3D Synchrotron μ-x-ray fluorescence analysis on human bones

A comparison between μ-x-ray fluorescence tomography and confocal μ-x-ray fluorescence analysis (μ-XRF) will be presented. These techniques were used to study the three dimensional (3D) elemental distribution in human bone. Since bone shows very strong inhomogeneities in structure as well as in distribution of the chemical elements, two dimensional (2D) analysis (element mapping) of the samples always led to difficulties in interpreting the results and assigning elemental distributions to microscopic structures. Tomography scans in fluorescence and absorption mode have been carried out simultaneously at the fluo-topo beamline at ANKA, Karlsruhe, to determine the distribution of the elements over the depth of the previously prepared sample from human patella. A monochromatized x-ray beam (17 keV) from a bending magnet station focused by a compound refractive lens to a beamsize of 10 x 5 μm was used to perform the measurements. The transmitted beam signal measured with the SD detector was utilized to apply a simplified absorption correction to XRF tomographic images. Based on the XRF sinograms the elemental distribution within the object cross-section was reconstructed by means of filtered backprojection. The same section of human bone has been analyzed by confocal μ-XRF at HASYLAB, Hamburg, Germany beamline L. With this experiment two polycapillary half lenses were used; one for focusing the previously monochromatized primary x-ray beam onto the sample and the second half lens in front of a Si(Li) detector to get a small inspected area. By overlapping the two foci of the lenses a very well defined volume of investigation could be defined. Scanning the sample up- and downstream it was possible to determine the elemental distribution in depth of the sample. An absorption correction has been applied to get a corrected fluorescence image of the sample. Both methods showed consistent results and allowed a precise localization of the elements of interest. (author)