Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc.

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Darrell Burckhardt

Axel Platz

Arun Krishnan

Grant Arthur Albert

Venkat Raghavan Ramamurthy

Douglas Jay Wagenaar

Juergen Soldner

Stefan Käpplinger

Christian Beldinger

Peggy Hawman

Maxim Mamin

Axel Barth

Michael Gluth

Alexander Hans Vija

John C Engdahl

Jinhun Joung

Robert Kasper

A system and method for linking volumes of interest (VOIs) across timepoints are provided. The method comprises: loading an image dataset of a first timepoint and an image dataset of a second timepoint; registering the image dataset of the first timepoint and the image dataset of the second timepoint; displaying the image dataset of the first timepoint and the image dataset of the second timepoint; selecting a VOI in the image dataset of the first timepoint and the image dataset of the second timepoint; and linking the VOIs in the image dataset of the first timepoint and the image dataset of the second timepoint.

System and method for linking VOIs across timepoints for analysis of disease progression or response to therapy

A system for obtaining serial biochemical, anatomical or physiological in vivo measurements of disease from one or more medical images of a patient before, during and after treatment, and measuring extent and severity of the disease is provided. First anatomical and functional image data sets are acquired, and form a first co-registered composite image data set. At least a volume of interest (VOI) within the first co-registered composite image data set is identified. The first co-registered composite image data set including the VOI is qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed to determine extent and severity of the disease. Second anatomical and functional image data sets are acquired, and form a second co-registered composite image data set. A global, rigid registration is performed on the first and second anatomical image data sets, such that the first and second functional image data sets are also globally registered.

System and method of measuring disease severity of a patient before, during and after treatment

A system and method for monitoring disease progression or response to therapy using multi-modal visualization are provided. The method comprises: selecting a first image dataset of a first timepoint; loading the first image dataset of the first timepoint; selecting a second image dataset of a second timepoint; loading the second image dataset of the second timepoint; registering the first image dataset of the first timepoint and the second image dataset of the second timepoint; and displaying the first image dataset of the first timepoint and the second image dataset of the second timepoint.

System and method for monitoring disease progression or response to therapy using multi-modal visualization

A collimator handling system for partially or fully automating the task of replacing and storing collimators in nuclear imaging systems. A collimator server stores a set of different collimators in stacked drawers which may be automatically extracted into the detector. The reduction in time spent on these tasks reduces cost and increases throughput. Furthermore, the automation of handling heavy lead (or like) collimators increases technician safety.

Integrated collimator handling system and method

The present invention relates to an apparatus for nuclear medicine imaging in which the imaging platform is attached directly to the detectors for nuclear imaging to allow for minimal constant distance between the detector(s) and the object to be imaged. As the detector moves around the object to be imaged to capture different angular views of the object, the imaging platform is rotated in a compensatory manner to maintain a its long axis perpendicular to gravity during movement of the detector. An advantage of this configuration over prior systems is the ability to obtain multiple angular projections while the distance between the detector and the object being imaged is maintained at a minimum, but the danger of detector-object collision is minimized and the necessity for orbital path calibration to preserve precision of detector movement and distance is eliminated.

Imaging apparatus to acquire tomography projections with improved orbit

An adaptive opto-emission imaging device includes a detector having a detector face and a back surface. The detector detects radiation emanating from an object positioned in the direction of the detector face, and produces a radiopharmaceutical distribution profile of the detected radiation. An image capturing device such as a video camera provided at the detector face of the detector produces a live visual image of the object. A display device provided at the back surface of the detector displays the radiopharmaceutical distribution profile and/or the live visual image of the object. The adaptive opto-emission imaging device greatly reduces the amount of computation and time to provide real time image guidance, for example to physicians using the device to perform an image-guided surgical procedure.

Adaptive opto-emission imaging device and method thereof

The present invention provides a method for discriminating between detected radiation events, so that the sensitivity of the radiation detector may be preserved without causing the inclusion of a large number of the undesired radiation events. This method includes the steps of: (1) empirically determining the energy response function of the radiation detector; and (2) then using the energy response function during the actual detection process to differentiate between the desired and undesired radiation events. Generally, the energy response function for each of the detectors is determined by simulating the condition for the subsequent, actual measurement. During this process, the detector is illuminated with a uniform stream of radiation to be measured. The detector should be exposed to a large number of radiation rays, and the number of undesired rays is minimized. For example, the detector will be exposed to only direct, unscattered radiation. This simulation produces an energy response function for the detector in conditions that approximate the actual measurement. Then, when taking actual measurements in the second step, a least squares estimate of the number of desired, unscattered events is produced by taking the dot product of (1) the spectrum acquired during actual measurement and (2) a weighting vector determined from the empirically determined energy response function.

Growing community of inventors

Hoffman Estates, IL, United States of America

Darrell Burckhardt