Duke University

General Electric Company

James Talmage Dobbins, Iii

Devon James Godfrey

Jeffrey Wayne Eberhard

Bernhard Erich Hermann Claus

Mark Oldham

Fang-Fang Yin

Abdulrahman Abdallah Alkhalidy

Systems and methods for localizing a target for radiotherapy based on digital tomosynthesis are provided. According to one method, DTS verification image data of a target located within or on a patient is generated. The DTS verification image data is compared with DTS reference image data of the target. Radiotherapy positioning information is determined based on the comparison of the DTS verification and reference image data.

Systems and methods for localizing a target for radiotherapy based on digital tomosynthesis

An imaging system for performing tomosynthesis on a region of an object comprises an x-ray source, motion controller, an x-ray detector and a processing unit. The x-ray source is positioned at a predetermined distance from the object and continuously moves along a linear path relative to the object. The x-ray source transmits x-ray radiation through the region of the object at a plurality of predetermined locations. The motion controller is coupled to the x-ray source and continuously moves the x-ray source along the path relative to the object. The x-ray source minimizes vibration in the imaging system due to continuous movement. The x-ray detector is positioned at a predetermined distance from the x-ray source and detects the x-ray radiation transmitted through the region of the object, thus acquiring x-ray image data representative of the region of the object. The processing unit is coupled to the x-ray detector for processing the x-ray image data into at least one tomosynthesis image of the region of the object.

Continuous scan RAD tomosynthesis system and method

The present invention describes improvements to digital tomosynethesis, whereby a plurality of x-ray projection images are shifted and summed to form a matrix of tomographs at variable plane heights. Prior to tomosynthesis, the projection images are weighted by a weighting function which falls off towards shallower angles of the x-ray tube during acquisition, in order to improve the reconstructability of between-plane structures. A matrix of blurring functions is then determined, describing the blurring of structures in all planes for every tomosynthesis reconstruction. Actual patient structures are then reconstructed by solving a matrix equation containing the matrix of tomosynthesized images and the matrix of blurring functions. The patient structure images are then improved by a hybrid correction routine which combines low spatial frequencies from a wide swing of the x-ray source with high and mid spatial frequencies from a narrow swing of the x-ray source. The data, once hybrid corrected, is further corrected using an interative technique to improve the reconstruction of low spatial frequencies. This iterative technique corrects each column of each image by sequentially determining if errant frequency components are present at the edge of the images where the patient is not present. If errant frequency components are found, they are subtracted from the entire image column. Lastly, a DC level correction is performed which corrects for errant zero frequency components by adding a constant value to each image column to force the edge of each image to zero. The data is finally displayed on a display monitor. An interleaving technique is used to vary reconstructed plane heights in order to permit improved interplane resolution.

Matrix inversion tomosynthesis improvements in longitudinal X-ray slice

Method and apparatus for variably compensating a radiographic image irradiates the patient with an x-ray beam. X-ray attenuation (or transmission) variations within the patient are detected and used to modulate the x-ray beam in order to produce an image with equalized exposure and increased SNR. The beam modulation information is used to produce a beam profile image which is an image of the exposure modulation given to the x-ray beam. After the modulated x-ray beam passes through the patient, a compensated image is produced. Both the beam profile image and the compensated image are logarithmically transformed and combined. The logarithmically transformed beam profile image is selectively weighted in order to alter the appearance of the compensated image by various degrees. The combined image is then retransformed and provided to a video monitor for display. An interactive control device controls the amount of weighting to the beam profile image, thus allowing the diagnostician to vary the amount of displayed image compensation desired in the resultant image. The invention produces an image which can be retrospectively adjusted by the diagnostician, or which may be used in either dual-energy imaging systems, or as input in further digital filtering routines.

Growing community of inventors

Durham, NC, United States of America

James Talmage Dobbins, Iii