Low dose methods for detecting early lung disease using x-ray phase contrast imaging.

The key to reducing the morbidity and mortality of deadly respiratory diseases, including lung cancer andchronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is early detection. Phase contrast x-ray imaging techniques can provide high contrast images of the lung, with sufficient spatial resolution to detect the smallest respiratory units with just a single exposure. Novel image acquisition and processing methodologies will be employed to enhance lung disease detectability and to correlate disease related changes in pulmonary structure with associated alterations in cardiovascular function. These techniques will be employed to measure subtle changes in airway structure associated with early respiratory diseases as a potential diagnostic screening tool.