Synchrotron X-ray PIV technique for measurement of blood flow velocity

Synchrotron X-ray micro-imaging method has been used to observe internal structures of various organisms, industrial devices, and so on. However, it is not suitable to see internal flows inside a structure because tracers typically employed in conventional optical flow visualization methods cannot be detectable with the X-ray micro-imaging method. On the other hand, a PIV (particle image velocimetry) method which has recently been accepted as a reliable quantitative flow visualization technique can extract lots of flow information by applying digital image processing techniques However, it is not applicable to opaque fluids such as blood. In this study, we combined the PIV method and the synchrotron X-ray micro-imaging technique to compose a new X-ray PIV technique. Using the X-ray PIV technique, we investigated the optical characteristics of blood for a coherent synchrotron X-ray beam and quantitatively visualized real blood flows inside an opaque tube without any contrast media. The velocity field information acquired would be helpful for investigating hemorheologic characteristics of the blood flow.