Scanning x-ray imaging system with rotating C-arm
AssigneeHologic, Inc.
InventorsJames R. Warne, Alvin Karloff, Edward J. Botz, Michael D. Dabrowski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A multidiagnostic rectilinear scanner for conducting non-invasive diagnostic procedures of bodily tissue. Both transmission and emission studies are performed on a single scanner utilizing software modules for each kind of study. Dual energy x-ray and radioactive sources are used to perform radiographic and absorptiometry transmission measurements. A system and method of identifying regions of interest within tissue being scanned and recording the location of those regions provides an additional diagnostic capability.
Claims6
A method of examining a supine patient's spine in a lateral view with a bone densitometer, comprising:
- using a bone densitometer to scan a supine patient along the spine thereof with an x-ray detector that is at one lateral side of the patient and an x-ray source selectively emitting an x-ray beam from an opposite lateral side of the patent, said source and detector being aligned with each other during the scan, and to thereby generate x-ray measurements defining a lateral image of the supine patient's spine;
- operating a computer coupled with the x-ray detector to receive and process said x-ray measurements into a lateral projection image of the supine patient's spine;
- further operating the computer to identify points of interest in said lateral image;
- and
- still further operating the computer to determine sizes of skeletal features of the supine patient's spine based at least in part on the identified points of interest.
A method of examining a supine patient's spine in a lateral view with a bone densitometer, comprising:
- using a bone densitometer to scan a supine patient along the spine thereof with a linear x-ray detector that is at one lateral side of the patient and is aligned with an x-ray source selectively emitting a fan-shaped x-ray beam from an opposite lateral side of the patent, and to thereby generate x-ray measurements defining a lateral image of the spine;
- operating a computer coupled with the x-ray detector to receive and process said x-ray measurements into a lateral projection image of the spine;
- further operating the computer to identify and record points of interest in said lateral image at least on skeletal features;
- and
- still further operating the computer to determine distances between selected ones of said identified points of interest on skeletal features of the supine patient's spine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.