THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS CONTRACT PROPOSAL IS TO DEVELOP AN ENERGY SELECTIVE IMAGE DETECTOR THAT CAN BE UTILIZED WITH STANDARD RADIOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT.

THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS CONTRACT PROPOSAL IS TO DEVELOP AN ENERGY SELECTIVE IMAGE DETECTOR THAT CAN BE UTILIZED WITH STANDARD RADIOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT. ENERGY SELECTIVE X-RAY IMAGES CAN PROVIDE IMPROVED VISUALIZATION OF LESIONS THROUGH SELECTIVE TISSUE SUBTRACTION, AND IMPROVED DIAGNOSIS OF THESE LESIONS THROUGH TISSUE CHARACTERIZATION. SPECIFIC AIMS ARE TO USE COMPUTER SIMULATIONS TO DESIGN AN OPTIMAL ENERGY SELECTIVE DETECTOR BASED ON PHOTOSTIMUABLE PHOSPHOR TECHNOLOGY, CONSTRUCT A PROTOTYPE, AND VERIFY PERFORMANCE BY USE OF PHANTOMS. COMPUTER SIMULATIONS WILL MEASURE THE RESPONSE OF MATERIALS TO X-RAY ENERGIES PRODUCED BY CONVENTIONAL RADIOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT. CANDIDATES FOR DETECTOR MATERIALS WILL BE THOSE THAT HAVE LARGE DIFFERENCES IN THEIR RESPONSE TO X-RAYS OF LOW AND HIGH ENERGIES, BUT WILL STILL PRODUCE A QUALITY IMAGE. PHOTOSTIMULATED RESPONSES WILL BE MEASURED FOR ALL CANDIDATE MATERIALS AND ENERGY SELECTIVE DETECTORS WILL BE FABRICATED FOR SELECTED MATERIALS. IMAGES OF SPECIFIC PHANTOMS WILL BE TAKEN, AND A SPECIAL PURPOSE LASER SCANNER WILL MEASURE THE ENERGY SELECTIVE DATA. PHASE II RESEARCH WILL BE DESIGNED TO STUDY SPECIFIC CLINICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE ENERGY SELECTIVE SYSTEM BY COMPARISON TO ESTABLISHED MODALITIES AND SURGICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS.