Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.V.

Picker International, Inc.

Marconi Medical Systems, Inc.

Christopher G Matthews

Daniel Gagnon

Wenli Wang

Frank P DiFilippo

Steven E Cooke

John F Vesel

An imaging method using a plurality of radiation detectors ( ) is disclosed. A plurality of coincidence radiation events are measured ( ) associated with a point radiation source ( ). Initial values are assigned ( ) for fitting parameters. Lines of response (LOR) are calculated ( ) based upon the fitting parameters and the measured radiation events. A figure of merit is generated ( ) that characterizes the apparent size of the point radiation source based upon the LOR's. The fitting parameters are optimized ( ) using a minimization algorithm which includes iteratively repeating the calculating ( ) and generating ( ) steps to produce a minimized figure of merit. Correction factors are extracted from the optimized fitting parameters ( ). A set of radiation data is acquired from an associated subject. The radiation data is corrected for mechanical camera misalignment by correcting the spatial coordinates of the detected radiation events using the correction factors. An image representation is reconstructed from the corrected radiation data.

Calibration technique for coincidence imaging systems

A radiation detector includes a slit collimator. A radiation detector receives radiation which has been received in each of the slits. The aspect ratio of the detector is approximately three, and each semiconductor radiation detector has a transverse dimension which is less than that of its respective slit. A reconstruction processor generates an image indicative of the radiation received by the detectors. The detector may be rotated about a fixed axis. Alternately, the detector may be translated in coordination with its rotation to provide a substantially square field of view.

Detector with non-circular field of view

A radiation detector includes slit collimator. A radiation detector receives radiation which has been received in each of the slits. The aspect ratio of the detector is approximately three, and each semiconductor radiation detector has a transverse dimension which is less than that of its respective slit. A reconstruction processor generates an image indicative of the radiation received by the detectors. The detector may be rotated about a fixed axis. Alternately, the detector may be translated in coordination with its rotation to provide a substantially square field of view.

Detector for nuclear imaging

In positron emission imaging, coincident gamma ray pairs are acquired and processed to generate an image. Random gamma ray pairs in the acquired coincidence data degrade the quality of the resultant image. The coincident gamma ray pairs are re-paired to generate non-coincident gamma ray pairs. The non-coincident pairs are used to correct for randoms in the acquired coincidence data. Alternately, singles gamma rays may be detected and paired with non-coincident single gamma rays to generate non-coincident pairs. These pairs may be used to correct for randoms in the acquired coincidence data.

Randoms correction in positron imaging

A gamma camera includes first and second detectors which face an examination region. The detectors are rotatable about the examination region and translatable in a direction tangential to the examination region. Translation of the detectors is coordinated with the rotation of the detectors about the examination so as to increase the effective field of view of the detectors. In a first embodiment, the detectors are translated in the transverse direction when the detectors are located at each of a plurality of positions about the examination region. In a second embodiment, translation of the detectors is coordinated such that, for a given projection angle, the first detector is used to detect radiation data from a subset of the region of interest.

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Lyndhurst, OH, United States of America

Christopher G Matthews