BME

424/BME 526 Bioimaging Homework #3 (25 points)

Due Wednesday, February 15, 2017
To be completed individually, but collaboration is allowed (no copying or cheating)!

(a) (b)

1. (25%) Two x-ray images of the hand are
shown here. One corresponds to an x-ray
beam with an effective energy of 140 keV
and the other to an effective energy of 50
keV. Explain which is which and the
reasons for the differences in image
contrast and signal intensity. Note that the
gray scale value of one image has been
adjusted (because the author of the book is
a jerk and wanted to confuse you); pay
attention to local contrast of the hand.


2. (25%) The width of the electron beam in an x-ray tube is 6 mm, and the anode bevel
angle is 10. The patient is placed 180 cm from the x-ray tube, directly on top of the flat
panel detector. Calculate the geometric unsharpness for a very small lesion at the front
of the abdomen and at the back of the abdomen, assuming that the tissue thickness of
the body at this point is 25 cm.


3. (25%) Calculate x-ray intensity, as a function of the 1 2 3

incident intensity, I0, that reaches the detector for each of X-rays
the three x-ray beams shown in the figure. The dark-
shaded area represents bone, and the light-shaded area
represents tissue. The linear attenuation coefficients at the 1 cm

effective x-ray energy of 68 keV are 10 cm and 1 cm for

-1 -1 1 cm
bone and tissue, respectively. 1 cm
1 cm

detector




4. (25%) Shown below are three CT images: one represents the reconstructed image with
no filtering, one has been high-pass filtered, and the other has been low-pass filtered.
For each image, state which form of filtering has been used. State the effects on signal
to noise ratio, spatial resolution, and contrast to noise. Match each image to one of the
spread functions.
(a) (b) (c)