Patent ID: 6670614
Filing Date: 2003-12-30
Classification: A61B,G01T

Abstract:
A diagnostic imaging system comprising:a stationary gantry which defines a subject receiving aperture; a source of penetrating radiation rotatably mounted on the gantry, which source transmits transmission radiation through a subject disposed in a subject receiving aperture, the radiation source being mounted for rotation around the stationary gantry subject receiving aperture; a two-dimensional flat panel radiation detector for detecting radiation transmitted by the source after passage of the radiation through the subject in the subject receiving aperture; at least one nuclear detector head mounted for rotation around the subject receiving aperture, which detector head has a radiation receiving face which detects emission radiation emitted by a radiopharmaceutical injected into the subject; a radiation shielding means for selectively restricting and permitting radiation to strike the radiation receiving face; a means for positioning the shielding means to shield the radiation receiving facet from radiation generated by the source of transmitted radiation; a means for repositioning the radiation shielding means such that radiation emitted by the radiopharmaceutical and traveling only along selectable rays is receivable by the radiation receiving face; a first reconstruction processor which reconstructs transmission radiation received by the two-dimensional flat panel radiation detector into a transmission volumetric image representation; a second reconstruction processor which reconstructs emission radiation received by the nuclear detector into an emission volumetric image representation; and a fusion processor which combines the transmission volumetric image representation and emission volumetric image representation together.