Patent ID: 8361440
Filing Date: 2013-01-29
Classification: A61B,A61K

Abstract:
1. An imaging method, comprising: conducting an imaging procedure by simultaneously determining in vivo distributions of bioluminescent and/or fluorescent markers and in vivo distributions of radioactive markers of an object at identical projection angles; wherein the distributions of the bioluminescent and/or fluorescent markers are determined by a first separate detection of photons having a first average energy, which are emitted by the bioluminescent and/or fluorescent markers, by at least one first detector; wherein the distributions of the radioactive markers are determined by a second separate detection of photons having a second average energy, which are emitted by the radioactive markers, by at least one second detector; wherein the photons of the bioluminescent and/or fluorescent markers having the first average energy and the photons of the radioactive markers having the second average energy are separated for the separate detection with the aid of a layer, the layer essentially reflecting the photons of the bioluminescent and/or fluorescent markers and transmitting the photons of the radioactive markers; wherein the layer is used to reflect the photons of the bioluminescent and/or fluorescent markers in a first direction of the at least one first detector and for transmitting the photons of the radioactive markers in-a second direction of the at least one second detector, wherein the first and second directions are different from each other; wherein the first separate detection and the second separate detection occur simultaneously; wherein the at least one first detector, the at least one second detector, and the layer are fixedly arranged in a predetermined specific spatial arrangement relative to each other; wherein the at least one first detector, the at least one second detector, and the layer are fixedly arranged as a rigid arrangement within a common housing; wherein the object is placed within the housing during the imaging procedure; and creating a first projection image from the first separate detection and a second projection image from the second separate detection, wherein the first and second projection images are of two-dimensional images of three-dimensional energy distributions of the bioluminescent and/or fluorescent markers and the radioactive markers of the object.