General Electric Company

Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

Christopher David Unger

Kenneth Scott Kump

David Michael Hoffman

Mark Alan Frontera

Jonathan David Short

Vivek Bhatt

Francois S Nicolas

Gopal Biligeri Avinash

Peter Michael Edic

Samit Kumar Basu

Bruno Kristiaan Bernard De Man

John Eric Tkaczyk

James Wilson Rose

Mark Ernest Vermilyea

Jeffrey Wayne Eberhard

Sergio Lemaitre

Carey Shawn Rogers

Brian David Yanoff

Scott William Petrick

Robert F Senzig

Abdelaziz Ikhlef

Darren Lee Hallman

Naresh Kesavan Rao

James Walter LeBlanc

Jeffrey Alan Kautzer

Walter John Smith

Yun Zou

Stephen Wayne Metz

William Robert Ross

Erik Kemper

Scott Stephen Zelakiewicz

Vianney Pierre Battle

Matthew Joseph Walker

Adam Gregory Pautsch

Carson Hale Thomas

James Edward Simpson

Jianguo Zhao

Nirmal Mukund Kari

Frank Willard Childress

Methods and systems are provided for detecting patient motion during a diagnostic scan. In one example, a method for a medical imaging system includes obtaining output from one or more patient monitoring devices configured to monitor a patient before and during a diagnostic scan executed with the medical imaging system, receiving a request to initiate the diagnostic scan, tracking patient motion based on the output from the one or more patient monitoring devices, and initiating the diagnostic scan responsive to patient motion being below a threshold level.

Systems and methods for detecting patient state in a medical imaging session

Improved imaging systems are disclosed. More particularly, the present disclosure provides for an improved image sensor assembly for an imaging system, the image sensor assembly having an integrated photodetector array and its associated data acquisition electronics fabricated on the same substrate. By integrating the electronics on the same substrate as the photodetector array, this thereby reduces fabrications costs, and reduces interconnect complexity. Since both the photodiode contacts and the associated electronics are on the same substrate/plane, this thereby substantially eliminates certain expensive/time-consuming processing techniques. Moreover, the co-location of the electronics next to or proximal to the photodetector array provides for a much finer resolution detector assembly since the interconnect bottleneck between the electronics and the photodetector array is substantially eliminated/reduced. The co-location of the electronics next to or proximal to the photodetector array also enables/facilitates programmable pixel configuration for optimal image quality.

Integrated diode DAS detector

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which a portable imaging device is operable to communicate to other devices through both a wired communication path and a wireless communication path.

Systems, methods and apparatus for auxiliary ethernet port for wireless portable X-ray detector

A method for operating an electron beam system is presented. Further, an electron beam system, an X-ray tube and a CT system that implement the presented method are also described. The method includes generating an electron beam in an X-ray tube in an imaging system. Additionally, a current configuration corresponding to a particular view of the imaging system is identified. If the identified current configuration is within a determined range, a duty cycle of the electron beam for the particular view of the imaging system is modulated using pulse width modulation. Further, the modulated electron beam is focused towards a target.

Method and system for operating an electron beam system

An anode assembly includes a rotatable hub having a rotation axis and having a cooling passage formed therethrough and a ferrofluid seal attached to the rotatable hub, the ferrofluid seal fluidically separating a first volume containing the target from a second volume. A target is attached to the rotatable hub, the target having a rotation axis coincident with the rotation axis of the rotatable hub and having a chamber formed therein fluidically coupled to the cooling passage, the target having a focal track material attached to an outer face of the target.

Convectively cooled x-ray tube target and method of making same

A method and apparatus for using a flat panel detector to determine bone mineral density are provided. The apparatus includes a dual energy X-ray emitter, a flat panel detector for receiving X-rays sent from the X-ray emitter, and may optionally include an image corrector, adapted to emit corrected image information. The apparatus also includes a basis material decomposer that includes a calibration database, the decomposer being adapted to create a bone image and a soft tissue image. The apparatus further includes a bone mineral density calculator that is adapted to compute bone mineral density from the first image, and a display for displaying at least the computed bone mineral density. A method for using a flat panel detector to detect multiple disease states is also provided. The method includes emitting X-rays from a dual energy X-ray source through an area of a patient's body sought to be imaged and receiving X-rays with a flat panel detector. The method also includes generating multiple images, using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, to detect for a first disease state and a second disease state and analyzing the images for the first and second disease states. The first disease state includes lung cancer, breast cancer, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tuberculosis, bone fracture or an abnormally sized or shaped organ and the second disease state comprises osteoporosis.

Method and apparatus to determine bone mineral density utilizing a flat panel detector

Various configurations for scatter reduction and control are provided for CT imaging. These configurations include an imaging system having a stationary detector extending generally around a portion of an imaging volume and a distributed X-ray source placed proximal to the stationary detector for radiating an X-ray beam toward the stationary detector. A scatter control system is further provided that is configured to adaptively operate in cooperation with the stationary detector and the distributed X-ray source to focally align collimator septa contained therein to the X-ray beam at a given focal point and to provide X-ray beam scatter control.

Scatter control system and method for computed tomography

A mammography scanning system having a detector includes an arc-shaped support system having a number of X-ray emitters coupled thereto. The X-ray emitters generate a plurality of X-ray fluxes towards a common focus at varying angles with respect to the focus. Also, each of the X-ray emitters is collimated to view an entire detector field of view.

Stationary tomographic mammography system

The present invention relates to a diagnostic X-ray device, system or apparatus for performing diagnostic radiology and a method of configuring such a diagnostic X-ray device, system or apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a diagnostic system for forming at least one image of an object having enhanced contrast. The system comprises a beam source adapted to produce an imaging beam and a masking member adapted to form at least one beam portion from the imaging beam and adapted to image the object. The system further comprises a flat panel detector positioned in a path of at least one beam portion penetrating the object and adapted to form at least one image of the object.

Flat panel detector based slot scanning configuration

An imaging tube assembly () for a computed tomography (CT) system () includes an insert () that has a vacuum chamber (). An anode () resides within the vacuum chamber () and rotates on a shaft () via one or more bearing (). In one embodiment, a seal () resides between the insert () and the shaft (). The seal () prevents the passage of a gas () into the vacuum chamber (). In another embodiment, a pressure transition chamber () is coupled to an insert (&#x2033;) and a shaft (&#x2033;). The pressure transition chamber () has an associated middle fluid pressure that is between an internal fluid pressure of the vacuum chamber () and an external fluid pressure of said insert (&#x2033;).

Cantilever and straddle x-ray tube configurations for a rotating anode with vacuum transition chambers

Patient-centric data acquisition protocol selection systems and methods, and identification tags therefor, are described. Embodiments comprise a patient-centric data acquisition protocol selection system comprising: a programmable identification tag capable of allowing predetermined information about a patient to be stored therein and retrieved therefrom; a medical imaging system capable of communicating with the programmable identification tag; and programming associated with the medical imaging system for selecting an optimal data acquisition protocol; wherein the medical imaging system reads information from the programmable identification tag and then the programming selects an optimal data acquisition protocol based, at least in part, on the predetermined information about the patient that is stored in the programmable identification tag.

Patient-centric data acquisition protocol selection and identification tags therefor

The present technique involves remote processing and comparison of medical diagnostic images obtained over a period of time. A remote processing system is provided to match and subtract the medical diagnostic images, which may be received from users and gathered from remote image storage systems. Users are able to interact with the remote processing system through uniform interfaces, which may be disposed at medical institutions to provide platform independent interaction with, and remote processing by, the remote processing system. The technique also uses compression routines to facilitate network transfers of images between the uniform interface and the remote processing system.

Combination compression and registration techniques to implement temporal subtraction as an application service provider to detect changes over time to medical imaging

A hybrid x-ray detector includes: a first detector that is adapted to receive x-rays, the first detector absorbs a first portion of the x-rays and allows a second portion of the x-rays to pass through the first detector; and a second detector that is adapted to receive the second portion of the x-rays. A radiation imaging system includes: an x-ray source that produces x-rays; and an image detector assembly that is adapted to receive the x-rays, the image detector assembly having a hybrid x-ray detector that includes: a first detector that is adapted to receive the x-rays, the first detector absorbs a first portion of the x-rays and allows a second portion of the x-rays to pass through the first detector; a second detector that is adapted to receive the second portion of the x-rays; and an x-ray source. A method of operating a hybrid x-ray detector, the method includes: receiving x-rays at a first detector; absorbing a first portion of the x-rays; passing a second portion of the x-rays through the first detector; and receiving the second portion of the x-rays at a second detector.

Hybrid x-ray detector

A method and system for of defining, or identifying, regions of interest for exposure management in a digital x-ray imaging system, and especially in the case of multiple consecutive image acquisitions. According to the most basic embodiment of the present invention, simple geometric shapes arranged in a matrix configuration are used to aid an operator in identifying a region of interest for a diagnostic x-ray image. Each region of interest is selectable from a low-dose preshot image and may be corrected, or processed, in order to enhance the results of a subsequent diagnostic image. The processing of the preshot image allows the system to automatically make predictions for the diagnostic image exposure requirements, thereby avoiding unnecessary multiple images.

Growing community of inventors

Brookfield, WI, United States of America

Christopher David Unger