Gamma camera and CT system

• US 7,087,903 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2005
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ELGEMS Ltd
• Original Assignee: ELGEMS Ltd
• Inventors: Hefetz, Yaron, Wainer, Naor, Yakubovsky, Leonid, Berlad, Gideon, Balan, Adi, Hajaj, Benny, Lonn, Albert, Shrem, Yigal
• Primary Examiner(s): Gabor, Otilia
• Application Number:
  US11/044,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20050127301A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 250/363.02
• US Class Current: 250/363.02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4429 related to the mounting of source units and detector units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5235 combining images from the same or different ionising radiation imaging techniques, e.g. PET and CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/584 determining position of components of the apparatus or device using images of the phantom
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/1615 using both transmission and emission sources simultaneously SPECT imaging G01T1/1642; PET imaging G01T1/2985; detecting prohibited goods, e.g. weapons, explosives, hazardous substances, contraband or smuggled objects G01V5/20

Abstract

A nuclear medicine camera having an X-ray imaging capability, comprising:

• • a gantry having a stationary portion and at least one rotating portion;
  • at least one gamma camera mounted on a said at least one rotating portion and capable of being rotated together at a common first rotation rate about an axis, said at least one gamma camera being capable of acquiring nuclear imaging data for reconstructing a tomographic nuclear image; and
  • an X-ray CT imager having an X-ray source mounted on said at least one rotating portion and being capable of acquiring X-ray imaging data for reconstructing an X-ray image;
  • said X-ray CT imager being mounted closer to said stationary portion than said at least one gamma camera.

Claims

1. A nuclear medicine camera having an X-ray imaging capability, comprising:

a gantry having a stationary portion and at least one rotating portion;

at least one gamma camera mounted on a said at least one rotating portion and capable of being rotated together at a common first rotation rare about an axis, said at least one gamma camera being capable of acquiring nuclear imaging data for reconstructing a tomographic nuclear image; and

an X-ray CT imager having an X-ray source mounted on said at least one rotating portion and being capable of acquiring X-ray imaging data for reconstructing an X-ray image;

said X-ray CT imager being mounted closer to said stationary portion than said at least one gamma camera.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the X-ray CT imager is mourned between the at least one gamma camera and stationary portion.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the at least one gamma camera comprises two gamma cameras.

4. A system according to claim 3 wherein the two gamma cameras have a controllable angle between them and including a controller that controls the angle between the gamma cameras.

5. A system according to claim 2 wherein the at least one gamma camera comprises two gamma cameras.

6. A system according to claim 5 wherein the two gamma cameras have a controllable angle between them and including a controller that controls the angle between the gamma cameras.

7. A system according to claim 1 wherein the X-ray imager utilizes a fixed anode X-ray to produce X-rays.

8. A system according to claim 1 wherein the X-ray source is capable of simultaneously rotating about the axis at a rotation rate different from that of the rotation rate of the gamma camera.

9. A system according to claim 7 wherein the X-ray source is capable of simultaneously rotating about the axis at a rotation rate different from that of the rotation rate of the gamma camera.