Patent Document ID: 9807860
Application ID: 12908189
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A method of acquiring image data of a patient with an imaging system using enhanced contrast imaging, comprising: controlling with a controller of an imaging system a selected path, including a plurality of selected movements, of a single x-ray source tube during a passage of time after the start time to acquire image data of a first selected portion of the patient, wherein the selected path includes at least one of a spiral path, a helical path, a non-annular path, and a non-360° path around the patient; powering the single x-ray source tube to emit x-rays at a first power with a first power source to acquire a first image data at a first position along the path relative to the patient and having a first attenuation, including x-ray absorption or x-ray scatter, in tissue within the patient; powering the single x-ray source tube to emit x-rays at a second power different from the first power with a second power source to acquire a second image data at a second position along the path relative to the patient and having a second attenuation, including x-ray absorption or x-ray scatter, in tissue different than the first attenuation within the patient; and acquiring the first image data and the second image data of the first selected portion of the patient at both the first power and the second power; and reconstructing a model of the first selected portion of the patient including the first image data with the first attenuation, including a first x-ray absorption or x-ray scatter in the tissue, and the second image data with the second attenuation, including a second x-ray absorption or x-ray scatter in the tissue and based on a known timing of acquiring the first image data and the second image data; wherein reconstructing the model of the selected portion of the patient includes: constructing the multi-phase three-dimensional model to illustrate (i) a first phase including a venous phase of a physiological action at a first anatomical location and (ii) a second phase including an arterial phase of the physiological action at a second anatomical location, and iteratively changing a pre-formed theoretical image data projection based on the patient until the pre-formed theoretical image data projection matches the acquired image data of the patient to form an appropriately altered reconstruction model; wherein the first power is selected to have a first voltage of about 40 kV to about 180 kV and a first amperage of about 10 mA to about 500 mA; wherein the second power is selected to have a second voltage that is about 40 kV to about 60 kV different than the first voltage and a second amperage that is about 20 mA to about 150 mA different than the first amperage.