Patent ID: 8363050

Claim:
A method for generating a tomosynthetic 3D x-ray image, comprising the steps of: acquiring a plurality of digital 2D x-ray images of an examination subject respectively from different projection angles within a limited angle range using an x-ray source and a digital x-ray detector having an acquisition surface; in an initial position of the x-ray source at a selected projection angle, projecting at least one spatially-fixed reference point, that is between said x-ray source and said x-ray detector, onto a partial region of the acquisition surface of the x-ray detector; and setting said at least one spatially-fixed reference point to be at a height above said examination subject that reduces irradiation of said acquisition surface by x-rays from said x-ray source that are not attenuated by said examination subject; providing the projection of said at least one spatially fixed reference point onto said partial region of said acquisition surface at the projection angle for said initial position to a computer and, in said computer, using the projection of said at least one spatially fixed reference point provided thereto to automatically determine, for each further projection angle, a partial region of said acquisition surface that contains a projection of said at least one spatially fixed reference point onto said acquisition surface, thereby obtaining a plurality of partial regions respectively for a plurality of projection angles; and after irradiating the examination subject at each of said plurality of projection angles, generating a tomosynthetic 3D x-ray image in said computer using exclusively image data from said plurality of partial regions and making said tomosynthetic 3D x-ray image available as a data file at an output of said computer.