Photon-Counting Detector CT Scan of Dinosaur Fossils: Initial Experience

Beyond clinical areas, photon-counting detector (PCD) CT is innovatively applied to study paleontological specimens. This study presents a preliminary investigation into the application of PCD-CT for imaging large dinosaur fossils, comparing it with standard energy-integrating detector (EID) CT. The...

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Main Authors: Tasuku Wakabayashi, Kenji Takata, Soichiro Kawabe, Masato Shimada, Takeshi Mugitani, Takuya Yachida, Rikiya Maruyama, Satomi Kanai, Kiyotaka Takeuchi, Tomohiro Kotsuji, Toshiki Tateishi, Hideki Hyodoh, Tetsuya Tsujikawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Journal of Imaging
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2313-433X/11/6/180
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author Tasuku Wakabayashi
Kenji Takata
Soichiro Kawabe
Masato Shimada
Takeshi Mugitani
Takuya Yachida
Rikiya Maruyama
Satomi Kanai
Kiyotaka Takeuchi
Tomohiro Kotsuji
Toshiki Tateishi
Hideki Hyodoh
Tetsuya Tsujikawa
author_facet Tasuku Wakabayashi
Kenji Takata
Soichiro Kawabe
Masato Shimada
Takeshi Mugitani
Takuya Yachida
Rikiya Maruyama
Satomi Kanai
Kiyotaka Takeuchi
Tomohiro Kotsuji
Toshiki Tateishi
Hideki Hyodoh
Tetsuya Tsujikawa
author_sort Tasuku Wakabayashi
collection DOAJ
description Beyond clinical areas, photon-counting detector (PCD) CT is innovatively applied to study paleontological specimens. This study presents a preliminary investigation into the application of PCD-CT for imaging large dinosaur fossils, comparing it with standard energy-integrating detector (EID) CT. The left dentary of <i>Tyrannosaurus</i> and the skull of <i>Camarasaurus</i> were imaged using PCD-CT in ultra-high-resolution mode and EID-CT. The PCD-CT and EID-CT image quality of the dinosaurs were visually assessed. Compared with EID-CT, PCD-CT yielded higher-resolution anatomical images free of image deterioration, achieving a better definition of the <i>Tyrannosaurus</i> mandibular canal and the three semicircular canals of <i>Camarasaurus</i>. PCD-CT clearly depicts the internal structure and morphology of large dinosaur fossils without damaging them and also provides spectral information, thus allowing researchers to gain insights into fossil mineral composition and the preservation state in the future.
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publisher MDPI AG
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series Journal of Imaging
spelling doaj-art-77d3b040a2ac472ab312e0236fc81b1f2025-08-20T03:27:32ZengMDPI AGJournal of Imaging2313-433X2025-06-0111618010.3390/jimaging11060180Photon-Counting Detector CT Scan of Dinosaur Fossils: Initial ExperienceTasuku Wakabayashi0Kenji Takata1Soichiro Kawabe2Masato Shimada3Takeshi Mugitani4Takuya Yachida5Rikiya Maruyama6Satomi Kanai7Kiyotaka Takeuchi8Tomohiro Kotsuji9Toshiki Tateishi10Hideki Hyodoh11Tetsuya Tsujikawa12Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji 910-1193, Fukui, JapanDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji 910-1193, Fukui, JapanFaculty of Dinosaur Paleontology, Fukui Prefectural University, 4-1-1 Matsuoka Kenjojima, Eiheiji 910-1195, Fukui, JapanRadiological Center, University of Fukui Hospital, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji 910-1193, Fukui, JapanRadiological Center, University of Fukui Hospital, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji 910-1193, Fukui, JapanRadiological Center, University of Fukui Hospital, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji 910-1193, Fukui, JapanRadiological Center, University of Fukui Hospital, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji 910-1193, Fukui, JapanDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji 910-1193, Fukui, JapanDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji 910-1193, Fukui, JapanDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji 910-1193, Fukui, JapanRadiological Center, University of Fukui Hospital, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji 910-1193, Fukui, JapanDepartment of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji 910-1193, Fukui, JapanDepartment of Radiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, 23-3 Matsuoka-Shimoaizuki, Eiheiji 910-1193, Fukui, JapanBeyond clinical areas, photon-counting detector (PCD) CT is innovatively applied to study paleontological specimens. This study presents a preliminary investigation into the application of PCD-CT for imaging large dinosaur fossils, comparing it with standard energy-integrating detector (EID) CT. The left dentary of <i>Tyrannosaurus</i> and the skull of <i>Camarasaurus</i> were imaged using PCD-CT in ultra-high-resolution mode and EID-CT. The PCD-CT and EID-CT image quality of the dinosaurs were visually assessed. Compared with EID-CT, PCD-CT yielded higher-resolution anatomical images free of image deterioration, achieving a better definition of the <i>Tyrannosaurus</i> mandibular canal and the three semicircular canals of <i>Camarasaurus</i>. PCD-CT clearly depicts the internal structure and morphology of large dinosaur fossils without damaging them and also provides spectral information, thus allowing researchers to gain insights into fossil mineral composition and the preservation state in the future.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-433X/11/6/180PCT-CTpaleontologydinosaur fossil
spellingShingle Tasuku Wakabayashi
Kenji Takata
Soichiro Kawabe
Masato Shimada
Takeshi Mugitani
Takuya Yachida
Rikiya Maruyama
Satomi Kanai
Kiyotaka Takeuchi
Tomohiro Kotsuji
Toshiki Tateishi
Hideki Hyodoh
Tetsuya Tsujikawa
Photon-Counting Detector CT Scan of Dinosaur Fossils: Initial Experience
Journal of Imaging
PCT-CT
paleontology
dinosaur fossil
title Photon-Counting Detector CT Scan of Dinosaur Fossils: Initial Experience
title_full Photon-Counting Detector CT Scan of Dinosaur Fossils: Initial Experience
title_fullStr Photon-Counting Detector CT Scan of Dinosaur Fossils: Initial Experience
title_full_unstemmed Photon-Counting Detector CT Scan of Dinosaur Fossils: Initial Experience
title_short Photon-Counting Detector CT Scan of Dinosaur Fossils: Initial Experience
title_sort photon counting detector ct scan of dinosaur fossils initial experience
topic PCT-CT
paleontology
dinosaur fossil
url https://www.mdpi.com/2313-433X/11/6/180
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