Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Mir Medical Imaging Research Holding Gmbh

Friedrich-Alexander-Universitat Erlangen-Nürnberg

Willi A Kalender

Harry Schilling

Christoph Suess

Bernhard Schmidt

Manfred Pfeiler

Thomas Von Der Haar

Stefan Schaller

Guenter Schmitt

Theobald Fuchs

Gerhard Linke

Quirin Spreiter

Arkadiusz Polacin

Tristan Nowak

Wolfgang Seissler

Tillman Riess

Rainer Rienmueller

Rudolf Eckert

A method is provided for determining a position of an object within a breast of a female patient in a simple manner from a three-dimensional image taken of the breast. A simplified model is made of an internal structure of a breast having glandular bodies leading via lactiferous ducts to an outlet at a nipple. A particularly advantageous model is a tree-type structure in which branches correspond to lactiferous ducts and leaves correspond to glandular bodies. Furthermore, a determination is made of whether the object has contact with an element of the tree-type structure. Alternatively, a distance to an element of the tree-type structure is established. By correlating tree-type structures derived from various images taken on the same breast, the location of the object can be unequivocally established.

Method for defining an individual coordination system for a breast of a female patient

A device is provided herein for locating a breast of a female patient. In one embodiment, the locating device is adapted to be inserted into an opening within a patient table. The locating device is further adapted with different sizes and shapes, and thus, can be adapted to various breast shapes. In one embodiment, the device is provided with an RFID transponder for identifying the particular locating device being used. The RFID transponder enables data about the locating device to be automatically recorded along with the image data. This enables the shape of the locating device to be taken into account when evaluating an image. Furthermore, the RFID transponder ensures that a locating device of the same shape is used for subsequent exposures of a patient's breast, so that the exposures remain comparable.

Breast locating device including an RFID transponder for a diagnostic instrument for examining a female breast

An X-ray detector for recording an image of an object that is moving relative to the detector includes a plurality of detector modules which are adjacently disposed so that they partially overlap. Using the detector modules, a TDI (Time Delayed Integration) is performed within each detector module. Subsequently an evaluation unit determines corrected measurement values of an overlap region by adding the measured values from the individual detector modules in the overlap region.

Device and method for time-delayed integration on an X-ray detector composed of a plurality of detector modules

An X-ray machine for monitoring thermal treatment of human tissue produces a reference exposure of the tissue to be treated prior to commencement of the treatment. Thermal treatment is performed subsequently. Check exposures are made with the X-ray machine during the treatment or also during treatment intervals. The check exposures are performed as partial volume exposures at a lower radiation load than the reference exposures. From a comparison of check exposures with the reference exposures, conclusions can be drawn concerning changes of tissue temperature and also tissue properties.

Method and device for thermal breast tumor treatment with 3D monitoring function

An X-ray machine for imaging a female breast has a support with an attached continuously rotatable gantry. An X-ray tube with an oppositely located X-ray detector is mounted on the gantry. A locating means for accommodating a breast is disposed coaxially with a rotation axis of the gantry. The gantry is adapted to be moved relative to the locating means by an advancing means. In order to achieve a high throughput of patients, a locating means having an opening for accommodating a breast is provided relative to both sides of the gantry. The X-ray machine may be incorporated between two separating walls which have cut-out portions for the locating means.

X-ray machine for breast examination in a standing position

An X-ray machine, which in one embodiment is based on a spiral CT scanner, is used for examining a breast of a female patient. The X-ray machine has a gantry, which is adapted for rotation about a rotational axis, and simultaneously, for movement in a direction parallel to the rotational axis. A cylindrical imaging region is scanned along a spiraling path provided by the gantry. The patient is positioned so that a breast to be examined projects into the imaging region. A sample receptacle located in the imaging region is adapted to accommodate a tissue sample and/or a reference material. A range of movement of the gantry is dimensioned, so that the breast and/or the contents of the sample receptacle can be imaged with the gantry.

Breast locating means with sample container for an instrument for examining a female breast

An X-ray machine for imaging a breast of a female patient includes a patient table for accommodating the patient, an X-ray tube and an X-ray detector. In one embodiment, the X-ray machine may be designed as a spiral CT scanner having a rotatable gantry on which the X-ray tube and detector are mounted. The X-ray detector is inclined with respect to the X-ray tube, so that a central ray of a beam of rays emitted from the X-ray tube is perpendicularly incident on an active face of the detector. In one embodiment, the detector may be designed with a curvature, which reduces image artifacts by reducing path length differences between the central ray and the outer rays of the beam. This configuration provides particularly space saving X-ray machines, which at the same time, are of particularly high resolution.

X-ray machine for breast examination having a beam configuration for high resolution images

An X-ray machine for imaging a breast of a female patient comprises a gantry with an X-ray tube and an X-ray detector, and a horizontally disposed patient table with a cut-out portion for accommodating a breast of the patient. The gantry is rigidly mechanically suspended from the patient table. The gantry is adapted to rotate about an approximately vertical rotational axis in continuous rotational movement for imaging the breast. The gantry is also adapted to be moved in a vertical direction during said the rotational movement.

X-ray machine for breast examination having a gantry incorporated in a patient table

There is described a method for recording images of a definable region of an examination object using an x-ray diagnostics facility for producing computed tomography recordings comprising an image recording facility comprising at least one radiation source and at least one radiation detector for the rotating recording of individual images, on the basis of which an image suitable for outputting is produced, comprising the following steps: Recording of images of the entire examination region by rotating the image recording facility about a first isocenter with a first measuring field, a first resolution and a first dose, and generating an overview image of the examination object; Defining the region in the examination object based on the overview image and defining the location of a second isocenter as a function of the location and/or geometry of the region.

Method for recording images of a definable region of an examination object using a computed tomography facility

In a method and CT apparatus and software product for reconstructing incomplete projection data sets for dose-reduced sectional spiral scanning along a z axis of a patient on a table that is movable in the z direction in the CT apparatus that has a radiation source supplied with tube current so as to emit a beam that strikes a detector system to obtain scanning data from which in an image computing device generates two-dimensional and three-dimensional scanning images of the examination subject, at a pitch greater or equal to one. For z positions having an incomplete projection data set for reconstruction of the image, in a preprocessing step data from another row of this projection and/or data for a previous or subsequent 360&#xb0; rotation are used to compute a complete projection data set therefor.

Method for reconstructing projection data sets for dose-reduced sectional spiral scanning in computed tomography

A method is for restoring a signal of a defective channel of a beam detector, which has a multitude of channels and by means of which projections are recorded from different directions of projection. The channels of the beam detector each have a detector element with channel electronics connected downstream thereform. The signal of the defective channel is restored while using neighboring signals of an M-neighborhood of the same projection and from adjacent signals of an M-neighborhood of additional projections.

Method and medical device designed for implementing this method

A phantom for measuring slice thicknesses, slice sensitivity profiles and the axial modulation transfer function in an X-ray computed tomography apparatus contains a foil of a material that highly attenuates X-radiation that is arranged parallel to the image plane of the X-ray computed tomography apparatus given employment of the phantom and which had an axial expanse that is small compared to the thinnest slice to be measured. The expanse of the foil in the direction of the image plane is on the order of magnitude of a few millimeters.

Phantom for measuring slice thicknesses, slice sensitivity profiles and the axial modulation transfer function in an X-ray computed tomography apparatus

A computed tomography method and apparatus conduct a spiral scan of a subject wherein non-uniformities of noise and topical resolution are greatly reduced. A power spectrum S.sub.o for interpolated projections is identified, from which a frequency characteristic H(f,.theta.), of an optimum filter for the projections interpolated from complementary data is determined, with ##EQU1## with .sigma..sub.o.sup.2 being the variance of the quantum noise associated with a projection and w(.theta.) being the spiral weighting.

Spiral scan computed tomography apparatus and method for operating same

In a diagnostics system wherein a radiological image is generated of a patient who has been injected with a contrast agent, the arrival of the contrast agent bolus at the imaging site is identified either directly by detecting the contrast agent, or indirectly by detecting a dye injected with the contrast agent, so that a synchronization of the imaging exposures with the arrival of the contrast agent can be assured. If a dye is used, the dye can be an optically detectable dye which is injected via the contrast agent syringe in addition to the contrast agent. A densitometer identifies the arrival of the contrast agent or of the dye at a predetermined location of the patient, and controls triggering of the exposures.

Radiological diagnostics system employing a contrast agent

A computer tomography apparatus has an x-ray source and a radiation detector which permit a patient to be helically scanned to obtain a tomogram of the patient. Since it is frequently desirable to obtain a conventional x-ray image (shadowgraph) of the patient as well, a method is disclosed which permits the computer used to generate the tomogram to calculate such a shadowgraph of the patient from the data acquired for the tomogram, for desired projection directions. This data is acquired, and the shadowgraph obtained, simultaneously with the exposure used to produce the tomogram.

Growing community of inventors

Möhrendorf, Germany

Willi A Kalender