Patent ID: 8712007

Claim:
A method for operating a computed tomography apparatus comprising a gantry having a stationary part and a rotatable part mounted at the stationary part to rotate around a system axis, an x-ray radiation source and an x-ray radiation detector mounted on the rotatable part opposite each other, said x-ray source emitting an x-ray beam that propagates in a direction toward said system axis, a diaphragm associated with said x-ray source and comprising diaphragm elements that are movable relative to each other to limit a size of said x-ray beam and that are collectively movable in a direction of said system axis, and a patient support plate movable in the direction of said system axis, said method comprising: implementing a dynamic computed tomography examination of a body region of a patient on said patient support plate by moving said patient support plate back and forth in said direction of said system axis between a first support plate end position and a second support plate end position; while moving said patient support plate back and forth between said first and second support plate end positions, collectively moving said diaphragm elements of said diaphragm also back and forth in said direction of said system axis between a first diaphragm element end position and a second diaphragm element end position; and coordinating the back and forth movement of said support plate between said first and second support plate end positions and the back and forth movement of said diaphragm elements between said first and second diaphragm element end positions to homogenize a dose of x-ray radiation applied to the patient by said x-ray beam during said dynamic computed tomography examination.