Method for localizing a target in an object
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorsJulius S. Cohen, Christine M. Thomas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for localizing a target (e.g., a tumor) in an object (e.g. human tissue) by scanning the object with an X-ray beam. The X-ray beam is translated and simultaneously rotated during the scan, the translatory and rotational movements being connected in such a way that the shadow image of the target is kept on the surface of a detector during the scan. In this way it is possible to measure the translation d of that image during the scan. From the translation in combination with the translation D and the rotation during the scan, the height of the target 2 above the detector surface 10 may be calculated. In this way only one scan is needed.
Claims11
A method for localizing a target in an object, comprising the acts of:
- generating a fan shaped X-ray beam by means of an X-ray source;
- scanning the fan shaped X-ray beam over the object thus projecting on the surface of an X-ray detector a shadow image of the object and of the target in it;
- translating and simultaneously rotating the X-ray beam during the scan of the X-ray beam, the translatory and rotational movements being connected in such a way that the shadow image of the target is kept on the surface of the detector during the scan;
- recording the orientation and the translatory position of the X-ray beam at at least two of its translatory positions during the scan and of the positions of the shadow image of the target on the surface of the detector;
- calculating the position of the target with respect to the surface of the detector from the translation positions of the X-ray beam, its corresponding orientations and the corresponding positions of the shadow image of the target.
A computer readable medium including a computer program comprising a set of instructions for control of an x-ray examination apparatus, said set of instructions including
- an instruction to generate a fan shaped X-ray beam by means of an X-ray source;
- an instruction to scan the fan shaped X-ray beam over the object thus projecting on the surface of an X-ray detector a shadow image of the object and of the target in it;
- an instruction to translate and simultaneously rotate the X-ray beam during the scan of the X-ray beam, the translatory and rotational movements being connected in such a way that the shadow image of the target is kept on the surface of the detector during the scan;
- an instruction to record the orientation and the translatory position of the X-ray beam at at least two of its translatory positions during the scan and of the positions of the shadow image of the target on the surface of the detector;
- and
- an instruction to calculate the position of the target with respect to the surface of the detector from the translation positions of the X-ray beam, its corresponding orientations and the corresponding positions of the shadow image of the target.
A method for localizing a target in an object, comprising the acts of:
- scanning an X-ray beam over the object to project on an X-ray detector a shadow image of the object and of the target;
- and
- translating and simultaneously rotating the X-ray beam during the scanning act, the translatory and rotational movements being connected in such a way that the shadow image of the target is kept on the detector during the scan.
A system for localizing a target in an object, comprising:
- means for scanning an X-ray beam over the object to project on an X-ray detector a shadow image of the object and of the target;
- and
- means for translating and simultaneously rotating the X-ray beam during the scanning act, the translatory and rotational movements being connected in such a way that the shadow image of the target is kept on the detector during the scan.
A machine-readable medium containing one or more software programs which when executed control a system for localizing a target in an object, by implementing the acts of:
- scanning an X-ray beam over the object to project on an X-ray detector a shadow image of the object and of the target;
- and
- translating and simultaneously rotating the X-ray beam during the scanning act, the translatory and rotational movements being connected in such a way that the shadow image of the target is kept on the detector during the scan.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.