Minimally invasive coronary angiography with monochromatic X-rays: developmental studies utilizing synchrotron radiation

Iodine-containing compounds are used as contrast agents in obtaining X-ray images of blood vessels for medical diagnosis. If the X-ray contrast produced by iodine can be enhanced sufficiently relative to that produced by the intervening body tissues, it becomes possible to obtain images of arteries by introducing the contrast agent into the venous circulation rather than through an arterial catheter directly into the vessel under examination. An imaging system that shows promise of accomplishing this goal for examination of the coronary arteries has been developed for operation in an X-ray beam at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory. Iodine-selective contrast enhancement is achieved by logarithmic subtraction of two images of the same field. One of these images is formed by monochromatic X-rays of energy just above the characteristic iodine K-absorption edge at 33.17 keV, the other by X-rays of energy just below the edge. The computer-controlled imaging system acquires digitized images line by line while scanning the subject through a stationary X-ray beam of linear profile. At present, only synchrotron radiation can provide monochromatic X-ray beams of intensity sufficient to image the small and rapidly moving coronary arteries