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Veterinary Self-Protected Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Scanner

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 Veterinary Self-Protected Cone-Beam Computed Tomography
Scanner

Oleksandra Miroshnychenko1, Sergii Miroshnychenko2, Boris Goldberg3,

Sergey Guzeev3, Andrii Nevgasymyi2, Yurii Khobta2

1. National Aviation University, 1 Liubomyra Huzara ave., Kyiv, Ukraine

2. Teleoptika, SPA,20-a Borovkova str., v. Pidhirtsi, Obukhiv dist., Kyiv reg., Ukraine

3. Orimtech Ltd, 1611 Barclay Blvd., Buffalo Grove, IL 60089, USA

Abstract: Cone-beam computed tomography is a new method of obtaining 3D

X-ray images in medicine and veterinary. Most of such devices not entirely
protected from radiation and mechanical hazards. To solve this problem the
self-shielded cone-beam computed tomography scanner for veterinary medicine
had developed and it implementation has presented in this paper. The
tomography devices case was developed in such way to protect staff form the
both radiation and mechanical hazards. The main performance characteristics of
the proposed product are presented. The width of the central tomography area in
lateral was extended from 14 cm up to 21 cm by implementing the corresponding
software without significant loss of image quality. The resolution of the
tomographic image in the central and extended area of the tomography is enough
for diagnosis.

Keywords: Cone-beam computed tomography; X-ray protection; Veterinary

medicine; Tomography area; Spatial resolution.

1. Introduction

The high efficiency of tomographic examinations of animals in veterinary

medicine is well known today. In orthopedics and traumatology, dental research, and
many other uses, X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a practically unalterable
method of diagnosis in veterinary medicine, despite the active development of other
diagnostic methods [1]. However, there are significant obstacles to the widespread use
of CT in conventional clinical practice:
1) high cost of medical CT, which determines the long-term return on investment
in tomography equipment;
2) limited life-time of tomographic X-ray tubes, which determines the major risk
of purchasing used tomography scanners and significant cost of tomographic
examinations;
3) large dimensions and weight of medical X-ray CT, which requires it
 installation on solid foundations, and determines the increased cost of
construction and installation work;
4) significant electricity consumption and radiation loads on clinic staff in
adjacent premises, which determines the prohibition of installing tomographic
equipment near human habitation and the need to use costly X-ray protection;
5) low resolution of medical CT for examination of small and medium animals,
due to the anthropometric parameters of the human adult population and the
desire to reduce the its absorbed dose.
These restrictions apply together with a wide range of dimensions and weights of
animals examined in clinics. Thus, up to 90-95% of clinic patients are usually rodents,
cats, small dogs (up to 30 kg) or dental examinations of large dogs. The use of
medical CT with a typical voxel size of 400-500 μm (resolution about 1.0 lp/mm), the
size of the tomography area of 50-70 cm and the multislice principle of tomographic
imaging do not meet the anthropometry of the examined vet patients and the
requirements for diagnostic images detail [3,4].
Using of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanners allowed to solve
most of these problems.
The characteristics of the veterinary CBCT scanners on the market were analyzed
before the start of the work [5-20]. The parameters of the most promising devices are
presented in table 1.

Table 1. Parameters of the best veterinary CBCT scanners on the market

Name MyVet CT Verity VET NewTom 5G VetCAT Vimago

i3D XL
Company Rayence & Planmed Cefla s.c. Xoran Epica
Myvet Inc.
Gentry hole, cm 58 40 58 63 60
3D FOV, cm 30х7,5 16x13 21x19 22x14 32x7,8
30х12 16x20 18x16
30х41
Voxel size, m 400* 200 200 -300 300 - 800 >90
Scan Time, s 20 - 60 18 - 35 18 20 - 45 --
Ua, kV 50 - 120 80 - 96 -- 120 - 140 40 - 120
Ia, mA 10 2,4 - 12 -- 10 - 15 10 - 120
P, kW 1,2 1,0 -- 2,0 10*
Dimensions, cm
Length 120 180 170 120 230
Width 270 70 360 80 85
Height 157 140 180 152 165
Weight, kg -- 350 660 217 600

Unfortunately, most of implementations of this device use open design that lead to
scattered radiation and mechanical hazards for staff.
These discrepancies make the development of light-weight, easy-to-operate and
relatively inexpensive self-shielded cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)
scanner with high detail diagnostic images relevant.
One of the tasks in the development process of a CBCT scanner is to reduce the
influence of artifacts in the resulting images. The following types of artifacts occur
most frequently during diagnostics:

- movement artifacts;
- artifacts from metal objects;
- irradiation inhomogeneity artifacts

Movement artifacts occur in the case of movement of the examined part of the
animal during the 60s of scanning. Most often, motion artifacts are present when
examining the lungs and movable internal organs: heart, diaphragm, etc. The artifacts
appear in the form of increased noise, additional contours, areas with sharp drops in
X-ray density and loss of image clarity in the images of tomographic slices.
It is necessary to perform the correct positioning of the animal and use radiolucent
clamps to eliminate motion artifacts.
Artifacts from metal objects occur when objects with a high X-ray density and
sharp boundaries enter the tomography area. This situation occurs when observing the
results of surgical operations using fixing screws, metal bars, etc.
To suppress artifacts from metal objects, the MAR (Metal Artifacts Reduction)
software package is used.
Artifacts of irradiation inhomogeneity can occur when the animal is not properly
positioned, when a part of it (for example, a limb) goes beyond the tomography zone.
From the point of view of reconstruction, this situation is equivalent to
inhomogeneous X-ray irradiation. As a result, characteristic artifacts appear on the
image.
To exclude artifacts of irradiation inhomogeneity, the placement of the animal
should be performed strictly within the cylindrical tomography zone inscribed in the
concave tomography table. When necessary, during installation, vet doctor should use
X-ray transparent fixation clips.
Software of the device uses mathematical apparatus that available in many others
medical image processing implementations [21-25].
The purpose of this work is to present developed veterinary CBCTs scanner ETS2.

2. Materials and Methods

The general concept of the self-shielded veterinary CBCT ETS2 is based on the use
of an outer X-ray shielded casing (Fig. 1), which closes the scanning mechanism on
all sides - the gentry and the small animal whole body or zone of interest of large
animal under the study. Thus the animal is immersed into a medical sleep and is put
on a table deck that has a semi-cylindrical form with open bases.
 Fig. 1. Design of self-shielded CBCT scanner ETS2 for veterinary purpose.

The lightweight open design of the tomography scanner provides the convenience
of placing the animal on the concave tomography table and selecting the examination
area. The safety guards are closed during the examination. A longitudinally moving
carriage is located under the plane of the table, on which a rotating wheel with a 60 °
cut - gantry is fixed. A microfocus X-ray generator is attached to the gantry incision
on one side. On the opposite side, a high-detail X-ray receiver is installed.
The carriage is set to the "0" position, which provides free access through the
incision on the gantry to the table for laying the vet patient. The animal can be placed
on the table by parallel movement, as well as longitudinal - shift into the hole, as is
usually done in tomography scanners. The tomography area on the table is selected by
the longitudinal controlled movement of the carriage.
This complex includes software that uses a variety of mathematical tools for image
processing. Additionally, software packages are supplied to reduce the noise level,
reduce the effect of scattered radiation and artifacts from metal elements in the
tomography area.
The requirements for self-protection of X-ray devices for different countries and
regions are slightly different, but in most cases they are limited to not exceeding the
flux density G <10 μSv/hour at a distance of 10 cm from the outer casing of the
tomography scanner during exposure.
The modeling stand with an X-ray generator, a digital dynamic receiver and
security elements was created to verify the fulfillment of this requirement. The
operator's console was located in the remote control room.
In the casing of the tomography scanner were identified two areas of protection
(see Fig.2):

- protection against direct radiation with a thickness up to Pb = 1 mm - on the

butt walls;
- protection against scattered radiation with a thickness up to Pb = 0.5 mm - on
the side walls.
 Fig. 2. Area of protection against direct rays (a) and against scattered radiation (b)

Direct radiation protection was provided by sheet lead, and scattered radiation
protection was provided by a combination of lead sheet and soft lead-containing
plastic blinds.
The requirement of self-protection imposes very strict restrictions on the choice of
parameters of the X-ray emitter. At the modeling stand, the requirement of
self-protection was satisfied (see Table 1) at voltages on the X-ray tube up to 80 kV,
tube current up to 08, mA and X-ray generator power up to 50 W.
The technical parameters of ETS2 CBCT scanner are presented in Table 1.

Table 1. The technical parameters of ETS2 CBCT scanner

Parameter Value
X-ray protection Self-protection
Average added dose load per staff, not more than μSv / day 0,15
Gentry hole, cm 40
X-ray generator power, W. < 50
X-ray generator tube type microfocus
Range of voltages on a tube, kV 35 - 80
Tube current range, mA 0,3 – 0,7
Receiver source distance, mm 520
Receiver type Iona2-RF-2430
The diameter of the tomography area, mm 220
Angle of rotation, deg 220
Time of one scan, sec 60
Capture frame rate, Hz 17
Number of projections per scan 510
Digital projection size, pixels 1472х1080
Dimensions LxWxH, cm 117х74х161
Weight, kg no more 200

The central parameters of CBCT scanner from the point of view of diagnostics are:
 - The diameter of the tomography area;
- The length of the tomography area;
- The resolution (detail) of images in the area of tomography.

It should be noted the non-obvious relationship of these parameters with the

parameters of self-protection. Strict restrictions on the energy parameters of the X-ray
emitter of the tomography scanner lead to the possibility of using microfocus tubes
with a focal spot diameter less than 0.1 mm. This provides high image detail at a
relatively short distance emitter-receiver 520 mm and a wide angle (up to 40 o) of
X-ray tube radiation.

3. Measurements and Discussion

The calculations of the zone where each point is irradiated at the entire
tomographic angle - 220o were performed to substantiate the geometric dimensions of
the tomography zone. This area can be called central. As a result of calculation for
diameter of a zone of a tomography of 220 mm the axial length of the central zone
makes 140 mm on edges of a zone and 190 mm - on the central axis (see fig. 3).
However, practical use has shown that due to the information obtained during the
procedure of scanning the object on different projections, which may include areas
that are not part of the central and processing them with appropriate software, the
width of the tomography area at different points can be up to 1,5 greater than the
calculations. The tomography zones were measured along the axes on which the
points A - I place(see fig.3). Measurement of the resolution at points A - N (see fig.3)
was also performed. Table 2 presents information on the width of the tomography area
and the resolution at the measured points.

Fig.3. Block diagram of the irradiation zones in tomography lateral (a) and frontal (b). 1 -
digital X-ray receiver, 2 - measured area (width) of the tomography of the object of study, 3 -
the central area of the tomography, 4 - X-ray tube. A-N - points where the measurements of the
length and resolution of the tomography area were performed.
 Measurements of resolution were performed by phantom with scale in pairs of
lines per mm (see fig. 4.a). Measurements of tomography zones length were carried
out using a lead graduated ruler (see fig. 4.b).

Fig. 5. Tools for measurement a) resolution and b) tomography zone length.

Table 2 presents information on the width of the tomography area and the
resolution at the measured points at central and peripheral zones.

Table 2. Tomography zone width and resolution.

Tomography zone Points Width, cm Resolution, lp/mm

A 20,3 1,6
B 22,9 1,6
C 18,5 1,6
D 19,2 1,6
Peripheral E 18,7 1,6
F 20,3 1,6
G 21 1,6
H 19 1,6
I 20 1,6
J 20,3 2,5
K 20,3 2,5
Central L 18,5 2,5
M 21 2,5
N 18,7 2,5
The experiment confirmed the high detail of the images, which is 2.5 times higher
for the central area and 1.6 times higher than the standard for the peripheral area of
standard spiral medical tomography scanners.
When examining medium-sized animals, for example dogs up to 30 kg or big
animals such a hoarse, their object of examination are placed on a concave table
amidst the CBCT scanner, and partially located on the side table outside the scanner.
In this case, the soft curtains are wrapped and fixed with velcro tape around the body
of the animal, blocking the scattered radiation (see Fig.5.a).
During veterinary examination small animals completely fit on the concave table.
The soft curtains are unfolded and fixed to each other and to the casing of the
tomography scanner (see Fig. 5.b). A cylindrical cover are closed during examination
in both cases.

Fig. 5. Methods of placing large and small animals during the diagnostic procedure. (a) large
animal limb (object of examination) and (b) companion animal (dachshund)

Studies were conducted on 11 animals, which were 3 horses and 8 companion

animals. Veterinarian doctors confirmed obtained images meet the requirements for
the quality of tomography images, taking into account the anthropometric features of
patients in veterinary clinics (see Fig. 6. a and b). The disadvantage of the presented
systems is the lack of measurements in Hounsfield’s in the existing version of the
software, which is planned to be eliminated in the future.

Fig 6. The images of (a) big animal limb and (b) small animal body tomography sections.
 During diagnosis procedure, the operator's console is conveniently placed at a
distance of 2…3 m from the device. The dose rate at the operator's workplace does
not exceed 1… 3 μSv/h. The estimated average number is 3 scans per day, each - not
more than 60 s, gives the estimated total dose of the radiation is less than 0.15 μSv
day. This is 19 times less than the daily dose that a person receives from natural
background radiation 2.88 μSv/day. These calculations indicate the high efficiency of
the self-protection of the tomography scanner.

4. Summary And Conclusion

This paper shows developed self-shielded CBCT scanner ETS2 that can be widely
used in veterinary clinics for the examination of large animal limbs and heads as well
as full body of companion animals.
Compared to other veterinary CBCT scanners on the market, this one has a
number of advantages:

1) The device is protected against direct and scattered radiation and mechanical
hazards. With a calculated scanning frequency of 3 examinations daily, the
level of additional exposure of personnel is less than 0.15 μSv per day, which
is 19 times less than natural radiation.
2) The device uses low-voltage X-ray emitter: the voltage on the X-ray tube -
up to 80 kV, the tube current - up to 0.8 mA and the power of the X-ray
generator - up to 50 W. This
3) From the results of measurements it follows that the actual size of the
tomography area is not less than 190 mm and is divided into central and
peripheral zones. Due to the information obtained during the procedure of
scanning the object on different projections, which may include areas that are
not part of the central and processing them with appropriate software, the
width of the tomography area at different points can be up to 1.5 times larger
than calculated. The largest size of the peripheral zone reaches 229 mm and
corresponds to the position of small animals placed on a concave deck.
4) The experiment confirmed the high detail of the images: 2.5 lp/mm in the
central region of the tomography area and 1.6 lp/mm on its periphery.
5) Veterinarian doctors confirmed obtained images meet the requirements for
the quality of tomography images, taking into account the anthropometric
features of patients in veterinary clinics.
In general, the veterinary CBCT scanner ETS2 described above combines
simplicity, convenience and high efficiency of use.
Unfortunately, in our work we faced the problem of the nonlinearity of a digital
X-ray detector, which does not allow us to introduce all the possible advantages of
this technology. Most of the veterinary radiologist used to work with Hounsfield units
of CT section images to diagnosis. The lack of measurements in Hounsfield’s is the
main disadvantage in the existing version of the software of the system presented. In
our future works we plan to eliminate obstacles that interfere with implementation of
this function.
Another promising direction for future work is the connection of a 3D printer to
the developed diagnostic complex for printing models of organs of the studied
animals. Such a system will allow surgeons to prepare for operations better without
fear of misunderstanding the visual images on the computer screen. The ability to
assess the configuration and location of pathologies on the physical 3D model will
help reduce the likelihood of errors.

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