NPRE 435: Radiological Imaging
Fall, 2024
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; 3038 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
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 (Pages 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
sources. 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
§ Single Photon Emission
Computed Tomography (SPECT) (1): principle, radionuclides,
and Imaging systems: Reading
Material: Chapters 7 & 8 in Ref. book [2].
§ 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 on Monday, September
16, 2024.
Homework 2. Due on Monday, September
23, 2024. Solutions.
Homework 3. Due on Wednesday, October
2, 2024. Solutions.
Homework 4. Matlab
codes and instructions. Due on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
Mid-term Exam Information
Time and Place: Friday, October 18th,
at 2-3 pm at 3018 CIF.
Content
covered: Chapter 1-3 – as outlined on this website.
Format: Close-book, but you could
bring a 2-page “cheat-sheet.”
Final Exam Information
Time and Place: Tuesday, December 17th, at
1:30-4:30 at 3018 CIF.
Content
covered: Chapter 4-5 – as outlined on this website.
Format: Close-book, but you could
bring a 2-page “cheat-sheet.”
Review
slides on X-ray imaging.
Review
slides on emission tomography.
Grading
Homework 30%
Mid-term
exam:
30%
Quizzes: 10%
Final
exam:
Exam 30%