Systems and methods for in-vivo detection of lead in bone

A method for detecting one or more high-atomic-number elements in a patient, the method comprising:

• producing Bremsstrahlung x-rays in an energy spectrum including an energy of at least 160 keV;
• filtering to absorb the x-rays from the x-ray source in a region of the energy spectrum;
• collimating the x-rays from the x-ray source to produce a collimated x-ray beam to be incident on a patient;
• and
• detecting energy-resolved, fluorescent radiation emitted from one or more high-atomic-number elements in the patient in response to the collimated x-ray beam incident on the patient.

A system for detecting one or more high-atomic-number elements in a patient, the system comprising:

• an x-ray source configured to produce x-rays;
• a collimator configured to receive the x-rays from the x-ray source and to output a collimated x-ray beam to be incident on a patient;
• a scanner configured to cause relative motion between the patient and the x-ray beam incident on the patient in order to scan at least a portion of the patient with the x-ray beam;
• and
• one or more collimated, energy-resolving x-ray detectors configured to detect fluorescent radiation emitted from one or more high-atomic-number elements in the patient in response to the collimated x-ray beam incident on the patient.