Advances in X-ray detectors for clinical and preclinical Computed Tomography

Computed tomography (CT) is a non-invasive X-ray diagnostic technique that allows reconstructing cross sections of a patient's body, providing detailed information about structure and anatomy of organs and, in some extent, also about their functionality. Since the development of the first CT scanner for clinical use in the '70s, several improvements especially in solid-state X-ray detector technology with growing detection efficiency and fast response have led to the current configuration of modern ultra-fast, low dose whole body CT scanners. Such developments brought great advantages in the clinical settings in terms of image quality, dose effectiveness, imaging throughput, but also extending considerably the field of clinical application that were initially foreseen. Parallel to the roadmap of clinical CT technology, dedicated systems for high-resolution preclinical CT (or micro-CT) have seen a considerable growth in the last two decades, taking advantage of the modern technology of high granularity flat-panel X-ray detectors (FPD). This article aims at reviewing the milestones of the evolution of X-ray detector technology that have traced the roadmap of development of CT and micro-CT. An outlook of the current and future trends on energy resolved clinical and preclinical CT with photon counting detectors will be also given. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.