NUCLEAR MEDICINE SPECT-CT MACHINE WITH INTEGRATED ASYMMETRIC FLAT PANEL CONE-BEAM CT AND SPECT SYSTEM
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A hybrid patient imaging system, including:
- at least two nuclear detector heads mounted on a rotatable gantry;
an X-ray source mounted on the gantry;
an X-ray detector on the gantry opposite the X-ray source and offset relative to the X-ray source;
wherein a field of view (FOV) of the X-ray source and a FOV of the nuclear detector heads overlap each other.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
When performing nuclear (e.g., SPECT or PET) and CT scans on a patient, a volume cone-beam CT scan is performed using a cone-beam CT X-ray source (20) and an offset flat panel X-ray detector (22). A field of view of the X-ray source overlaps a field of view of two nuclear detector heads (18), and the offset of the X-ray detector (22) minimizes interference with nuclear detector head movement about a rotatable gantry (16). Additionally, a locking mechanism (80) provides automatically locking of the X-ray detector (22) in each of a stowed and operation position, improving safety and CT image quality.
25 Citations
29 Claims
-
1. A hybrid patient imaging system, including:
-
at least two nuclear detector heads mounted on a rotatable gantry; an X-ray source mounted on the gantry; an X-ray detector on the gantry opposite the X-ray source and offset relative to the X-ray source; wherein a field of view (FOV) of the X-ray source and a FOV of the nuclear detector heads overlap each other. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
-
-
16. A hybrid subject imaging system, including:
-
an automatic-locking extender arm, hingeably coupled by a hinge pin to a mount on a rotatable gantry and including an extendible slider plate that is coupled to a flat-panel X-ray detector; a cone-beam X-ray source coupled to the gantry opposite the X-ray detector, the X-ray source being movable in a longitudinal direction along a volume of interest (VOI), parallel to a longitudinal axis through the gantry; two nuclear detectors coupled to the gantry and having a field of view (FOV) that overlaps with a FOV of the X-ray source; wherein the extender arm rotates about the hinge pin approximately 90°
between a stowed position flush against the mount and an operational position in which an X-ray receiving surface of the X-ray detector is slightly offset from, and faces, the X-ray source. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
-
-
22. A method of locking a flat panel X-ray detector in each of a stowed position and an operational position, including:
-
extending a slider plate outward to a first position from an extender arm that is coupled to a mount on a gantry, wherein a first motion translator translates linear motion from a slider coupled to the slider plate into rotational motion that is applied to a locking pin screw to back a locking pin out of a first receiving bore and unlock the detector from a stowed position; rotating the extender arm approximately 90°
from the stowed position to the operational position; andextending the slider plate to a second position wherein a second motion translator translates linear motion from a slider coupled to the slider plate into rotational motion that is applied to a locking pin screw to translate the locking pin into a second receiving bore and lock the detector in an operational position; wherein the slider plate is coupled to the X-ray detector, which is oriented toward an X-ray source when in the operational position. - View Dependent Claims (23)
-
-
24. A method of hybrid imaging, comprising:
-
rotating at least two nuclear detector heads, an X-ray source, and an X-ray detector around a patient pallet such that a field of view of the X-ray source and detector is coincident with a field of view of the nuclear detector heads; and during CT imaging, collecting truncated portions of a volume of interest (VOI) of a patient in such a manner that views from opposite halves of the VOI are collected in 180°
opposite rotational orientations of a rotating gantry. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
-
-
27. A hybrid subject imaging system, including:
-
a locking extender arm, rotatably coupled by a first pivot point to a flat-panel X-ray detector and rotatably coupled by a second pivot point to a rotatable gantry; a cone-beam X-ray source coupled to the gantry opposite the X-ray detector, the X-ray source being movable in a longitudinal direction along a volume of interest (VOI), parallel to a longitudinal axis through the gantry; one or more nuclear detectors coupled to the gantry and having a field of view (FOV) that overlaps with a FOV of the X-ray source; wherein the extender arm rotates about the second pivot point approximately 90°
between a stowed position flush against the gantry, and the flat-panel X-ray detector rotates about the second pivot point approximately 180°
, to an operational position in which an X-ray receiving surface of the X-ray detector is slightly offset from, and faces, the X-ray source. - View Dependent Claims (28)
-
-
29. A method of stowing a flat panel X-ray detector in a gantry when not in use, including:
-
rotating the flat panel X-ray detector about a first pivot point between the flat panel X-ray detector and an extender arm that couples the flat panel X-ray detector to the gantry, from an operational position opposite an X-ray source coupled to the gantry, until a radiation receiving surface of the flat-panel X-ray detector is facing the extender arm; and rotating the extender arm about a second pivot point between the extender arm and the gantry until the extender arm and the flat panel X-ray detector are positioned in a receiving cavity in the surface of the gantry, such that the flat panel X-ray detector is stowed out of a field of view of one or more nuclear detectors mounted to the gantry.
-
Specification