General Electric Company

Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

James Walter LeBlanc

Xiaoye Wu

John Eric Tkaczyk

Yanfeng Du

Robert F Senzig

David Michael Hoffman

Peter Michael Edic

Samit Kumar Basu

Wen Li

Deborah Joy Walter

David Allen Langan

Colin Richard Wilson

Jonathan David Short

Kent Charles Burr

Mark Ernest Vermilyea

Donald E Castleberry

Adrian Ivan

Ricardo Scott Avila

Dan Xu

William Robert Ross

Paavana Sainath

Maria Iatrou

Jiang Hsieh

Alok Mani Srivastava

George E Possin

Venkat Subramaniam Venkataramani

Bruno Kristiaan Bernard De Man

James Wilson Rose

Charles D Greskovich

Jed Douglas Pack

Steven Jude Duclos

James Scott Vartuli

Uwe Wiedmann

Naresh Kesavan Rao

Robert Joseph Lyons

Clifford Bueno

Vance Scott Robinson

Aaron Judy Couture

Zhye Yin

Forrest Frank Hopkins

Robert August Kaucic

Martin Kin-Fei Lee

Bruno De Man

Christopher David Unger

Fang Frank Dong

Scott Stephen Zelakiewicz

Stephen Francis Bancheri

Thomas Matthew Benson

Thomas John Myers

Lucas Lemar Clarke

Qun Deng

Charles Hugh Shaughnessy

Bruno K B De Man

J Eric Tkaczyk

Oliver Richard Astley

Dirk Bequé

Jian Min Wang

Rogerio Geraldes Rodrigues

Armin H Pfoh

Bernhard Claus

Tie Bond Gao

A filtering device includes an X-ray translucent substrate having a plurality of septa disposed therein at a plurality of fixed positions with respect to the substrate. A controller is programmed to acquire a first set of projection data at a first energy spectrum by controlling the X-ray source to emit the X-rays at the first energy spectrum and controlling the position of the filtering device to focally align the plurality of septa with the X-ray beam emitted from the focal spot, and to acquire a second set of projection data at a second energy spectrum with a mean energy greater than the mean energy of the first energy spectrum by controlling the X-ray source to emit the X-rays at the second energy spectrum and controlling a change in the position of the filtering device to focally misalign the plurality of septa with the X-ray beam emitted from the focal spot.

Systems and methods for increased energy separation in multi-energy X-ray imaging

The present invention discloses a computed tomography imager comprising: an x-ray source disposed in a gantry; a detector assembly for receiving an x-ray emission from an x-ray source, the x-ray source and the detector assembly rotatable about an imaging target; an imager control system for selectively modulating a kVp operating value in the x-ray source during a scan slice in accordance with an x-ray modulation software program; and a computer for receiving data from the detector assembly, and for providing control signals to the imager control system by executing the x-ray modulation software program for at least a portion of the total possible rotational scanning range of the x-ray source.

Apparatus and method for voltage modulation in X-ray computed tomography

In dual energy CT, through basis material decomposition (BMD), a pair of density images can be reconstructed. The noises in this image pair are negatively correlated due to the BMD process. A technique is presented for obtaining the monochromatic images at desired energy levels with reduced correlation noise. The technique includes obtaining a plurality of optimum attenuation coefficients for an energy level, selecting a desired energy level, obtaining a plurality of desired attenuation coefficients for the desired energy level, computing a scaling factor for a corresponding noise component based on the optimum attenuation coefficients and the desired attenuation coefficients, and generating a monochromatic image based upon the scaling factor.

System and method to obtain noise mitigated monochromatic representation for varying energy level

A computed tomographic imaging system is provided for generating computed tomography images. The computed tomographic system includes a processor configured to access image data encoding X-ray projections at a detector position and a plurality of X-ray source beam focal spot positions and to align pixel values for the projections in a direction of deviation of the positions. The processor is also configured to determine a correction factor for at least one of the projections based upon the aligned pixel values and upon a sum of the projections and to correct the pixel values for the at least one of the projections based upon the correction factor.

System and method for generating computed tomography images

A CT system includes a gantry, an x-ray source, a generator configured to energize the x-ray source to a first kVp and to a second kVp, a detector, and a controller. The controller is configured energize the x-ray source to the first kVp for a first time period, subsequently energize the x-ray source to the second kVp for a second time period, integrate data for a first integration period that includes a portion of a steady-state period of the x-ray source at the first kVp, integrate data for a second integration period that includes a portion of a steady-state period of the x-ray source at the second kVp, compare a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) during the first integration period (SNR) and the second integration period (SNR), adjust an operating parameter of the CT system to optimize an SNRwith SNR, and generate an image using the integrated data.

System and method of fast kVp switching for dual energy CT

A CT system includes a rotatable gantry having an opening for receiving a subject to be scanned, a rotatable gantry having an opening for receiving a subject to be scanned, an x-ray source configured to project x-rays having multiple energies toward the subject, and a generator configured to energize the x-ray source to a first voltage and configured to energize the x-ray source to a second voltage, the first voltage distinct from the second voltage. The system further includes a controller configured to cause the generator to energize the x-ray source to the first voltage for a first duration, acquire imaging data for at least one view during at least the first duration, after the first duration, cause the generator to energize the x-ray source to the second voltage for a second duration, and acquire imaging data for two or more views during at least the second duration.

Method and apparatus for performing dual-spectrum CT with fast KV modulation at multiple-view intervals

A method for calibrating and reconstructing material density images in a dual-spectral computed tomography (CT) systemis disclosed. An X-ray source in the CT systememits a first X-ray spectrum and a second X-ray spectrum towards an object. The method includes computing calibration coefficients by using projection data from the object for the two X-ray spectra and by linearizing at least two basis materials such as bone and water simultaneously. Further, basis materials decomposition coefficients for the at least two basis materials are computed by linearizing the basis materials individually. Correction values for the projection data and for the basis materials are then computed by using the basis materials decomposition coefficients and the calibration coefficients. The computed correction values are used in reconstructing material density images for the basis materials.

Method for calibrating a dual -spectral computed tomography (CT) system

A diagnostic imaging system in an example comprises a high frequency electromagnetic energy source, a detector, a data acquisition system (DAS), and a computer. The high frequency electromagnetic energy source emits a beam of high frequency electromagnetic energy toward an object to be imaged and be resolved by the system. The detector receives high frequency electromagnetic energy emitted by the high frequency electromagnetic energy source. The DAS is operably connected to the detector. The computer is operably connected to the DAS and programmed to employ an inversion table or function to convert N+2 measured projections at different incident spectra into material specific integrals for N+2 materials that comprise two non K-edge basis materials and N K-edge contrast agents. N comprises an integer greater than or equal to 1.

Diagnostic imaging two non K-edge basis materials plus N K-edge contrast agents

A system and method of a diagnostic imaging system includes a high frequency electromagnetic energy source that emits a beam of high frequency electromagnetic energy toward an object to be imaged, a detector that receives high frequency electromagnetic energy emitted by the high frequency electromagnetic energy source and attenuated by the object, a data acquisition system (DAS) operably connected to the detector, and a computer operably connected to the DAS. The computer is programmed to obtain CT scan data with two or more incident energy spectra, decompose the obtained CT scan data into projection CT data of two or more basis materials, reconstruct linearly weighted projections of the two or more basis materials, determine an optimized energy for the two or more basis materials within a region-of-interest (ROI), and form a monochromatic image of the projection CT data at the optimized energy using the two or more basis material projections.

System and method of optimizing a monochromatic representation of basis material decomposed CT images

A CT detector capable of energy discrimination and direct conversion is disclosed. The detector includes multiple layers of semiconductor material with the layers having varying thicknesses. The detector is constructed to be segmented in the x-ray penetration direction so as to optimize count rate performance as well as avoid saturation. The detector also includes variable pixel pitch and a flexible binning of pixels to further enhance count rate performance.

Direct conversion energy discriminating CT detector with over-ranging correction

A diagnostic imaging system includes a high frequency electromagnetic energy source that emits a beam of high frequency electromagnetic energy toward an object to be imaged. An energy discriminating (ED) detector receives high frequency electromagnetic energy emitted by the high frequency electromagnetic energy source. The ED detector includes a first direct conversion layer and a second direct conversion layer. The first direct conversion layer comprises a first direct conversion material and the second direct conversion layer comprises a second direct conversion material that is different from the first direct conversion material. A data acquisition system (DAS) is operably connected to the ED detector and a computer operably connected to the DAS.

Energy discriminating detector different materials direct conversion layers

A method for localizing optical emission is disclosed. The method involves identifying a first readout channel of a first pixellated photodetector array based on an impact of a first photon on the first pixellated photodetector array. The first photon is emitted by a scintillator unit of a scintillator array and the first readout channel corresponds to a column of one or more pixels of the first pixellated photodetector array. The method also involves identifying a second readout channel of a second pixellated photodetector array based on an impact of a second photon on the second pixellated photodetector array. The second photon is emitted by the scintillator unit and the second readout channel corresponds to a row of one or more pixels of the second pixellated photodetector array. The method further involves identifying the scintillator unit based on the first readout channel and the second readout channel.

Systems and methods to localize optical emission in radiation detectors

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Niskayuna, NY, United States of America

James Walter LeBlanc