Improving Medical Image Clarity With Radio-Transparent Composites

Composites providers are known for producing the space-age materials that make modern aviation possible. We are known for aerospace applications, high-performance composites for motor sports, and groundbreaking materials designed for military applications. But there is so much more to the composites space than you know through these highly visible applications.

Take healthcare. Did you know that radio-transparent composites are invaluable to medical imaging because of their ability to clarify images? Modern medical imaging can accomplish a lot that simply was not possible a decade ago.

The composite materials found in the medical imaging space are engineered structures that are typically in the form of sandwich panels or fiber-reinforced polymers. The materials are strong, lightweight, and radiolucent. Their radiolucent properties make them radio-transparent.

What ‘Radio-Transparent’ Means

A radio-transparent material doesn’t significantly interact with imaging devices. Minimal interaction with X-rays, CT, MRI, and even RF fields translates into minimal interference. Images are produced with fewer artifacts and reduced attenuation that would otherwise compromise clarity.

In an X-ray or CT environment, a radio-transparent composite attenuates the beam only slightly. That makes it nearly invisible. The composite material, if it is seen at all in the final image, is a pale gray color rather than bright white.

In an MRI setting, composites are invaluable because they are non-conductive and non-ferromagnetic. That means they do not distort static magnetic or RF fields. They don’t introduce signal voids that could distort what an image looks like.

Real World Medical Imaging Applications

The inherent ability of a composite material to enhance medical imaging is not just theoretical. They are real and practical. For example, consider patient support structures like tabletops, breast boards, and immobilization devices. Patients support structures need to be stiff. They cannot sag. But they also need to demonstrate minimal beam attenuation.

Gantry and detector housings also benefit from composite construction. Structural members can be made from carbon fiber, fiberglass, and aramid fibers despite such structures sitting in the path of the imaging beam.

Composites can make even surgical tools and accessories better. During intraoperative imaging procedures, radiolucent instruments do not get in the way of clear visuals. As such, imaging practices like fluoroscopy and cone-beam CT make for safer and more accurate procedures.

The Mechanics of Signal Clarity

Composite materials and designs are chosen based on imaging type and application. A single solution doesn’t work across the board. This is because of the mechanics of signal clarity. Think of it this way – composites can enhance image clarity through several physical mechanisms:

• Reduced Attenuation – Attenuation is the gradual loss of signal strength as it travels through a medium. By reducing attenuation, certain composites guarantee that the imaging signal remains strong.
• Uniform Density – Composite sandwich panels offer a combination of flexural stiffness and uniform density. The uniform density creates a predictable attenuation profile, which makes for smoother CT images.
• Reduced Scattering – Composites minimize the impacts of dense inserts and sharp metal interfaces that otherwise lead to scatter in an image. Reduce scatter, and you also reduce image artifacts.
• MRI Field Compatibility – Non-conductive fibers and non-continuous conductive loops reduce eddy currents and RF shielding. The result is a higher-fidelity MRI image.

We tend to think of high-performance composites within the realms of aviation, aerospace, and defense. But the need for such composites exists in other sectors too, including healthcare. Axiom Materials is thrilled to be able to offer composites that make medical imaging better.

If you would like to know more about healthcare composites, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are a leading composite supplier with one of the best teams in the industry.