Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Ion Beam Applications S.a.

Dirk Schäfer

Michael Grass

Thomas Koehler

Eberhard Sebastian Hansis

Christian Haase

Bernardus Hendrikus Wilhelmus Hendriks

Roland Proksa

Ewald Roessl

Juergen Weese

Tobias Klinder

Cristian Lorenz

Peter Vernickel

Holger Schmitt

Bernhard Johannes Brendel

Robert Johannes Frederik Homan

Michael Overdick

Hanno Heyke Homann

Klaus Erhard

Claas Bontus

Axel Saalbach

Jens Wiegert

Frank Bergner

Niels Nijhof

Wilhelmus Henrica Gerarda Maria Van Den Boomen

Peter George Van De Haar

Walter Rütten

Georg Rose

Thirukumaran Thangaraj Kanagasabapathi

Pieter Gerben Eshuis

Sebastien Brousmiche

Nikolas David Schnellbächer

An imaging system (MIS), optionally a medical imaging system, with wireless communication capability and related method. The imaging system comprises a gantry (RG) rotatable around a rotation axis. The gantry includes a detector device (D) capable of recording, in plural spatial positions, measurement data in relation to a subject (such as a patient) (PAT) to be imaged. The system also includes a radio transmitter (TX) for generating a directed radio beam propagatable along a propagation axis to transmit the measurement data to a radio receiver (RX). The radio transmitter (TX) is arranged at the rotatable gantry and is operable so that the propagation direction intersects the rotation axis in a location that is situated away from the rotatable gantry.

Wireless CT data transmission

Mechanical image acquisition systems (such as medical C-arms) frequently accumulate geometrical errors which must be calibrated out using a calibration phantom. A more frequent regime of system calibration implies a less frequent use of the C-arm for clinical applications. The present application proposes to identify common biases between the acquired projection frame sequences from the same mechanical image acquisition system in first and second acquisitions, and to compare this to expected calibration data of the mechanical image acquisition system to generate frame deviation measures. If a resemblance between the first and second sequences of frame deviation measures is obtained, one or more calibration actions are performed (such as alerting the user that calibration should be provided, and/or automatically correcting for the geometry deviation).

X-ray system error tracking and calibration

The invention relates to off-center detector X-ray tomography reconstruction of an image of an object on the basis of projection data acquired during a rotation of an X-ray source and the off-center detector around the object in two rotational passes of less than 360&#xb0;, wherein a focus point of the X-ray beam travels along largely overlapping arcs () in the two rotational passes, the off-center detector being positioned asymmetrically with respect to a central of the X-ray beam and a direction of a detector offset being reversed between the passes. According to the invention, redundancy weighting of the projection data with respect to a redundant acquisition of projection values during each of the rotational passes is made using a redundancy weighting function determined on the basis of a union of the arcs ().

Redundancy-weighted image reconstruction for short-scan X-ray tomography with an off-center X-ray detector

The invention relates to off-center detector 3D X-ray or proton radiography reconstruction. Redundancy weighting with a steep weighting function around the iso-axis typically leads to artifacts in the reconstruction, for example, if inconsistencies between two nominal redundant projections occur, e.g. due to slightly incorrect detector calibration or scatter correction, etc. With the present invention, an approach is presented for overcoming or mitigating these problems.

Scaled radiography reconstruction

The present invention relates to a guidance device () for a TEE probe (), a medical imaging system (), a method for guiding a TEE probe (), a computer program element for controlling such device and a computer readable medium having stored such computer program element. The guidance device () for a TEE probe () comprises an image data provision unit (), and a processing unit (). The image data provision unit () is configured to provide first image data showing an interventional device () and a TEE probe () in an initial position and orientation. The processing unit () is configured to determine a centerline of the interventional device () in the first image data. The processing unit () is configured to determine a plane () orthogonal to a tangent of the centerline as viewing plane. The processing unit () is configured to calculate an imaging plane and an imaging orientation of the TEE probe () to lie approximately in the viewing plane. The processing unit () is configured to provide the calculated data as guidance data.

Guidance device for a tee probe

The present invention relates to providing a projection data for providing a guidance image. In order to provide an enhanced guiding image technique for generating a guidance image of the patient's anatomy to be projected on the body surface of the patient, such that a at least a basis for a corrected guidance image for a better correlation to the patient's current motion can be provided, in particular to the patient's current breathing motion state, a device () for providing a projection data set is provided that comprises a storage means (), an input interface (), a processing unit () and an output interface (). The storage means is configured to store a pre-determined basis data set representing a 3D tomographic image of a subject (). The input interface is configured to receive reference data representing a current spatial depiction at least of a target region () of the subject. The processing unit is configured to register the reference data on the pre-determined basis data set. The processing unit is further configured to transform, based on the reference data and the result of the registration, the pre-determined basis data set resulting in a working data set representing a transformed 3D tomographic image indicating the current spatial anatomy relation at least for the target region of the subject. The processing unit is also configured to segment the working data set resulting in a projection data set representing the target region of the subject. Still further, output interface is configured to provide the projection data set for a further purpose.

Device for projecting a guidance image on a subject

A method includes receiving radiation with a hybrid data detection system of an imaging system. The hybrid data detection system includes a hybrid data detector array with a set of spectral detectors and a set of integrating detectors that are arranged along a transverse axis of an examination region. The method further includes generating a set of truncated spectral projections with the first set of spectral detectors. The method further includes estimating a set of spectral projections for the integrating detectors. The method further includes combining the set of truncated spectral projections and the estimated set of spectral projections. The method further includes estimating a set of spectral projections based on the combined set to produce a complete set of spectral projections. The method further includes processing the complete set of spectral projections to generate volumetric image data.

Spectral projection extension

The invention relates to an imaging system () for imaging an elongated region of interest of an object, an imaging method for imaging an elongated region of interest of an object, a computer program element for controlling such system for performing such method and a computer readable medium having stored such computer program element. The imaging system () comprises an acquisition unit () and a processing unit (). The acquisition unit () is a C-arm acquisition unit and configured to acquire first image data of the object to be imaged with a first imaging parameter. The acquisition unit () is further configured to acquire second, different image data of an object to be imaged with a second imaging parameter. The second geometric imaging parameter is defined based on object specific data for the volume data to be aligned with the elongated region of interest of the object to be imaged. The processing unit () is configured to combine the first and second image data into volume data.

Imaging system for imaging an elongated region of interest of an object

The present invention relates to a system () for adaptive segmentation. The system () comprises a configurator (), which is configured to determine an adapted angular range (AR) with respect to an operation mode of the system () and which is configured to determine a segmentation parameter (SP) based on the adapted angular range (AR). Further, the system comprises an imaging sensor (), which is configured to acquire images (I, . . . , I) within the adapted angular range (AR). Still further, the system comprises a segmentator (), which is configured to generate a segmentation model based on the acquired images (I, . . . , I) using the determined segmentation parameter (SP).

Adaptive segmentation for rotational C-arm computed tomography with a reduced angular range

An interventional X-ray system (), includes a processing unit (), a table () for receiving a patient (), an X-ray image acquisition device () having an X-ray source () and an X-ray detector () and at least one optical camera () adapted for acquiring optical images of a patient () situated on the table () and for providing image data to the processing unit (). The processing unit () is adapted for segmenting an outline () of a patient from an existing three-dimensional model, for receiving acquired images from the at least one camera () for determining an optical outline () of the patient, for registering the optical outline () to the outline () obtained in the segmentation and for determining a translation vector () representing a required movement of the table for coinciding a center () of the anatomy of interest given in the three-dimensional model with the iso-center () of a rotational X-ray scan that will be performed. By this process, no X-ray exposure or injection of contrast agent is required.

Interventional X-ray system with automatic iso-centering

The invention relates to a grating device for phase contrast and/or dark-field imaging of a movable object, an interferometer unit, a phase contrast and/or dark-field imaging system, a phase contrast and/or dark-field imaging method, a computer program element for controlling such device and a computer readable medium having stored such computer program element. The grating device comprises a grating unit, an actuation unit, a motion detecting unit, and a control unit. The actuation unit is configured to position the grating unit in different sampling positions relative to the moveable object. The motion detecting unit is configured to detect a motion of the movable object. The detected motion of the moveable object may be a repetitive motion. The control unit is configured to control the actuation unit to position the grating unit in the different sampling positions based on the detected motion of the movable object.

Grating device for phase contrast and/or dark-field imaging of a movable object

A double focal spot X-ray tube is used to acquire a set of two images PI&#x3b1;, PI&#x3b2; for a given gantry position from slightly different view positions. The stereo or binocular disparity (BD) of imaged structures is used to estimate the object depth in view direction, which in turn is used to discriminate between objects inside IO and outside EO the body. Respective structures are virtually removed from the images PI&#x3b1;, PI&#x3b2;.

Stereo X-ray tube based suppression of outside body high contrast objects

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for X-ray phase contrast imaging. The method comprises the following steps: from the measured phase gradient and overall attenuation information, an electron density is computed; the contribution pof the Compton scattering to the overall attenuation is estimated from the electron density; the contribution pp of the photo-electric absorption to the overall attenuation is estimated from the overall attenuation and the contribution p; the values pand pare used to reconstruct a Compton image and a photo-electric image; by linear combination of these two images, a monochromatic image at a desired energy is obtained.

Monochromatic attenuation contrast image generation by using phase contrast CT

The present invention relates to a C-arm X-ray imaging system. In order to provide C-arm systems with an extended three-dimensional field of view, a C-arm X-ray imaging system (), provided to acquire extended three-dimensional images of an object, is provided, comprising a C-arm structure () with an X-ray source () and an X-ray detector () mounted across from the X-ray source, a motorized drive () for a rotational movement of the C-arm structure, and a control unit (). The C-arm structure is provided to perform a rotational scan around an axis of rotation and around an ISO-center acquiring a number of X-ray projections in order to generate image data for a reconstructed three-dimensional field of view. The control unit is configured to control the motorized drive, and to cause the rotational movement of the C-arm structure to perform a first rotational X-ray scan () around a first ISO-center () with a first axis of rotation for a first field of view, and to perform at least a second rotational X-ray scan () around a second ISO-center () with a second axis of rotation for a second field of view. The first and the second center of rotation are displaced in relation to each other such that a connection line between the first and the second ISO-center is arranged transverse to the first and the second axis of rotation.

C-arm system with extended field of view

An apparatus and a method for correcting a CT slice image for an image artifact () caused by the motion of a high attenuation part () in an object () of interest. The CT slice image is based on projection images (). The apparatus and method uses a footprint () of the part in each of the projection images ().

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Hamburg, Germany

Dirk Schäfer