Coregistration of multi-modality data in a medical imaging system

In a nuclear medicine imaging system having a detector for receiving radiation and outputting image information, a radiation source for transmitting radiation through an object to a scintillation detector, and a computer system;

• a computer-implemented method of coregistering medical image data of a plurality of modalities, the method comprising the steps of:
• controlling the scintillation detector and the radiation source to simultaneously perform an emission scan of the object to acquire a set of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) image data and a transmission scan of the object to acquire a set of nuclear medicine transmission image data;
• coregistering the SPECT data and the nuclear medicine transmission image data;
• inputting into the computer system a third set of image data, wherein the third set of image data is of a modality other than SPECT or nuclear medicine transmission imaging;
• and
• coregistering the set of nuclear medicine transmission image data with the third set of image data to cause the third set of image data to be coregistered with the SPECT image data.

An apparatus for coregistering medical image data of different modalities, comprising:

• means for performing an emission scan of an object using a nuclear medicine imaging system to acquire single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) image data;
• means for performing a transmission scan of the object using the nuclear medicine imaging system to acquire nuclear medicine transmission image data that is coregistered with the SPECT image data;
• means for providing image data of a third modality other than SPECT or nuclear medicine transmission imaging;
• and
• means for coregistering the nuclear medicine transmission image data with the image data of the third modality, such that the image data of the third modality becomes coregistered with the SPECT image data.

A nuclear medicine imaging system, comprising:

• a detector for receiving radiation and outputting image information;
• a radiation source for transmitting radiation through an object to the detector;
• and
• a computer system coupled to the detector and the radiation source, the computer system including a processor configured to:
• control the detector and the radiation source to simultaneously perform an emission scan of the object to acquire a set of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) data and a transmission scan of the object to acquire a set of nuclear medicine transmission data;
• coregister the SPECT data and the nuclear medicine transmission data;
• input into the computer system a third set of image data of a modality other than SPECT or nuclear medicine transmission imaging;
• and
• coregister the set of nuclear medicine transmission data with the third set of image data to cause the third set of image data to be coregistered with the SPECT data.