General Electric Company

Ge Precision Healthcare LLC

Ge Medical Systems Israel, Ltd

Gil Kovalski

Yaron Hefetz

Jean-Paul Bouhnik

Yariv Grobshtein

Jonathan Sachs

Yulim Zingerman

Arie Eshco

Avi Bar-Shalev

Tzachi Rafaeli

Sergio Steinfeld

Nurit Rivka Wartski

Riyad Mahameed

Einat Binyamin

Shiran Golan

Michael Kogan

Michael Gaisinsky

An imaging system is provided that includes a gantry, at least five detector units mounted to the gantry, a corresponding collimator for each of the detector units, at least one processing unit, and a controller. Each collimator has septa defining plural bores for each pixel of at least some of a plurality of pixels of the detector unit. A corresponding interior septum of the collimator is disposed above an internal portion of a corresponding pixel of the at least some of the plurality of pixels. The at least one processing unit is configured to obtain object information corresponding to the object to be imaged. The controller is configured to control an independent rotational movement of each the detector units used to acquire scanning information by detecting emissions from the object, wherein the controller rotates each of the detector units at a corresponding sweep rate.

Systems and methods for controlling motion of detectors having moving detector heads

An imaging system is provided including a gantry, a detector unit mounted to the gantry, at least one processing unit, and a controller. The at least one processing unit is configured to obtain object information corresponding to an object, and to automatically determine at least one first portion of the object and at least one second portion of the object. The controller is configured to control a rotational movement of the detector unit. The detector unit is rotatable at a sweep rate over a range of view of the object to be imaged, and the controller is configured to rotate the detector unit at an uneven sweep rate. The uneven sweep rate varies during the rotation from the, wherein a larger amount of scanning information is obtained for the at least one first portion than for the at least one second portion.

A customizable and upgradable imaging system is provided. Imaging detector columns are installed in a gantry to receive imaging information about a subject. Imaging detector columns can extend and retract radially as well as be rotated orbitally around the gantry. The gantry can be partially populated with detector columns and the detector columns can be partially populated with detector elements.

Systems for image detection

A nuclear medicine (NM) multi-head imaging system is provided that includes a gantry defining a bore configured to accept an object to be imaged. The imaging system includes a plurality of detector units coupled to the gantry, with each of the detector units having a respective detector field-of-view (FOV). Each of the detector units is configured to rotate about a respective unit axis, with the plurality of detector units including at least a first and a second detector unit. The imaging system also includes at least one processor configured to execute programmed instructions stored in memory, wherein the at least one processor, when executing the programmed instructions, rotates the first and second detector units as the first and second detector units acquire persistence image data; and generates at least one persistence image based on the persistence image data.

Systems and methods for imaging with multi-head camera

A customizable and upgradeable imaging system is provided. Imaging detector columns are installed in a gantry to receive imaging information about a subject. Imaging detector columns can extend and retract radially as well as be rotated orbitally around the gantry. The gantry can be partially populated with detector columns and the detector columns can be partially populated with detector elements.

An imaging system includes a rotating gantry, a bed, plural nuclear medicine (NM) imaging detectors, and a processing unit. The rotating gantry has a bore. The NM detectors are disposed about the bore of the gantry. The NM detectors each have an in-plane field of view, and are configured to pivot about a corresponding axis with respect to the gantry to change the in-plane field of view. The processing unit is configured to acquire first NM imaging information at a first gantry rotational position, with the in-plane fields of view of the NM imaging detectors parallel to a predetermined direction; actuate the gantry to rotate to a second gantry rotational position; actuate the NM imaging detectors to pivot such that the in-plane fields of view are parallel to the predetermined direction; acquire additional NM imaging information at the second gantry rotational position; and reconstruct a planar image of the object.

Systems and methods for planar imaging using a camera with multiple detector heads

An imaging system is provided including a gantry, a bed, nuclear medicine (NM) imaging detectors, and a processing unit. The NM imaging detectors are disposed about the bore of the gantry. The processing unit is operably coupled to the imaging detectors, and is configured to acquire first NM imaging information of the object with the imaging detectors in a first axial position, iteratively actuate the gantry in a series of steps between the first axial position and the second axial position, acquire additional NM imaging information of the object at each of the steps, and reconstruct an image of the object using the first NM imaging information and the additional NM imaging information.

Systems and methods for imaging plural axial locations

Nuclear medicine (NM) multi-head imaging system includes a plurality of detector units coupled to a gantry. The detector units configured to face toward a center of the bore and including a series of first detector units and a second detector unit. The system also includes at least one processor that, when executing programmed instructions, performs the following operations. The at least one processor rotates the first detector units such that the first detector units face in a common first direction that is generally toward the bore. A working gap exists between the detector FOVs of the respective first detector units. The at least one processor rotates the second detector unit such that the second detector unit faces in a second direction that is opposite the first direction. The detector FOV of the second detector unit covers the working gap.

Various methods and systems are provided for a detector head for an imaging system. The detector head comprises a detector module comprising at least one detector element for detecting radiation and detector electronics, and a shaft to which the detector module is coupled, the detector module configured to rotate more than 360 degrees about the shaft in at least one direction.

Systems for simplifying a detector head

An imaging system is provided including a plurality of detector units and a controller. The plurality of detector units are distributed about a bore. The bore is configured to accept an object to be imaged, and the detector units are radially articulable within the bore. The controller is operably coupled to the plurality of detector units and configured to control the positioning of the detector units. The controller is configured to position an external group of the plurality of detector units at a predetermined intermediate position corresponding to a ring having a radius corresponding to a total number of detector units, and to position an internal group of the plurality of detector units radially inside the ring.

Systems and methods for positioning detector heads

A customizable and upgradable imaging system is provided. Imaging detector columns are installed in a gantry to receive imaging information about a subject. Imaging detector columns can extend and retract radially as well as be rotated orbitally around the gantry. The gantry can be partially populated with detector columns and the detector columns can be partially populated with detector elements. The system can automatically adjust an imaging operation based on installation information related to partial population or other factors such as scan type or subject specific information. This system can be a Nuclear Medicine (NM) imaging system to acquire Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) image information.

Imaging system using independently controllable detectors

A method and apparatus for compensating for motion in an imaged object are provided. The method includes obtaining nuclear medicine (NM) image data for an object acquired from an NM imaging system, wherein the NM image data includes single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) image data. The method further includes performing resolution recovery on the NM image data. The method also includes reconstructing the resolution recovered NM image data into a plurality of subsets and morphing the reconstructed NM image data in at least one of the plurality of subsets. The method additionally includes normalizing the NM image data based on a magnitude of the morphing and summing the NM image data to generate an NM image compensated for motion of the object.

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Haifa, Israel

Gil Kovalski