Variable-speed computed tomography scanning

An apparatus for obtaining a tomogram of an anatomical structure comprising:

• a gantry having a scanning source and a scanning detector, said scanning source and said scanning detector configured such that scanning signals from said scanning source can be detected by said scanning detector during a scan at a scanning frame rate, said scan being capable of being used to produce a tomogram;
• and
• a control system configured to engender said gantry with a desired speed and to alter said desired speed during said scan such that a size of sparses in said scan is reduced as compared to a second size of said sparses in said scan that would have resulted from an otherwise equivalent constant speed scan,
• wherein said speed of said gantry is synchronized with a plurality of intervals indicative of a position of said anatomical structure during a periodic motion signal by said control system such that said speed of said gantry is substantially decreased as said periodic motion signal leaves said plurality of intervals and is substantially increased as said periodic motion signal approaches said plurality of intervals,
• further wherein a scanning frame rate is synchronized by said control system with said plurality of intervals such that said scanning frame rate is increased when said periodic motion signal is inside said plurality of intervals and decreased when said periodic motion signal is outside said plurality of intervals.

A method for obtaining a tomogram of an anatomical structure comprising the steps of:

• scanning said anatomical structure using a scanning source and a scanning detector, said scanning source and said scanning detector being connected to a gantry;
• monitoring a periodic motion signal of said anatomical structure;
• communicating said periodic motion signal to a control system;
• altering a speed of said gantry using said control system during said scanning based on a quantum of information from said periodic motion signal, said quantum of information comprising a plurality of intervals indicative of a position of said anatomical structure, wherein said altering said speed of said gantry comprises synchronizing said speed of said gantry and said a scanning frame rate with said plurality of intervals such that said speed of said gantry is substantially decreased as said periodic motion signal leaves said plurality of intervals and is substantially increased as said periodic motion signal approaches said plurality of intervals,
• reconstructing said tomogram using a set of projections produced during said scanning,
• wherein said altering comprises reducing a set of sparse regions inherent to said scanning as compared to a second set of sparse regions that would have been inherent to said scanning if said scanning had been conducted using an otherwise equivalent constant speed scan,
• wherein said synchronizing comprises adjusting said scanning frame rate such that said scanning frame rate is increased when said periodic motion signal is inside said plurality of intervals and decreased when said periodic motion signal is outside said plurality of intervals.