry," a technique that uses interference to achieve greater contrast. Now, researchers at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility have brought the technology one step closer to clinical use by reducing the dose and time required for imaging. "We wanted to shorten the gap between the potential offered by this extremely powerful technique and its application in the biomedical field," says Timm Weitkamp from Synchrotron SOLEIL.