Patent ID: 8276225

Claim:
A palette for a medical imaging system configured to support a patient thereon, said palette comprising: a base portion configured to couple to a table, the table configured to move along an examination axis into a bore of an imaging system, the base portion having a base support surface that extends along the examination axis; and a modular extender portion configured to removably couple to the base portion, the extender portion comprising: a lateral notch formed in the extender portion, the lateral notch configured to be inserted into the bore of the imaging system to enable gamma rays emitted from a source to be transmitted through the notch and received at a detector, wherein the lateral notch is configured to connect to the base portion such that the lateral notch is positioned toward a first side and is also configured to connect to the base portion such that the lateral notch is positioned toward a second side of the base portion while the table is maintained in the same operational position; first and second edges that extend parallel to the examination axis; a support section that extends laterally between and joins the first and second edges, the support section having a modular support surface that extends along the examination axis, wherein the base and modular support surfaces are configured to support thereon different portions of the patient; first and second coupling ends, the support section and the first and second edges extending between the first and second coupling ends along the examination axis, the first and second coupling ends being configured to, separately, removably couple to the base portion; and first and second leg projections coupled to the first and second edges, respectively, and extending longitudinally along the examination axis between the first and second coupling ends, each of the first and second leg projections extending downward away from the support section and being located inward from the respective first and second edges such that a lateral distance between an outer edge of the first and second leg projections is less than a lateral distance between the first and second edges.