In medical x-ray imaging, x-rays interact with human body and create scatter radiation. Some scatter radiation will reach the image receptor and severely degrade the image quality. Without reducing the scatter radiation reaching the image receptor, most x-ray images would not be useful for making a diagnosis. The common method to reduce scatter radiation reaching the image receptor is using an x-ray anti-scatter grid (Davidson 1998).
X-ray grids are usually made of strips and interspace materials. Some grids are focused and have their strips aligned to focus on a common line at a finite distance. A grid reduces more scatter radiation reaching the image receptor but also reduces a fraction (30-40%) of signal transmission. This means the patient will receive more radiation exposures when a grid is used. A recent study has revealed a novel method that can optimise the design of grids by optimising both the strip height and strip thickness (Zhou, Tan et al. 2020). A grid design based on this method has been shown that more scatter radiation can be reduced with only negligible reduction of signal. This means that the image will have better quality and the patient will expose to less radiation from undertaking an x-ray examination.
This project is to work on the manufacture of a prototype grid based on this novel grid design method and undertake experiments to evaluate the grid performance and validate the grid design method. Upon completion of this project, you would have earned skills in applying a theoretical model to practice, mastered project managements including sourcing appropriate industry partners, coordinating multiple parties in manufacturing of a product, and learnt experimental skills for medical device evaluation etc.

Please contact Dr Shannon Wang (Xiaolin.wang@anu.edu.au) if you are interested.