General Electric Company

Paul M Stivender

David M Barrett

Paul C Schanen

Herbert E Daniels

George R Lang

Raymond C Mentink

Robert V King

Robert E Ueberfluss

X-ray apparatus for angiography has a support member which is rotatable about a vertical axis and a U-shaped arm mounted on the support for rotating about a horizontal axis. A radially movable carriage with an x-ray source mounted on it is mounted at one end of the U-arm. Carriages which are movable linearly and radially relative to the horizontal axis support an image intensifier and a film changer respectively. The horizontal axis and vertical axis of rotation which is coincident with the x-ray beam axis intersect at a point which is isocentric. Images can be obtained with either the intensifier receptor or film changer receptor in varying degrees of magnification and without magnification while the patient being examined remains coincident with the isocenter. Means are provided for counterbalancing the source, changer and the intensifier independently. Force limited actuators such as motors equipped with slip-clutches are operatively coupled to counterweight cables for driving the carriages and for allowing the carriage to be moved manually. Any carriage has a tendency to remain where it is positioned because of independent counterbalancing and the entire U-arm remains balanced in all of its angular positions and for any position of the receptors or source.

Multiaxial x-ray apparatus

Angiography apparatus has an L-arm rotatable about a vertical axis and a U-arm mounted on the upstanding section of the L-arm for rotation about a horizontal axis. An X-ray source is at one end of the U-arm and image receptors including an image intensifier and a first film changer are at the other end to enable making posterior-anterior and anterior-posterior X-ray views at various angles relative to a patient who is located on the isocenter which is the intersection of the horizontal, vertical and X-ray beam axis. A second film changer for making lateral generally isocentric views is mounted within the U-arm on a stand that is movable along the horizontal U-arm axis to allow obtaining various distances between the image plane of the film and another X-ray source. The lateral changer is on a mechanism for shifting it vertically and longitudinally a limited amount and for rotating it with a motor so this changer will stay level until the U-arm has been tilted through a predetermined angle. After this angle is reached motorized rotation is discontinued and the lateral changer is allowed to rotate with the U-arm.

Bi-plane angiographic apparatus

A control console has a small and compact array of twenty-seven illuminable push buttons arranged in three continuous groups of nine each. The buttons in the upper group relate to anatomical areas in upper parts of the body, and the buttons in the lower group relate to areas in the lower parts of the body and the extremities. The middle group are control and x-ray technic variation buttons. Different anatomical regions are indicated by pictographs on the push buttons in an organized array in the upper and lower groups. Pressing at least one push button in the middle group and one in the other groups sets up and displays the x-ray exposure parameters corresponding with the equivalent of the user's priority technic, including safe patient exposure and safe x-ray tube operating time, which has been stored in a memory, for the particular anatomical region. The programmed values for tube kV, mA, mAs and time are displayed. Controls are provided for enabling the user to dominate the programmed settings by overriding the stored values when professional judgement indicates. The principal stored technic data values may be altered easily when and if experience with stored values shows need for override within the normal range of patients of one or more of the principal technic parameters to accommodate an abnormal patient or medical condition.

Anatomically coordinated user dominated programmer for diagnostic x-ray

On a diagnostic x-ray table, a first group of x-ray shielding panels are supported for rotation on a carrier and another group of panels are supported on a lever that is pivotally connected to the carrier. The lever may be aligned with the carrier to present the combined width of all panels across the front of a combination spot film and fluoroscopic device. Means responsive to pivoting the lever along the side of the apparatus rotate the first group of panels to substantial parallelism with second group to present the panels along the side of the apparatus when the spot film and fluoroscope device is angulated to put the patient being examined in an erect posture.

Growing community of inventors

Waukesha, WI, United States of America

Paul M Stivender