Method for operating a hybrid medical imaging unit comprising a first imaging device of high spatial resolution and a second nuclear medicine imaging device of high sensitivity

A hybrid medical imaging unit, comprising:

• a first imaging device of relatively high spatial resolution;
• and
• a second nuclear medicine imaging device of relatively high sensitivity, each of the first imaging device and second nuclear medicine imaging device respectively being adapted to acquire imaging measurement signals from a common examination volume, the first imaging device being adapted to use, during a current measurement signal acquisition of the second nuclear medicine imaging device, the continuously acquired measurement signals to determine a region in an examination volume in which a region referred measurement signal acquisition is subsequently performed via the first imaging device, using a region referred measurement protocol.

A hybrid medical imaging unit, comprising:

• a nuclear medicine imaging device;
• and
• means for using, during a current measurement signal acquisition of the nuclear medicine imaging device, continuously acquired measurement signals to determine a region in a common examination volume, the means for using and the nuclear medicine imaging device both being useable to acquire imaging measurement signals from the common examination volume, in which a region referred measurement signal acquisition is subsequently performed via the means for using, using a region referred measurement protocol.

A method for operating a hybrid imaging unit including a first imaging device of relatively high spatial resolution and a second imaging device of relatively high sensitivity, the method comprising:

• determining a region in an examination volume common to the first and second imaging devices, from continuously acquired measurement signals of the second imaging device, where the first imaging device is to perform a region referred measurement signal acquisition using a region referred measurement protocol.