Gamma Camera and CT System
AssigneeElgems Ltd.
InventorsAdi Balan, Yigal Shrem, Albert Lonn, Benny Hajaj, Naor Wainer, Yaron Hefetz, Gideon Berlad, Leonid Yakubovsky
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A nuclear medicine camera having an X-ray imaging capability. The camera comprises at least one gamma camera mounted on a gantry and an X-ray CT imager mounted on the same gantry. The at least one gamma camera and the X-ray imager are capable of simultaneously rotating about a common axis at different rotation rates.
Claims21
A nuclear medicine camera having an X-ray imaging capability, comprising:
- at least one gamma camera mounted on a gantry;
- and
- an X-ray CT imager mounted on the same gantry,
- wherein the at least one gamma camera and said X-ray imager are capable of simultaneously rotating about a common axis at different rotation rates.
A method of producing a nuclear medicine image of a subject, comprising:
- acquiring nuclear imaging data suitable to produce a nuclear tomographic image of the subject, said nuclear image data being acquired by a gamma camera head rotating about the subject;
- acquiring X-ray imaging data suitable to produce an X-ray tomographic image of the subject for attenuation correction of the gamma camera image, said X-ray imaging data being acquired by detectors irradiated by an X-ray source rotating around the subject for a plurality of rotations;
- averaging X-ray imaging data of a same view taken at different rotations of the X-ray source to produce averaged X-ray imaging data;
- reconstructing an attenuation corrected cardiac gated nuclear medicine image utilizing the nuclear imaging data and averaged ungated X-ray imaging data.
Apparatus for producing attenuation corrected nuclear medicine images of patients, comprising;
- a plurality of gamma camera heads that acquire nuclear image data suitable to produce a nuclear tomographic image at a plurality of positions about an axis;
- at least one X-ray CT imager that acquires X-ray data suitable to produce an attenuation image for correction of the nuclear tomographic image at a plurality of positions about and axis, said X-ray CT imager comprising a stationary anode X-ray tube.
Apparatus for producing a nuclear medicine image of a subject, comprising:
- at least one gamma camera having at least one detector mounted on a gantry and capable of rotating about an axis and of acquiring nuclear imaging data suitable to produce a nuclear tomographic image;
- a C-T X-ray imager including an X-ray source, mounted on said gantry and capable of rotating about the axis and X-ray detectors separate from detectors of the gamma camera, acquiring X-ray imaging data suitable to produce an X-ray tomographic image for attenuation correction of the gamma camera image;
- and
- circuitry capable of reconstructing an attenuation corrected nuclear medicine image utilizing the nuclear imaging data and X-ray imaging data, said C-T X-ray imager having a capability of producing a C-T image having an RMS noise level of only about 10 Hounsfield numbers or more.
Apparatus for producing a nuclear medicine image of a subject, comprising:
- at least one gamma camera having at least one detector mounted on a gantry and capable of rotating about an axis and of acquiring nuclear imaging data suitable to produce a nuclear tomographic image;
- a C-T X-ray imager including an X-ray source, mounted on said gantry and capable of rotating about the axis and X-ray detectors separate from detectors of the gamma camera, acquiring X-ray imaging data suitable to produce an X-ray tomographic image for attenuation correction of the gamma camera image;
- and
- circuitry capable of reconstructing an attenuation corrected nuclear medicine image utilizing the nuclear imaging data and X-ray imaging data, said C-T X-ray imager having a capability of producing a C-T image having a resolution of only about 4 lp/cm or less.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.