PHOTON Counting CT, How PCT works.

Photon counting CT uses a completely different CT Detector technology. In a photon counting CT detector the x-rays can be individually counted and used to make an image. This is different from conventional energy integrating detectors (EID) and has potential advantages in the contrast to noise achievable in the images (especially for higher z materials).

For more information on the physics of x-ray and CT see our site: https://howradiologyworks.com

Photon counting detectors have potential advantages over scintillation CT detectors in terms of:
Uniform weighting of the x-rays regardless of the energy
Improved spatial resolution
Inherent spectral information for all acquisitions
Improved spectral resolution potentially
Elimination of the electronic noise

We will cover these potential improvements and describe each of the different detector technologies:
Scintillation detectors (EID)
Traditional Photon Counting (e.g. CdTe)
Silicon Photon Counting


The physical effects unique to photon counting CT will be discussed including:
k-escape (and Compton cross talk)
Charge Sharing
Pulse Pileup

Each of the major vendors in CT is working on photon counting CT including:
GE Healthcare
Siemens Heathineers
Phillips
Cannon

Siemens has released the first photon counting CT with the introduction of the Naeotom Alpha which is a CdTe photon counting system.

00:00 Introduction
00:28 Scintillation Detectors (EID)
02:25 Limitations of EIDs (Energy Integrating Detectors)