Hand held camera with tomographic capability

• US 6,628,984 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2001
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Compania Mexicana de Radiologia CGR SA de CV
• Original Assignee: P.R.E.D Technologies Ltd
• Inventors: Weinberg, Irving N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pass, Barry
• Application Number:
  US09/833,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20010056234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 600/436, 600/407, 600/425, 600/429, 250/363.1, 250/363.02, 250/370.09, 378/4, 378/21
• US Class Current: 600/436
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4258 for detecting non x-ray radiation, e.g. gamma radiation A61B6/037 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/2985 In depth localisation, e.g. using positron emitters; Tomographic imaging (longitudinal and transverse section imaging; apparatus for radiation diagnosis sequentially in different planes, steroscopic radiation diagnosis); using external radiation sources A61B6/02

Abstract

A tomographic imaging system includes a moveable detector or detectors capable of detecting gamma radiation; one or more position sensors for determining the position and angulation of the detector(s) in relation to a gamma ray emitting source; and a computational device for integrating the position and angulation of the detector(s) with information as to the energy and distribution of gamma rays detected by the detector and deriving a three dimensional representation of the source based on the integration. A method of imaging a radiation emitting lesion located in a volume of interest also is disclosed.

Claims

1. A tomographic imaging system comprising:

a moveable detector that is capable of detecting gamma radiation from a gamma ray emitting source;

a first position sensor for determining a position and an angulation of the detector in relation to the gamma ray emitting source and a volume of interest, the volume of interest being modifiable by a user; and

a computational device for integrating the position and angulation of the detector with information as to an energy and a spatial distribution of gamma rays detected by the detector and deriving a three dimensional representation of the gamma ray emitting source based on the integration.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a graphical user interface for displaying the three dimensional representation.

3. The system of claim 2 further comprising a needle with a second position sensor affixed thereto, the second position sensor capable of generating a virtual needle tip that can be displayed on the graphic user interface.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the detector is a gamma camera.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the detector includes shielding material.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the shielding material is interrupted by a pinhole, to form a pinhole collimator.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the shielding material is interrupted by a set of pinholes, to form a coded-aperture collimator.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the shielding material is interrupted by a set of pinholes configured to form a parallel hole collimator.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the shielding material is interrupted by a set of pinholes configured to form a converging hole collimator.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the shielding material is interrupted by a set of pinholes configured to form a diverging hole collimator.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the shielding material is interrupted by a set of pinholes configured to form a slant hole collimator.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second detector that is capable of detecting gamma radiation, and a second position sensor that is configured to determine a position and an angulation of the second detector in relation to the volume of interest.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computational device is further configured to integrate information as to an energy and a spatial distribution of gamma rays detected by the second detector with the position and angulation of the second detector.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising a data acquisition apparatus for determining whether the detectors are struck by the gamma rays coincidently.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein one or more of the detectors is configured to be disposed in a body cavity.

16. The system of claim 12 further comprising a needle inserted through an aperture in one of the detectors, the needle providing a virtual needle tip that can be displayed on a graphic user interface.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the detector is a Compton camera.

18. A tomographic imaging system comprising:

a moveable detector that is capable of detecting radiation from a radiation emitting source;

a position sensor for determining a position and an angulation of the detector in relation to the radiation emitting source and a volume of interest, the volume of interest being modifiable by a user; and

a computational device for integrating the position and angulation of the detector with information as to an energy and a spatial distribution of radiation detected by the detector and deriving a three dimensional representation of the radiation emitting source based on the integration.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising a graphical user interface for displaying the three dimensional representation.

20. The system of claim 18 further comprising multiple radiation detectors.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the position sensor is configured to determine a position and an angulation of one or more of the detectors in relation to the volume of interest.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the computational device is further configured to integrate the position and angulation of one or more of the detectors with information as to the radiation emitting source and a spatial distribution of radiation detected by the respective one or more of the detectors and to derive a three dimensional representation of the radiation emitting source based on the integration.

23. The system of claim 20, further comprising multiple position sensors configured to determine a position and an angulation of each of the multiple radiation detectors in relation to the volume of interest.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein at least one of the multiple position sensors is rigidly affixed to a body of at least one of the multiple radiation detectors.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the detector is sensitive to gamma radiation.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the detector is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein the detector is sensitive to particulate radiation.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein the detector is a handheld gamma camera.

29. The system of claim 18, wherein the detector is a Compton camera.

30. A tomographic imaging system comprising:

a moveable means for detecting radiation from a radiation emitting source;

a means for determining a position and an angulation of at least one component of the detector means in relation to the radiation emitting source and a volume of interest, the volume of interest being modifiable by a user; and

a means for integrating the position and angulation of the at least one component of the detector means with information as to an energy and a spatial distribution of radiation detected by the detector means and deriving a three dimensional representation of the radiation emitting source based on the integration.

31. The system of claim 30 further comprising a means for displaying the three dimensional representation as an image or set of images.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein the detector means is sensitive to gamma radiation.

33. The system of claim 30 wherein the detector means is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation.

34. The system of claim 30 wherein the detector means is sensitive to particulate radiation.

35. A tomographic imaging system comprising:

a moveable detector that is capable of detecting gamma radiation from a gamma ray emitting source, a spatial distribution of the source being not completely known by a user;

a first position sensor for determining a position and an angulation of the detector in relation to a frame of reference known to selectable by the user; and

a computational device for integrating the position and angulation of the detector with information as to an energy and a spatial distribution of gamma rays detected by the detector and deriving a three dimensional representation of the gamma ray emitting source with respect to the known frame of reference based on the integration.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the system is configured to use the determined position and angulation of the detector to estimate the spatial distribution of the gamma ray emitting source with respect to the known frame of reference, and wherein the computational device is configured to use the estimate.

37. The system of claim 36, the computational device being configured to derive the three dimensional representation of the gamma ray emitting source via an iterative reconstruction, wherein the iterative reconstruction includes comparing the estimate of the spatial distribution of the source to the spatial distribution of the gamma rays detected by the detector and modifying the estimate based on the comparison.