NPRE 435: Radiological Imaging
Fall, 2023
Course Description
In this course, we will
discuss the basic principles for generating
tomographic images of volumetric objects through the detection of ionizing
radiation signals. These include the sources of ionizing radiation, interactions of ionizing radiation with matter,
operating principles for state-of-art imaging detectors, mathematical and statistical principles for
modeling the detected signal, and basic techniques for reconstructing
tomographic images from measured projections. Based on these discussions, we
will introduce several critically
important imaging modalities, such as planar
X-ray radiography, X-ray computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography
(PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and their
application in the diagnosis of diseases, monitoring therapeutic responses and
as research tools for understanding the
molecular pathways underlying various biological processes. We will also
discuss several emerging radiological imaging techniques,
such as X-ray fluorescence emission tomography (XFET), X-ray luminescence
computed tomography (XLCT), and their
applications in preclinical and clinical research.
§
Teaching Staff and Office
Hours
Instructor: Ling-Jian Meng, Ph.D. E-mail:
ljmeng@illinois.edu; Office: 111E Talbot Lab; Tel: 217-3337710.
Office hours: 3-5 pm on Friday. Please feel
free to come to my office during regular hours or to send me an email to make
an appointment.
Lecture Time and Place
MWF 2:00pm-2:50pm; 3018 Campus
Instructional Facility.
Prerequisites
Unofficially:
radiation interactions, basic principles of radiation detectors, probability,
and random variables complex numbers, linear algebra, Matlab.
Textbook
Required
textbooks
[1] Medical Imaging Signals and Systems (2nd
Edition), J. Prince and J. M. Links, Pearson Prentice
Hall, 2012. Chapter 1-3, Chapter 4-6.
Reference
[1] Foundations of Medical Imaging, Z. H.
Cho, John Wiley & Sons, 1993.
[2] Radiation Detection and
Measurements, Third Edition, G. F. Knoll, John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
Course Website and Zoom Link for Online Lectures
Course website: https://courses.engr.illinois.edu/npre435/
Lecture Notes (will be posted after each lecture)
Introduction to
Radiological Imaging.
Chapter 1:
A (Very) Brief Introduction to Radiation Sources and Radiation Interactions
§ A brief introduction to commonly
used radiation sources in radiological imaging. Reading Material: Chapters
1 in Ref. book [3].
§ A
brief overview of interactions of radiation with matter. Reading Material:
Chapters 2 in Ref. book [3].
Chapter 2:
Linear System Theory
§ Signals and systems: Reading
Material: Chapters 2 in Ref. book [1].
§ Fourier
transform basics and sampling theory: Reading Material: Chapters 2 in Ref.
book [1] and Chapters 2 in Ref. book [2].
Chapter 3:
Mathematical Preliminaries for Image Processing
§ Analytical
Image Reconstruction Methods (1): Radon Transform & Central Slice Theorem:
Reading: Chapter 3 in Ref. book [1]. Chapter 6 (Page 192-207) in Ref. book [2]
§ 
Analytical
Image Reconstruction Methods (2): Back-projection-based reconstruction methods
§ A brief
introduction to MATLAB.
§ Iterative
Image Reconstruction Methods: please also see the attached paper by Shepp and
Vardi on the MLEM algorithm.
§ Image
Quality: Reading Material: Chapters 3 in Ref. book [2].
Chapter 4:
X-ray Radiography and Computed Tomography
§ X-Ray
Physics (1): X-ray generation. Reading Material: Chapters 4 & 5 in Ref.
book [2]
§ X-Ray
Physics (2): X-ray interactions, attenuation, and practical considerations.
Reading Material: Chapters 4 & 5 in Ref. book [2]
§ X-Ray
Physics (3): X-ray detectors. Reading Material: Chapters 4 & 5 in Ref. book
[2]
§ X-Ray CT: Image formation and image quality:
Reading Material: Chapters 6 in Ref. book [2].
Chapter 5:
Emission Tomography and Related Imaging Techniques
§ (Not
discussed) Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) (1): principle, radionuclides, and Imaging systems: Reading Material: Chapters 7
& 8 in Ref. book [2].
§ (Not discussed)
Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (2): SPECT systems, Image Formation,
Design Considerations, and Recent Advances: Reading Material: Chapters 7 &
8 in Ref. book [2].
§ Positron
Emission Tomography (PET): Basic Principle, Instrumentations, Design
Considerations, and Clinical Applications: Additional Reading Material:
Chapters 9 in Ref. book [2], and recent technological advances.
Homework (will be posted after each Monday’s lecture)
Homework #1: Due date:
Wednesday 09/06/2023, at 5 pm.
Mid-term Exam Information
Final Exam Information
Grading
Homework 30%
Mid-term
exam:
30%
Quizzes: 10%
Final
exam:
Exam 30%