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Study could lead to safer and cheaper 3D medical imaging
A new study led by The Australian National University (ANU) has discovered a promising way to significantly lower doses of X-rays that has the potential to revolutionise 3D medical imaging and make screening for early signs of disease much cheaper and safer.
The research team, which involved the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and Monash University, built upon an unconventional imaging approach known as “ghost imaging” to take 3D X-ray images of an object’s interior that is opaque to visible light.
Lead researcher Dr Andrew Kingston said the study was the first to achieve 3D X-ray imaging using the ghost imaging approach, which has the potential to make 3D medical imaging much cheaper, safer and more accessible.
“The beauty of using the ghost imaging technique for 3D imaging is that most of the X-ray dose is not even directed towards the object you want to capture – that’s the ghostly nature of what we’re doing,” said Dr Kingston from the ANU Research School of Physics and Engineering.
“There’s great potential to significantly lower doses of X-rays in medical imaging with 3D ghost imaging and to really improve early detection of diseases like breast cancer.”
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Wednesday December 05 2018, @12:02AM (1 child)
Maybe. That's the normal assumption, but it's not certain. So perhaps there is a safe[*] dose...but if so it would be pretty low. Probably less than normal background. The arguments in favor of this position have always seemed pretty sketchy to me, but I've never encountered proof that they are wrong.
[*] Safe in this case would mean a lower dose wasn't any safer, and might be more dangerous.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 05 2018, @12:41AM
Here's another non-proof for you: I don't see how that might be possible given that a single high enough energy photon can cause a mutation, how unlike that might be. Of course if we talk about cancer then you actually need a series of mutations, both removing protections and increasing growth. But given that we live in an absolute blizzard of photons and our bodies contain millions of cells all containing DNA, suddenly the odds are not so miniscule. Apparently around one in five people get cancer.