Nuclear medicine system for imaging radiation
First Claim
1. A nuclear medicine device for forming a nuclear radiation image at a location inside an animal body and for transmitting a representation of said image to a location outside the body comprising:
- a front end comprising means for forming, at a location inside an animal body, a two-dimensional image of a selected nuclear radiation pattern; and
a middle part comprising means interfacing with the front end to receive therefrom a two-dimensional representation of the nuclear radiation pattern image formed therein and adapted to extend to a location outside the body to transmit the received two-dimensional representation thereto.
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Abstract
Disclosed is a system for forming a two-dimensional nuclear radiation image at a location inside an animal body and for transmitting a representation of the two-dimensional image to a location outside the body. In examining an animal body in accordance with the invention, a selected portion of the body is caused to form a nuclear radiation pattern, as by the ingestion or injection of a substance which gives out gamma radiation or by irradiation from an external source. The front end of an invented device is introduced into the body, as by way of a body cavity, to form a two-dimensional image of this nuclear radiation pattern. The middle part of the invented device transmits a representation of this two-dimensional image to the back end of the device, which is at a location outside the animal body which is being examined, where this representation forms an image of the selected animal body portion that can be viewed, recorded or otherwise utilized. The invented technique is used on a number of different devices, suitable for forming images under different conditions.
85 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A nuclear medicine device for forming a nuclear radiation image at a location inside an animal body and for transmitting a representation of said image to a location outside the body comprising:
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a front end comprising means for forming, at a location inside an animal body, a two-dimensional image of a selected nuclear radiation pattern; and a middle part comprising means interfacing with the front end to receive therefrom a two-dimensional representation of the nuclear radiation pattern image formed therein and adapted to extend to a location outside the body to transmit the received two-dimensional representation thereto. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A nuclear medicine device for forming nuclear radiation images at locations inside an animal body and for transmitting representations of said images to locations outside the body, comprising:
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a front end comprising first means for forming, at a location inside the body, a first two-dimensional image of a selected nuclear radiation pattern and a second means for forming, at a location inside the body, a second two-dimensional image of a selected nuclear radiation pattern; and a first middle part and a second middle part having means for interfacing respectively with the first means for forming an image and the second means for forming an image to receive the respective formed images and adapted to extend to respective locations outside the body to transmit the received images thereto. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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10. An apparatus for forming an external image of areas of interest defined by tissue-penetrating ionizing radiation inside an animal body, said apparatus comprising in combination:
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a. detector means for forming a substantially continuous two-dimensional potential image by the detection of said radiation, said detector means formed and sized to be introducible into said animal body; means for introducing the detector means into said animal body; c. means for attenuation of said radiation prior to the detection thereof by the detecting means to reduce the radiation incident on the detecting means except from selected directions; d. means for passage of the information content of a selected two-dimensional representation of said potential image to a location outside said animal body; and e. means for changing said information content of the selected two-dimensional representation of the potential image into an interpretable form. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A nuclear medicine method of examining a selected portion of an animal body comprising the steps of:
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causing said selected portion of the body to form a nuclear radiation pattern; introducing into the animal body a device for detecting nuclear radiation and forming by said device, at a location inside the body, a two-dimensional image of said nuclear radiation pattern; and transmitting a two-dimensional representation of said image formed of the two-dimensional nuclear radiation pattern to a location outside the body. - View Dependent Claims (19)
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20. A nuclear medicine method of examining a selected portion of an animal body comprising the steps of:
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causing said selected portion of the body to form a nuclear radiation pattern; introducing into the body a device for detecting nuclear radiation and forming by said device, at a location inside the body, a first two-dimensional image of the nuclear radiation pattern and a second two-dimensional image of the nuclear radiation pattern, said first image and said second image being at individually selected viewing angles with respect to the imaged nuclear radiation pattern; and transmitting a two-dimensional representation of each of said images formed of said two-dimensional nuclear radiation patterns to selected locations outside the body.
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21. The method of externally completing the formation of an image of areas of interest located inside a structure comprising an animal body comprising the following steps:
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a. defining areas of interest using tissue-penetrating ionizing radiation in said animal body; b. introducing into said animal body a detector of said radiation; c. attenuating said radiation prior to detection by use of an attenuator of said radiation to reduce incident radiation except from selected directions; d. detecting said radiation so as to form a substantially continuous two-dimensional potential image in said detector;
38e. passing the information content of a selected two-dimensional representation of said potential image outside said animal body; and f. changing said information content into an interpretable two-dimensional image.
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Specification