Gamma camera with capability of modifying study during exam

• US 6,713,766 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2001
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Garrard, Jody L., Hines, Horace, Coles, David E., Hallett, Jeffrey A., Bertelsen, Hugo
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sung, Christine
• Application Number:
  US09/895,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20030001097A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: 250/363.02, 250/363.01, 250/361.R, 250/458.1
• US Class Current: 250/363.02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/1642 using a scintillation crystal and position sensing photodetector arrays, e.g. ANGER cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/1647 Processing of scintigraphic data not related to a particular imaging system G01T1/2992

Abstract

A gamma camera is provided in which the study protocol can be modified after the study has commenced and while event data is being acquired. In such a camera, study parameters such as the duration of the study, the number of image frames acquired, or the count criterion required to produce an image may be changed dynamically as the study proceeds. Thus, a nuclear study which is seen to be leading to unsatisfactory or less than optimal results may be altered during acquisition to increase the likelihood that diagnostically useful results will be produced.

Claims

1. A gamma camera comprising:

a detector which acts to acquire scintillation event data;

an event data processor coupled to the detector which is responsive to the event data to produce image information;

a camera system controller, responsive to study parameters, which acts to control the camera to perform a desired nuclear study; and

a user input, coupled to the controller, which enables user selection of a study parameter,

wherein the user input is operable during the conduct of a study to enable the user to modify the study parameter.

2. The gamma camera of claim 1, wherein the user input is operable while the detector is acquiring scintillation event data to modify the conduct of the study.

3. The gamma camera of claim 1, further comprising a gantry, coupled to the detector, which acts to move the detector from an initial position to a final position during the conduct of a study.

4. The gamma camera of claim 1, wherein the study parameter which is modified is the time of event data acquisition.

5. The gamma camera of claim 1, wherein the study parameter which is modified is the number of frames acquired during the study.

6. The gamma camera of claim 1, wherein the study parameter which is modified is the count criterion for data acceptance.

7. The gamma camera of claim 1, wherein the camera system controller acts to control the camera to perform the desired nuclear study in a series of stages;

and

wherein the user input enables the user to modify a study parameter of a stage which has not yet been executed during the conduct of the study.

8. The gamma camera of claim 7, wherein the camera system controller is responsive to the modification of a study parameter during the conduct of the study to ascertain whether the modified parameter can be prospectively utilized.

9. A method of operating a gamma camera to conduct a nuclear study comprising:

preconditioning the camera with parameters which govern the conduct of the study by the camera;

commanding the camera to begin the study in accordance with the parameters; and

prior to the conclusion of the study, commanding the camera to complete the study in accordance with a modified parameter.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the parameters include at least one of the time duration of the study, the number of frames acquired during the study, and the count criterion for data acceptance,

wherein at least one parameter is modified prior to completion of the study.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

verifying that a modified parameter can be prospectively utilized during the completion of the study.