Sopha Medical

Sopha Medical Vision International

Societe Nouvelle Informatek

Christian Pare

Christophe J Fleury

Francois De La Barre

Michel Pierfitte

Michel Bourguignon

Jean Treillet

Guy Bonnet

A gamma camera is made with two rings, each ring bearing a detector. A flap of a support of the detector can be unfolded or folded against a front face of the machine. In the folded position, the machine can be used to carry out tomography scans or standard whole-body examinations. In the unfolded position, the flap enables the performance of whole-body examinations on a bed-ridden patient who remains in his hospital bed.

Gamma camera usable in two positions of a patient

To acquire both a scatter image and an emission image in nuclear medicine, it is chosen to detect the emission image by validating the radioactive events that occur in the nominal range of the radioactive marker chosen. For the scatter image, lower energy ranges are chosen, these ranges corresponding to the production of at least secondary or tertiary Compton photons. It is shown that it is possible, in this way, to reconstruct an artifact-free transmission image. This scatter image is used to correct the initially acquired emission image. It is shown that it is possible to acquire both images at the same time.

Method for the acquisition, in nuclear medicine, of a scatter image

Height-adjustable bed

System for installing a collimator in a gamma camera

In order to change from antero-posterior examination to lateral examination with an osteodensimeter, the yoke carrying the X-ray tube and the radiation detector of this apparatus is moved laterally. Changeover of the entire assembly is enabled when this lateral translation comes into abutment. When changeover is complete, the return transverse translation is performed. Prior to performing lateral examination, the bed on which the patient to be examined is lying is itself raised. It is shown that this dynamic configuration makes it possible to keep the position of the X-ray tube relative to the detector fixed and as adjusted by construction.

Method of changing between antero-posterior examination and lateral

Gamma camera equipment of the invention has two detector heads capable of being associated for whole body type examination in which the two detector heads co-operate, or else of being separated for tomographic type examination, where only one of the heads is in use nevertheless continuing to be powered. In order to reinforce the mechanical cohesion of the assembly, the lower detector head is displaceable on rails which are fixed to the stand on which the upper head is mounted so that the stand constitutes a counterweight for the lower head, with struts being provided at the end of the rails only. The invention is particularly suitable for making compact multi-analysis equipment suitable for installation on any type of floor.

Gamma camera equipment having two detector heads

A gamma camera of the invention fitted with a pin-hole cone for acquiring photographic type images, i.e. having a tungsten end fitting disposed at the small end of a truncated cone and provided with a pin-hole therethrough, is suitable for forming a point image of an object to be observed on the basis of gamma radiation emitted therefrom, transmitted through the pin-hole and magnified on reaching the inlet to the scintillator. The truncated cone is modular in structure: the pin-hole cone is mainly constituted by a base, a first truncated cone of suitable thickness for stopping low energy gamma radiation, and a second truncated cone superposable at will on the first so that the assembled cones are of sufficient thickness to stop high energy gamma radiation.

Gamma camera fitted with a pin-hole cone for photographic type acquistion

A scintographic installation includes a patient-supporting table (10) and a stand (11) whose support column (19) is moveable along an axis OX. The invention lies in the fact that the table (10) is mounted on a rail (15) which is capable of taking up different angular positions about an axis parallel to the axis OZ. In a first position the rail (15) is parallel to OY and the stand (11) is in a position suitable for performing tomographic examination. In a second position, the rail (15) is parallel to the axis OX and the stand (11) is a position suitable for examining the entire body by displacement of the column (19), i.e. without displacing the bed (12).

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Plaisir, France

Christian Pare