Patent ID: 6282258
Filing Date: 2001-08-28
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
A method of assessing bone characteristics with a system that includes an x-ray source for emitting a volume x-ray beam propagating along a beam path, a power supply for the x-ray source, said power supply having an output voltage that can be changed, a direct digital 2-dimensional x-ray detector on which the beam impinges over a two-dimensional area, the detector being spaced from the source for enabling a bone-containing human or other animal body portion to be interposed therebetween in the path so as to be irradiated by the beam and generating output data representative thereof, said output data being a 2-dimensional electronic representation of said area, said method comprising the steps of:(a) interposing, between the source and the detector in the path of the beam, a human body portion containing bone having a selected region of which a characteristic is to be assessed;(b) operating the system, while the body portion is interposed as aforesaid, to generate first output data representative of said body portion bone produced while the output voltage of the power supply is at a first value such that the source is emitting an x-ray beam at a first x-ray energy level (L) and second output data representative of the body portion bone produced while the output voltage of the power supply is at a second value higher than said first value such that the source is emitting an x-ray beam at a second x-ray energy level (H) higher than said first x-ray energy level (L), said first and second output data being sufficient for assessment of a characteristic of the selected region of the body portion bone; and(c) deriving from the data a value representative of the assessed characteristic of the selected region of the body portion bone.