PET/MR SCANNERS FOR SIMULTANEOUS PET AND MR IMAGING
First Claim
1. A combined magnetic resonance (MR) and positron emission tomography (PET) data acquisition system comprising:
- a magnetic resonance scanner including a magnet configured to generate a static magnetic field at least in a magnetic resonance examination region, the magnetic resonance scanner being configured to acquire magnetic resonance data from the magnetic resonance examination region; and
radiation detectors configured to detect gamma rays generated by positron-electron annihilation events in a positron emission tomography examination region, the radiation detectors including electron multiplier elements having a direction of electron acceleration arranged substantially parallel or anti-parallel with the static magnetic field.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a combined system, a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner includes a magnet (10, 110) configured to generate a static magnetic field (B0) at least in a MR examination region (12) from which MR data are acquired. Radiation detectors (40, 41, 140) are configured to detect gamma rays generated by positron-electron annihilation events in a positron emission tomography (PET) examination region (70). The radiation 5 detectors include electron multiplier elements (60, 160) having a direction of electron acceleration (ae) arranged substantially parallel or anti-parallel with the static magnetic field (B0). In some embodiments, the magnet is an open magnet having first and second spaced apart magnet pole pieces (14, 15) disposed on opposite sides of a magnetic 10 resonance examination region, and the radiation detectors include first and second arrays (40, 41) of radiation detectors disposed with the first and second spaced apart magnet pole pieces.
51 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A combined magnetic resonance (MR) and positron emission tomography (PET) data acquisition system comprising:
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a magnetic resonance scanner including a magnet configured to generate a static magnetic field at least in a magnetic resonance examination region, the magnetic resonance scanner being configured to acquire magnetic resonance data from the magnetic resonance examination region; and radiation detectors configured to detect gamma rays generated by positron-electron annihilation events in a positron emission tomography examination region, the radiation detectors including electron multiplier elements having a direction of electron acceleration arranged substantially parallel or anti-parallel with the static magnetic field. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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7. (canceled)
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13. A combined magnetic resonance (MR) and positron emission tomography (PET) data acquisition system comprising:
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an open magnetic resonance scanner having first and second spaced-apart magnet pole pieces disposed on opposite sides of a magnetic resonance examination region and configured to generate a static magnetic field at least in the magnetic resonance examination region having a magnetic field direction directed from the first magnet pole piece to the second magnet pole piece; and first and second arrays of radiation detectors disposed with the first and second spaced-apart magnet pole pieces and configured to detect gamma rays generated by positron-electron annihilation events in a positron emission tomography examination region that at least partially overlaps the magnetic resonance examination region. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 19)
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18. (canceled)
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20. (canceled)
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21. A data acquisition method comprising:
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generating a static magnetic field at least within a magnetic resonance (MR) examination region; acquiring MR data from the MR examination region; and acquiring positron emission tomography (PET) data from a PET examination region at least partially overlapping the MR examination region, the acquiring of PET data including amplifying radiation detection event signals by electron multiplication processes configured such that cross products of velocities of accelerating electrons of the electron multiplication processes and the static magnetic field are substantially nulled.
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22. (canceled)
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23. A positron emission tomography (PET) data acquisition system comprising:
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an array of scintillators surrounding an examination region and configured to generate scintillation events responsive to interaction with gamma rays; a plurality of microchannel photomultipliers optically coupled with the scintillators to detect the scintillation events; and a processor configured to reconstruct projection data or spatially localized projection data derived from the detected scintillation events into a reconstructed positron emission tomographic image. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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25. (canceled)
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26. (canceled)
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27. (canceled)
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28. An imaging method comprising:
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acquiring time-of-flight localized positron emission tomographic projection data from a subject using an array of radiation detectors that incompletely encircle the subject; and reconstructing an image of the subject from the acquired time-of-flight localized positron emission tomographic projection data, wherein information missing due to the incomplete encirclement of the subject by the array of radiation detectors is compensated by additional information provided by the time-of-flight localization. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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30. (canceled)
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31. (canceled)
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32. (canceled)
Specification