Apparatus and method for imaging ionizing radiation

1. A system for capturing a radiographic or autoradiographic image of an object, comprising: a support member adapted to receive the object in an immobilized state;

a phosphor screen adapted to transduce ionizing radiation from the object to visible light;

means for capturing an image using the visible light; and

a device for moving the phosphor screen incrementally to facilitate reduction of phosphor screen mottle.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the phosphor screen is moved between image captures.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the means for capturing an image comprises film responsive to the visible light and the film is exposed after each incremental movement of the phosphor screen.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an X-ray source and means for turning the source on and off, wherein the phosphor screen is moved during single image capture and the source is turned off during movement of the screen.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the means for capturing an image comprises a digital capture device responsive to the visible light; further comprising means for averaging a series of individual images of the immobilized object so as to blur phosphor screen mottle.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the phosphor screen is moved between image captures through a distance larger than phosphor grain size of the screen but smaller than a difference between a physical size of phosphor screen and a field of view of the image, so as to blur phosphor screen mottle.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an X-ray source and means for turning the source on and off, wherein the phosphor screen is moved during single image capture and the source is turned off during movement of the screen through a distance larger than phosphor grain size of the screen but smaller than a difference between a physical size of the phosphor screen and a field of view of the image, so as to blur phosphor screen mottle.

8. A method for capturing a radiographic or autoradiographic image of an object, comprising:

placing the object in an immobilized state on an object stage;

capturing a series of images of the object via a phosphor screen adapted to transduce ionizing radiation from the object to visible light; and

moving the phosphor screen incrementally to facilitate reduction of phosphor screen mottle.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the phosphor screen is moved between image captures.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising exposing the object to radiation from an X-ray source, moving the phosphor screen during single image capture and turning off the source during movement of the screen.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the phosphor screen is moved between image captures through a distance larger than phosphor grain size of the screen but smaller than a difference between a physical size of the phosphor screen and a field of view of the image, so as to blur phosphor screen mottle.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the images are captured on film responsive to the visible light and the film is exposed after each incremental movement of the phosphor screen.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the images are captured digitally in response to the visible light, further comprising averaging the series of individual digital images of the immobilized object so as to blur phosphor screen mottle.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the phosphor screen is moved between image captures through a distance larger than phosphor grain size of the screen but smaller than a difference between a physical size of the phosphor screen and a field of view of the image, so as to blur phosphor screen mottle.

15. A method for capturing multimodal images of an object, comprising:

placing the object in an immobilized state on an object stage;

positioning a phosphor screen in an image path from the object to transduce ionizing radiation passing through the object to visible light;

capturing a series of images of the object using the visible light;

moving the phosphor screen incrementally to facilitate reduction of phosphor screen mottle in the series;

removing the phosphor screen from the image path; and

capturing at least one optical image of the object.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the phosphor screen is moved incrementally between image captures.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising exposing the object to radiation from an X-ray source, moving the phosphor screen during single image capture and turning off the source during movement of the screen.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the at least one optical image captured may be bright-field or dark-field from luminescence and fluorescence; and in the series, X-ray.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the phosphor screen is moved between image captures of the series through a distance larger than a phosphor grain size of the screen and smaller than a difference between a physical size of the phosphor screen and a field of view of the image, so as to blur phosphor screen mottle.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising exposing the object to radiation from an X-ray source, moving the phosphor screen incrementally during single image capture and turning off the source during movement of the screen, wherein the phosphor screen is moved through a distance larger than phosphor grain size of the screen but smaller than a difference between a physical size of the phosphor screen and a field of view of the image, so as to blur phosphor screen mottle.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the series of images is captured digitally, further comprising averaging the series of individual images of the immobilized object so as to blur phosphor screen mottle.

22. A system for capturing multimodal images of an object, comprising:

a support member adapted to receive the object in an immobilized state;

a phosphor screen adapted to transduce ionizing radiation from the object to visible light;

multimodal means for capturing X-ray or optical images of the object, or both;

a device for incrementally moving the phosphor screen to facilitate reduction of phosphor screen mottle;

a device for removing the phosphor screen from the image path for capturing optical images; and

means for capturing at least one optical image of the object.

23. The system of claim 22 , further comprising an X-ray source and means for turning the source on and off, wherein the phosphor screen is moved during single image capture and the source is turned off during movement of the screen.

24. The system of claim 22 , wherein the phosphor screen is moved during image capture through a distance larger than phosphor grain size of the screen but smaller than a difference between a physical size of the phosphor screen and a field of view of the image, so as to blur phosphor screen mottle.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein the phosphor screen is moved between image captures through a distance larger than phosphor grain size of the screen but smaller than a difference between a physical size of phosphor screen and a field of view of the image, so as to blur phosphor screen mottle.

26. The system of claim 22 , wherein the phosphor screen is moved incrementally between image captures.

27. The system of claim 22 wherein the means for capturing may be optical, X-ray or radioisotopic.

28. The system of claim 22 wherein the image captured may be bright-field or dark-field from luminescence and fluorescence, X-ray or radioisotopic.

29. The system of claim 22 , wherein the means for capturing an X-ray image comprises film responsive to the visible light and the film is exposed after each incremental movement of the phosphor screen.

30. The system of claim 22 , wherein the means for capturing an X-ray image comprises a digital capture device responsive to the visible light; and means for averaging a series of individual images of the immobilized object so as to blur phosphor screen mottle.