Adjustable detector array for a nuclear medicine imaging system

A medical imaging system, comprising:

• an annular gantry circumscribing a cylindrical aperture, the annular gantry configured to rotate about a central axis tracing a length of the cylindrical aperture;
• a detector array positioned on the annular gantry, the detector array comprising a plurality of larger detector units and a plurality of smaller detector units extending toward the central axis of the cylindrical aperture, each of the plurality of larger detector units comprising a plurality of rows of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) modules and each of the plurality of smaller detector units comprising at least one row of CZT modules, where each smaller detector unit has fewer rows of CZT modules than each larger detector unit, and each of the CZT modules is registered with an exchangeable collimator for receiving incoming radiation from a subject positioned within the cylindrical aperture;
• and
• a processing unit configured with instructions in non-transitory memory that when executed cause the processing unit to:
• responsive to a size of the subject being larger than a threshold size:
• coordinate each of the plurality of larger detector units and the plurality of smaller detector units to move to a first position to receive the incoming radiation from the subject, and
• acquire medical imaging data from each of the plurality of larger detector units and the plurality of smaller detector units based on the incoming radiation;
• and
• responsive to the size of the subject being smaller than the threshold size:
• coordinate the plurality of smaller detector units to move to a second position to receive the incoming radiation from the subject, and
• acquire medical imaging data from the plurality of smaller detector units based on the incoming radiation.

A method, comprising:

• positioning a subject within a cylindrical aperture of an annular gantry, the annular gantry configured with a plurality of imaging detectors, each of the plurality of imaging detectors comprising one of a first detector unit and a second detector unit, each first detector unit and second detector unit comprising an exchangeable collimator positioned adjacent to one or more rows of cadmium telluride zinc (CZT) modules, where each first detector unit comprises three rows of CZT modules, each second detector unit has fewer rows of CZT modules than each first detector unit, and each exchangeable collimator is configured for receiving incoming radiation from an area within the subject for each corresponding CZT module;
• estimating each of an outer perimeter of the subject and a size of the subject;
• extending one or more of the plurality of imaging detectors based on the estimated size;
• translating and pivoting the extended one or more imaging detectors toward the estimated outer perimeter;
• acquiring nuclear medicine (NM) imaging data based on the incoming radiation;
• and
• diagnosing a medical issue afflicting the area within the subject based on the NM imaging data.