Multiaxial x-ray apparatus

Apparatus for enabling making angiographic images of anatomy at a multiplicity of angular aspects with selected amounts of magnification using an x-ray source coacting alternatively with a radiographic film changer and an x-ray image intensifier without requiring that the anatomy of interest be moved relative to an isocenter at which the anatomy is located, comprising:

• an L-arm including a vertical section and a horizontal section extending from one of the ends of the vertical section, the horizontal section being supported for rotating about a vertical axis,
• a U-arm including a base section mounted on the end of the vertical L-arm section for rotation about a horizontal axis that intersects the vertical axis of the L-arm at a point defined as the isocenter, and a leg section extending from each of the opposite ends of the base section generally parallel to each other and to the rotational axis of the base section,
• an x-ray source carriage mounted at the end of one of the U-arm leg sections for moving radially inwardly and outwardly and generally perpendicular relative to the rotational axis of the U-arm and an x-ray source mounted to the carriage and operable to project an x-ray beam along an axis extending through said isocenter,
• an x-ray image intensifier carriage and a film changer carriage and means for mounting said carriages for moving at the end of the other of said U-arm legs radially inwardly and outwardly and perpendicularly relative to said horizontal axis,
• an x-ray image intensifier mounted to said intensifier carriage for said intensifier to be movable toward and away from said isocenter and in alignment with said source,
• support means mounted to said film changer carriage and a film changer mounted on said support means for moving parallel to said horizontal axis between an inactive position out of alignment with the x-ray beam axis and an active position where it is aligned with the x-ray beam axis and said changer being movable radially with said carriage toward and away from said isocenter and source,
• a plurality of counterweight means each of which is located in said U-arm and is movable independently of the others relative to the horizontal axis of said U-arm, and
• means operatively coupling said counterweight means respectively to said image intensifier carriage, said film changer carriage and said x-ray source carriage to effect movements of said counterweights in coordination with movements of said intensifier, film changer or source, respectively, to thereby maintain the balance of said U-arm for any angulation of the U-arm.