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MARS Spectral CT for Researchers

High-resolution color CT imaging for preclinical research, complete with advanced imaging analysis tools.

MARS Spectral CT for Clinicians

Compact point-of-care color CT for upper extremity evaluation (investigative only).

What is spectral CT?

Visible light is made up of many different wavelengths known as a spectrum. We observe these wavelengths as different colors, or all wavelengths together as white. The same principle can be used for x-rays. Although invisible to the naked eye, these different x-ray wavelengths or colors can be captured by some digital devices. Standard radiographs…

How does MARS work?

This technology uses a solid state photon-counting energy-resolving detector layer bonded to the Medipix3RX ASIC chip. The Medipix3RX chip was developed by the Medipix Collaboration, which includes CERN in Geneva and 18 research institutes around the world. It is both energy-resolving and photon-counting which enables true quantitative material decomposition. The sensor simultaneously places each photon…

Why is it useful?

The introduction of computed tomography (CT) has contributed to major advances in medical imaging. CT imaging has taken plain x-ray radiographs from two-dimensional flat images to three-dimensional images. Three-dimensional imaging provides information about the structure more clearly and illustrates the relationship between adjoining structures. Color CT has the potential to be as revolutionary to medical…

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is color x-ray?

Color x-ray is where the energy of the x-rays that pass through the object is measured. This technology is not a false color of an x-ray density map. The “color” in these images is actually true x-ray color and is not meant to represent the visible color of a material.

How is measuring the color of the x-ray different from normal x-ray?

Traditional x-ray gives information about the density of an object. Color x-ray gives information about the material composition an x-ray passes through. That means two objects of similar density but different materials can be distinguished using color x-ray, but not traditional x-ray.

How does MARS make color images?

In-house algorithms process the energy information from the x-ray to determine the materials present. Then, you can apply an arbitrary color (or color range) to each material identified. Typically, we choose to use colors that look similar to what you would expect to see, eg. bone is assigned white.