Medical X-rays are used to create visual representations of the body’s internal tissues and structures. When X-rays pass through the body and reach an X-ray detector on the opposite side of the body, an image is formed that reflects the shadow cast by the body’s internal structures.
One type of X-ray detector is photographic film, but there are many other types of detectors used to generate digital images. The images resulting from this procedure are called radiographs. Now, new materials developed by researchers could pave the way to a new generation of flexible X-ray detectors with potential applications in cancer treatment.
X-ray detectors are usually made of heavy and rigid materials such as silicon or germanium.
The new flexible detectors are more economical and can be shaped around the objects to be scanned, thus improving accuracy during patient examinations and reducing the risks associated with tumor imaging and radiotherapy treatments.
“This new material is flexible, affordable and sensitive, but the most exciting aspect is that it is tissue-like, thus paving the way for real-time dosimetry, which is not possible with existing technology,” said Dr. .Prabodhi Nanayakkara, who coordinated the research at the University of Surrey, UK.
Currently, most X-ray detectors available in the market are heavy, rigid, power-hungry and expensive when it is necessary to cover a large area.
Substances made of hydrogen and carbon, known as organic semiconductors, offer a more flexible alternative. However, until now, they have not allowed the generation of X-ray images as detailed as traditional detectors.
To overcome this challenge, researchers at the University of Surrey’s Institute of Advanced Technology have developed devices by adding small amounts of high atomic number elements to an organic semiconductor.
Building on the team’s previous studies in this area, the new detector reacts more like human tissue to X-rays, which could lead to new and safer methods of delivering radiotherapy, mammography and X-rays.
The research was published Nov. 2 in the journal Advanced Science.
Source: 360medical.ro
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2023-11-15 21:21:59
#Breakthrough #study #cancer #treatment #Xray #imaging #republikaNEWS
