University of Pennsylvania

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.V.

Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc.

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.v.

Joel Karp

Suleman Surti

Daniel Gagnon

Ziad Burbar

Stefan B Siegel

Inki Hong

Gerd Muehllehner

Lucretiu M Popescu

A medical imaging and/or radiotherapy apparatus incorporates a display for projecting a visible image to a patient lying on a patient table. A projector that projects the visible image moves in tandem with the patient table, so that it appears relatively motionless to the patient. In exemplary embodiments, the projector projects the visible image within a patient tunnel of the medical apparatus, including in some embodiments, an extended field of view medical imaging apparatus. In other exemplary embodiments, the projector projects the visible image on a screen above the patient table of a tunnel-less medical apparatus. The projector remains outside the imaging line of response of detectors within the imaging field or outside of the radiotherapy beam zone, to avoid potential degradation of the captured diagnostic image or degradation of the radiotherapy beam.

Patient display system for a medical imaging or radiotherapy apparatus

Provided are time-of-flight positron emission tomography devices comprising a detector array having at least two segments configured to accommodate a body part and to acquire tracer emission signals from a target within an imaging situs with a timing resolution of less than about 600 ps and a processor that receives the acquired signals from the detector array and converts the signals into a three dimensional image reconstruction of the target.

Limited angle tomography with time-of-flight PET

A cylinder () of radiation detectors () in a diagnostic imaging apparatus detects radiation pairs with corresponding electronic detector channels () which have non-uniform time-varying temporal delays. A plurality of calibration radiation sources () that concurrently emit radiation pairs is mounted at known positions inside of the cylinder. A temporal correction processor () uses the known positions of the calibration sources to determine errors in the relative detection times of radiation pairs from the calibration sources and uses the determined errors to generate corrections for the relative detection times of radiation pairs from radiopharmaceuticals injected in an imaged subject.

Timing calibration using radioactive source

A Lanthanum Halide scintillator (for example LaCland LaBr) with fast decay time and good timing resolution, as well as high light output and good energy resolution, is used in the design of a PET scanner. The PET scanner includes a cavity for accepting a patient and a plurality of PET detector modules arranged in an approximately cylindrical configuration about the cavity. Each PET detector includes a Lanthanum Halide scintillator having a plurality of Lanthanum Halide crystals, a light guide, and a plurality of photomultiplier tubes arranged respectively peripherally around the cavity. The good timing resolution enables a time-of-flight (TOF) PET scanner to be developed that exhibits a reduction in noise propagation during image reconstruction and a gain in the signal-to-noise ratio. Such a PET scanner includes a time stamp circuit that records the time of receipt of gamma rays by respective PET detectors and provides timing data outputs that are provided to a processor that, in turn, calculates time-of-flight (TOF) of gamma rays through a patient in the cavity and uses the TOF of gamma rays in the reconstruction of images of the patient.

Lanthanum halide scintillators for time-of-flight 3-D pet

A PET system includes an improved image reconstruction algorithm based on an improved modeling of the point-spread function. PET time of flight data is used to obtain a mean emitting point and a time of flight probability function. This information is then used to model the point-spread function. The time of flight probability function and the detector response function are used to define a probability volume for a given line of response, which is then used in the reconstruction of the image.

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Glenside, PA, United States of America

Joel Karp