# US 2018/0020993 A1 · X-ray ct apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0020993 A1 - Document ID: US20180020993A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/659,194 - Filed: 2017-07-25 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-25 - Assignees: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation - Applicants: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation - Inventors: Shinsuke TSUKAGOSHI; Takahiro GOTO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180020993A1 ## CPC - A61B 6/03: Computed tomography [CT] - A61B 6/488: {involving pre-scan acquisition} - A61B 6/5205: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data} - A61B 6/4035: {the source being combined with a filter or grating} - A61B 6/461: {Displaying means of special interest} - A61B 6/481: {involving the use of contrast agents} - A61B 6/542: {involving control of exposure} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract An X-ray CT apparatus according to an embodiment includes setting circuitry. The setting circuitry is configured to set a third plan for a patient, by integrating together a first plan for the patient and a second plan for the patient. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An X-ray CT apparatus comprising: setting circuitry configured to set a third plan for a patient by integrating together a first plan for the patient and a second plan for the patient. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, by integrating together the first plan for an imaging target site of the patient and the second plan for a region of interest included in the imaging target site, the setting circuitry sets the third plan for the imaging target site of the patient including the region of interest. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the region of interest is a region including a lesion site within a position determining image of the patient. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: reconstructing circuitry configured to reconstruct a first image under a first image reconstruction condition included in the first plan and to reconstruct a second image under a second image reconstruction condition included in the second plan, by using data acquired according to the third plan. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: reconstructing circuitry configured to reconstruct a first image under a first image reconstruction condition included in the first plan and to reconstruct a second image under a second image reconstruction condition included in the second plan, by using data acquired according to the third plan. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the reconstructing circuitry reconstructs the first, image and the second image that nave mutually-different resolutions. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: at detector having a first resolution, wherein from the data acquired according to the third plan and corresponding to the first resolution, the reconstructing circuitry generates the first image and the second image of which one of the two mutually-different resolutions is equal to the first resolution, whereas the other resolution is a second resolution lower than the first resolution. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, from the data acquired according to the third plan, the reconstructing circuitry reconstructs the first image and the second image of which the resolutions are each equal to the first resolution and further performs an image processing process so that the resolution of one of the first and the second images becomes equal to the second resolution. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, the reconstructing circuitry reconstructs an image having the first resolution from the data acquired according to the third plan and reconstructs an image having the second resolution from data obtained by bundling the data acquired according to the third plan so as to have the second resolution. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: a detector having a first resolution; and acquiring circuitry configured to acquire, according to the third plan, a first piece of data corresponding to the first resolution and a second piece of data corresponding to a second resolution lower than the first resolution by bundling data corresponding to the first resolution, wherein the reconstructing circuitry reconstructs an image having the first resolution from the first piece of data and reconstructs an image having the second resolution from the second piece of data. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the setting circuitry sets the third plan by which one selected from between an X-ray tube current or an X-ray tube voltage in the region of interest is modulated in comparison to that in a region other than the region of interest. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the setting circuitry sets the third plan by which a helical pitch in the region of interest is arranged to be at a lower speed than a helical pitch in a region other than the region of interest. ### Claim 13 (depends on 2) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the setting circuitry sets the third plan by obtaining position information of the region of interest on a basis of one selected from between a position determining image and a CT image related to a past medical examination performed on the patient. ### Claim 14 (depends on 5) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when a plurality of regions of interest are present, the setting circuitry sets the third plan including the plurality of regions of interest, on the basis of the first plan and the second plan corresponding to each of the regions of interest, and by using the data acquired according to the set third plan, the reconstructing circuitry reconstructs an image under an image reconstruction condition included in the first plan and an image under an image reconstruction condition included in the second plan corresponding to each of the regions of interest. ### Claim 15 (depends on 5) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when imaging processes are to be performed on the region of interest in a plurality of temporal phases in accordance with elapsed time periods since administration of a contrast agent and an imaging process is to be performed on the imaging target site in a predetermined one of the plurality of temporal phases, the setting circuitry sets the third plan for the imaging process in the predetermined one of the temporal phases, on the basis of the first plan in the predetermined one of the temporal phases and the second plan for the imaging processes in the plurality of temporal phases, and the reconstructing circuitry reconstructs an image under the first image reconstruction condition included in the first plan by using the data acquired according to the third plan set for the predetermined one of the temporal phases and reconstructs an image under the second image reconstruction condition included in the second plan by using pieces of data acquired in the plurality of temporal phases. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the setting circuitry sets the third plan designating an order of priority levels among a time at which the imaging process according to the first plan is started and times at which the imaging processes according to the second plan are started. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 15, wherein a predetermined display displays a slice position of the image of the region of interest in the predetermined one of the temporal phases reconstructed from the data acquired according to the third plan by using the image reconstruction condition included in the second plan, in synchronization with a slice position of the image of the region of interest in the temporal phases other than the predetermined one of the temporal phases reconstructed from data acquired according to the second plan by using the image reconstruction condition included in the second plan. ### Claim 18 An X-ray CT apparatus comprising: obtaining circuitry configured to obtain a first plan for a first image taking area including a first region of interest and a second plan for a second image taking area including a second region of interest; setting circuitry configured, when at least one of the first and the second image taking areas is not equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value, while a distance between the first image taking area and the second image taking area is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold value, to set a third plan for the first image taking area and the second image taking area on a basis of the first plan and the second plan; and reconstructing circuitry configured to reconstruct an image under an image reconstruction condition included in the first plan and an image under an image reconstruction condition included in the second plan, by using data acquired according to the set third plan. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, when both the first image taking area and the second image talking area are each equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold value or when at least one of the first and the second image taking areas is not equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold value, while the distance between the first image taking area and the second image taking area is not equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold value, the setting circuitry sets a data acquiring condition of a main scan performed on the first image taking area and a data acquiring condition of a main scan performed on the second image taking area, on a basis of the first plan and the second plan. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the setting circuitry sets a data acquiring condition by which data is acquired by performing one turn of a volume scan on such an image taking area between the first image taking area and the second image taking area that is equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold value and sets a data acquiring condition by which data is acquired by performing a helical scan on such an image taking area between the first image taking area and the second image taking area that is not equal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold value.