System and method for subject shape estimation

An adaptive imaging system comprising:

• a gantry;
• a plurality of nuclear medicine imaging detectors installed in the gantry, at least one of the plurality of nuclear medicine imaging detectors movable relative to the gantry to position the at least one of the nuclear medicine imaging detectors with respect to a subject;
• at least one first detector configured for use with a first imaging technique that is different from a second imaging technique that employs the plurality of nuclear medicine imaging detectors, wherein the first imaging technique does not use computed tomography (CT);
• a controller for controlling the independent position of at least one of the plurality of nuclear medicine imaging detectors, wherein the controller:
• automatically determines, with the first imaging technique, at multiple separate time instances, without use of a reconstructed image, exterior shape estimation including an outermost shape of the subject;
• creates a summary shape estimation by combining the outermost shape of the exterior shape estimation of at least two time instances;
• alters a physical location of at least some of the nuclear medicine imaging detectors based on the summary shape estimation;
• and
• acquires, with the second imaging technique, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) image information from the at least some of the nuclear medicine imaging detectors.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

• automatically determine, with a first imaging technique, at multiple separate time instances, without use of a reconstructed image, exterior shape estimation including an outermost shape of a subject of a medical imaging system that includes a gantry;
• create a summary shape estimation by combining the outermost shape of the exterior shape estimation of at least two time instances;
• alter a physical location of a plurality of nuclear medicine imaging detectors attached to the gantry based on the summary shape estimation;
• and
• acquire, with a second imaging technique, Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) image information from the plurality of nuclear medicine imaging detectors, wherein the first imaging technique and the second imaging technique are different, wherein the first imaging technique employs at least one first detector that is different from the plurality of nuclear medicine imaging detectors, and wherein the first imaging technique does not use computed tomography (CT).