Optimising coherence properties for phase contrast X-ray imaging (PCXI) to reveal airway surface liquid (ASL) as an airway health measure

Abstract

We demonstrate the potential of PCXI in achieving a non-invasive measure of airway health, for the assessment of new therapies for cystic fibrosis (CF). In particular, the advantages to an increased transverse coherence length are studied, revealing sharper and more detailed phase contrast fringes, well-suited to phase retrieval algorithms. Through the application of these algorithms, the depth of the ASL, a key measure of airway health, may be revealed. This will enable medical researchers at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, Australia, to immediately receive feedback from the CF treatment delivery site in the airways, rather than waiting for the disease to develop in the lungs, as required previously. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.