PIXSCAN: pixel detector CT-scanner for small animal imaging

The aims of the pixel detector CT-scanner for small animal imaging PIXSCAN are to provide high count rate and fast image readout, and to improve soft tissue contrast by energy discrimination, high dynamic range and low noise. As a proof of principle, the photon counting pixel detector built for X-ray synchrotron radiations was used to build a prototype demonstrator of the PIXSCAN device. This demonstrator was used to obtain first images of mice reconstructed by the FDK algorithm. A new photon counting chip with 130 × 130 μm² pixels (XPAD3) in sub-micron technology has been designed, results from simulations will be presented. We intend to combine XPAD3 detectors with positron emission tomography (PET) to study simultaneous PET/CT co-registration. A dedicated reconstruction algorithm is being developed for a special geometry combining a PET detector ring with a non-transaxial cone-beam X-ray CT design.