Glossary

A

Anti-scatter Grid

A device used to limit the amount of scattered radiation reaching the detector during an X-ray scan. The anti-scatter grid plays an important role in enhancing image quality.

IBEX Trueview® software provides scatter correction without the need for an anti-scatter grid in mammography, digital radiography, tomosynthesis, and cone beam CT.

Artifical Intelligence (AI)

The use of computer systems to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence. Medical AI systems typically focus on reducing manual tasks and improving workflow and diagnosis.

B

Bone Health

A measure of the functional performance and morphology of bones and specifically the quantification of fracture risk.

Using advanced physics modelling and AI methods, IBEX Trueview® software can return an accurate measure of bone health from up to 30% of the DR scans taken for other clinical purposes.

Bone Mineral Density

A measurement of minerals (mainly calcium and phosphorous) found in bone tissue. A Bone Mineral Density scan (or DEXA scan) uses low dose X-rays to see how dense your bones are and is often used to diagnose musculoskeletal conditions such as osteopenia and osteoporosis.

C

Computed Tomography

A medical imaging technique that uses computer-processed combinations of multiple X-ray measurements to create a 3D visualisation of the internal structure of a patient.

Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT)

A medical imaging technique used to create 3D images of a patient. Unlike normal CT, images are collected from divergent beams forming a cone on a large area detector.

IBEX Trueview® software delivers enhanced CBCT image quality across dental, cranial and orthopaedic applications.

Contrast to Noise

The contrast-to-noise ratio is a measurement used to determine the quality of an image by comparing the contrast of the tissue of interest and the background (e.g. the neighboring tissue).

D

DEXA (Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry)

Used for testing bone density, a DEXA scan measures the mineral content of the bones in certain areas of the skeleton as a way to measure bone loss as you age.

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT)

Sometimes referred to as 3D mammography, DBT uses a number of low-dose 2D X-ray images to create a 3D rendering of a breast. DBT’s primary use is to improve the radiologist’s ability to diagnose breast cancer.

IBEX Trueview® software upgrade provides accurate gridless scatter correction for Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) at lower doses.

Digital Radiography (DR)

A form of radiography that uses X-ray–sensitive plates to directly capture and transfer data to a computer system during the patient examination. The technique involves replacing the screen/film system used in conventional radiographic techniques, as it processes the image data in digital form, rather than analog form.

IBEX Trueview® software-based scatter correction removes the need for a grid in most DR imaging protocols, producing improved and more consistent diagnostic images at up to 50% less patient dose.

E

F

Fluoroscopy

A type of medical imaging procedure that shows a continuous X-ray image of the interior of a patient. Most commonly used for location of devices and implements during interventional surgery.

Fracture

Any loss of continuity of the bone, from a thin crack to a complete break, is classed as a fracture.

Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM)

Sometimes referred to as digital mammography, FFDM uses low-dose X-rays to scan breasts and then converts them into digital mammographic images on a computer.

IBEX Trueview® software upgrade provides accurate gridless scatter correction for Flat Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) at a lower dose.

G

H

Hounsfield Units

Hounsfield units (HU) are used in computed tomography (CT) as a quantitative scale for describing radiodensity in order to express CT numbers in a standardised and convenient form.

Health Care Provider

An individual health professional or a health facility organisation licensed to provide healthcare diagnosis and treatment services

I

Image Quality

This determines how precisely X-ray images can be visually assessed. In a high-quality image, it is easy to identify and assess valid information while at the same time rejecting spurious information. An example of useful information is the displayed contrast of lung nodules appearing in a chest X-ray image that is helpful in determining whether they are benign or malignant.

An example of spurious information is random noise that renders the task of identifying the actual nodule size more difficult. Several factors influence the overall image quality of an X-ray system, including: contrast resolution, intensity uniformity, noise texture, spatial resolution, system geometry (magnification, distortion), and detector artefacts (stitching, defective pixels).

Image Processing

The use of advanced image processing methods to improve the diagnostic quality of an X-ray image.

J

K

L

M

Mammography

Mammography is a process of X-ray imaging used to examine the breast for the early detection of cancer and other breast diseases. It usually involves 2 X-rays of each breast. Using a mammogram, it is possible to detect a tumor that cannot be felt.

IBEX Trueview® gridless scatter correction software for 2D, S2D, and 3D mammography provides improved diagnostic image quality at reduced patient dose.

Musculoskeletal

Your musculoskeletal system includes bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and soft tissues. Some of the functions of the musculoskeletal system include movement, support, protection, heat generation, and blood circulation.

N

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)

Testing and analysis techniques used in science and technology to evaluate the properties of an object without causing damage. Usually refers to industrial imaging applications.

O

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)

An organisation that creates end-user products using component parts from other manufacturers. In medical imaging, this typically refers to large corporations that produce imaging devices and hardware.

Orthopaedics

The branch of medicine that focuses on conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. An orthopaedic doctor is concerned with anything related to bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. This includes diseases like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ligament injuries, osteopaenia, and osteoporosis.

Osteopaenia

Often classed as the midpoint between having healthy bones and having osteoporosis, osteopenia is when your bones are less dense than normal but not so far gone that they break easily.

Osteoporosis

A disease that occurs when bone mineral density and mass decrease so much that the patient’s bones become weaker and more brittle. When healthy bones are viewed under a microscope they have a honeycomb-like texture. In an osteoporotic bone, these holes and gaps in the bone are much larger than they are in healthier bones.

Osteoporosis vastly increases a patient’s risk of fractures and breakages and is most common in older adults, especially women over the age of 50.

IBEX aims to reduce fractures through earlier detection of osteoporosis using IBEX Trueview® software upgrade to return an accurate measure of bone health from DR scans taken for other clinical purposes.

P

Post-processing

The process of manipulating the data captured by an X-ray in order to derive additional qualitative or quantitative data. The primary goal of image post-processing is to enhance diagnostic interpretation.

Q

Quality-adjusted Life Year (QALY)

A measure of the state of health of a person or group in which the benefits in terms of length of life are adjusted to reflect the quality of life. 1 QALY = 1 year of life in perfect health.

R

Radiographer

A healthcare professional specialising in the acquisition of medical images for medical diagnosis or screening.

Radiologist

A healthcare professional specialising in diagnosing and treating injuries and diseases using medical imaging procedures.

S

Scatter

Radiation that spreads out in different directions from an X-ray when the beam comes into contact with an object, such as body tissue. Scatter results in the degradation of the X-ray image quality.

Scatter Correction

Removal of unwanted scatter from an X-ray image to improve diagnostic image quality.

IBEX Trueview® Gridless Scatter Correction technology provides scatter correction without the need for an anti-scatter grid in mammography, digital radiography, tomosynthesis, and cone-beam CT.

Sensitivity

The ability of a test to correctly identify those with a disease – the True Positive Rate. A sensitivity of 1 means that all diseased individuals are correctly identified as diseased.

Software Development Kit (SDK)

A collection of software development tools/solutions, coming in an installable package, that is used to create and develop applications.

Specificity

The ability of a test to correctly create a negative result for those who do not have a disease -the True Negative Rate. A specificity of 1 means all non-diseased individuals are correctly identified.

Synthetic Data

Synthetic data can be defined as artificially created data that does not belong to a specific individual but represents a “phantom” patient who could exist in the general population. When correctly applied; synthetic data is indistinguishable from real patient data and can be used for a range of tasks from large volume, unbiased, AI training sets to excursion testing algorithms. The data can be 2D DR x-rays or CT volume for example

T

Tomosynthesis

A method for performing high-resolution limited-angle tomography. Digital images created are then reconstructed or “synthesised” into a set of 3D images by a computer.

U

V

W

X

X-ray

A medical imaging technique used to produce images of the inside of the body using a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation.

Y

Z