Patent ID: 7333588

Claim:
An x-ray tomography system comprising: a patient support; an x-ray source positionable proximate to the patient support and including: i) an areal anode; and ii) an electron gun on an opposite side of the areal anode with respect to the patient support, the gun steerable to direct a beam of electrons at different portions of a rear side of the areal anode to cause transmissive emission of x-rays from a front side of the areal anode at different latitudinal and longitudinal angles, the x-rays directed toward at least one point on the patient support over a range of latitudinal angles and a range of longitudinal angles, at least one of which ranges is no less than 180 degrees; a multi-element detector opposed to the x-ray source about the patient support; and a controller communicating with the x-ray source and the multi-element detector to steer the electron beam to acquire multiple angles of measurements of x-ray attenuation through the point on the patient support at each position of the x-ray source; wherein the areal anode is curved about the patient support.