Patent ID: 7465927
Filing Date: 2008-12-16
Classification: G01T

Abstract:
1. A method of nuclear medical imaging wherein gamma events are detected by gamma detectors of a scanner, said method comprising: simultaneously acquiring patient emission data and patient transmission data of gamma events detected by the gamma detectors, the patient emission data resulting from radioisotope in a patient, and the patient transmission data resulting from radiation from a transmission source external to the patient including radiation passing through the patient; using the patient transmission data for attenuation correction of the patient emission data; using the attenuation corrected patient emission data for producing a tomographic image from the patient, wherein the method further includes correcting for spatially varying count rate effects on the attenuation correction; and acquiring blank transmission data from the gamma detectors when the patient is absent from the scanner, and using the blank transmission data for the attenuation correction of the patient emission data, wherein the correcting for spatially varying count rate effects on the attenuation correction includes adjusting the blank scan data according to count rate at which the patient emission data are obtained from the gamma detectors.