Abstract: Systems and methods for medical imaging are provided. One method includes obtaining image information including timing information and obtaining motion information corresponding to an external movement by a patient being imaged. Obtaining the motion information includes detecting motion of the patient with a sensing device that does not engage the patient. The motion information includes motion timing information. The method further includes associating the motion information with the image information using the image timing information and the motion timing information. The method further includes forming an image representative of a portion of the patient using the associated image and motion information.

Abstract: Systems and methods for controlling motion of detectors having moving detector heads are provided. One system includes a gantry and a plurality of detector units mounted to the gantry, wherein the plurality of detector units are individually movable including translational movement and rotational movement. The system further includes a controller configured to control movement of the plurality of detector units to acquire Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) data, wherein the movement includes both the translational movement and the rotational movement coordinated to position the plurality of detector units adjacent to a subject.

Abstract: An imaging system is provided including a gantry, a detector unit mounted to the gantry, at least one processing unit, and a controller. The at least one processing unit is configured to obtain object information corresponding to an object, and to automatically determine at least one first portion of the object and at least one second portion of the object. The controller is configured to control a rotational movement of the detector unit. The detector unit is rotatable at a sweep rate over a range of view of the object to be imaged, and the controller is configured to rotate the detector unit at an uneven sweep rate. The uneven sweep rate varies during the rotation from the, wherein a larger amount of scanning information is obtained for the at least one first portion than for the at least one second portion.

Abstract: Systems and methods for planar imaging with detectors having moving heads are provided. One system includes a gantry having an opening therethrough, a patient table movable through the opening of the gantry along an examination axis, and a plurality of detector units mounted to the gantry and aligned in a row transverse to the examination axis. The plurality of detector units are spaced apart from each other, wherein the spacing forms gaps between adjacent detector units. The plurality of detector units are configured to acquire Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) data. The system further includes a controller configured to control movement of the patient table and the plurality of detector units to acquire two-dimensional (2D) SPECT data, wherein the plurality of detector units remain in a fixed relative orientation with respect to each other when acquiring the 2D SPECT data and move together to acquire the 2D SPECT data.

Abstract: A method is provided including identifying a target portion of a patient corresponding to a portion of interest of the patient to be scanned with a nuclear medicine scanning technique. The method also includes applying an uptake increasing technique to at least one of the target portion or an application portion of the patient other than the target portion. The uptake increasing technique is configured to increase uptake of a radiopharmaceutical to the target portion of the patient relative to portions of the patient other than the target portion. Also, the method includes administering the radiopharmaceutical to the patient temporally proximate to the applying an uptake increasing technique.

Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling movement of detectors having multiple detector heads are provided. One system includes a gantry, a patient support structure supporting a patient table thereon, and a plurality of detector units. At least some of the detector units are rotatable to position the detector units at different angles relative to the patient table. The imaging system further includes a detector position controller configured to control the position of the rotatable detector units, wherein at least some of the rotatable detector units positioned adjacent to each other have an angle of rotation to allow movement of the rotatable detector units a distance greater than a gap between adjacent rotatable detector units The detector position controller is configured to calculate at least one of field of view avoidance information or collision avoidance information to determine an amount of movement for one or more of the rotatable detector units.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for imaging with detectors having moving heads are provided. One apparatus includes a gantry and a plurality of detector units mounted to the gantry. At least some of the plurality of detector units are movable relative to the gantry to position one or more of the detector units with respect to a subject. The detector units are movable along parallel axes with respect to each other.

Abstract: A gamma ray detector having a scintillator with segments allows for a linearity calibration of the gamma ray detector without the use of a linearity phantom. The segments in the scintillator are configured to channel output radiation received by the gamma ray detector to loci identifiable in image data generated by photomultiplier tubes. The non-linearity in the detector system may be characterized, and a correction map may be generated, based upon the identifiable loci.

Abstract: A system and method for collimation in diagnostic imaging systems is provided. One collimator includes a plurality of parallel hole segments and a plurality of collimator bores within each of the plurality of parallel hole segments. Additionally, all of the plurality of collimator bores in at least one of the plurality of parallel hole segments have a first pointing direction and all of the plurality of collimator bores in at least one other of the plurality of parallel hole segments have a second pointing direction, wherein the plurality of parallel hole segments are arranged in a fanbeam collimation configuration. Further, the first pointing direction is different than the second pointing direction.

Abstract: A proximity sensor array for a medical imaging system includes a flexible substrate configured to be mounted to a detector, and a plurality of sensors disposed on the substrate, the flexible substrate being deformable to contact a sensing surface of the detector. A method of fabricating a proximity sensor array and a medical imaging system are also described herein.

Abstract: Systems and methods for attenuation compensation in nuclear medicine imaging based on emission data are provided. One method includes acquiring emission data at a plurality of energy windows for a person having administered thereto a radiopharmaceutical comprising at least one radioactive isotope. The method also includes performing a preliminary reconstruction of the acquired emission data to create one or more preliminary images of a peak energy window and a scatter energy window and determining a body outline of the person from at least one of the reconstructed preliminary image of the peak energy window or of the scatter energy window. The method further includes identifying a heart contour and segmenting at least the left lung. The method additionally includes defining an attenuation map based on the body outline and segmented left lung and reconstructing an image of a region of interest of the person using an iterative joint estimation reconstruction.

Abstract: A nuclear medicine mammography system and method for conducting concurrent examinations of both breasts of a patient, thereby reducing examination time in molecular breast imaging. The system comprises first and second pairs of generally opposed articulatable gamma photon detectors, wherein each pair of detectors can be arranged to image a respective breast independently from the other pair of detectors. In one or more embodiments, each pair of detectors can be arranged in at least two imaging orientations, such as cranio-caudal and mediolateral-oblique.

Abstract: A nuclear medicine mammography system and method for conducting concurrent examinations of both breasts of a patient, thereby reducing examination time in molecular breast imaging. The system comprises first and second pairs of generally opposed articulatable gamma photon detectors, wherein each pair of detectors can be arranged to image a respective breast independently from the other pair of detectors. In one or more embodiments, each pair of detectors can be arranged in at least two imaging orientations, such as cranio-caudal and mediolateral-oblique.

Abstract: A security device for hindering data theft and data leaks via audio channel of a computer system is based on passing the audio signals through a coding vocoder that receives input audio signal from a computer and compressing the signal to a low bit-rate digital data indicative of human speech; and a decoding vocoder that decompress the digital data back to a secure audio signal. The data transfer of the protected audio channel is intentionally limited not to exceed the bit-rate needed to carry vocoder-compressed human speech which is well below the capabilities of unprotected audio channel. Both analog and digital audio ports may be protected. Hardware bit-rate limiter protect the system from software hacking.

Abstract: A nuclear medicine mammography system and method for conducting concurrent examinations of both breasts of a patient, thereby reducing examination time in molecular breast imaging. The system comprises first and second pairs of generally opposed articulatable gamma photon detectors, wherein each pair of detectors can be arranged to image a respective breast independently from the other pair of detectors. In one or more embodiments, the first detector pair is dedicatedly oriented in a first orientation and the second detector pair is dedicatedly oriented in a second, different orientation.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates various approaches for removing or reducing the effects of out-of-field sources of radiation if emission tomography applications. In certain embodiments, a plurality of measured views are acquired about an organ or region of interest. The measured views may be reconstructed to form an image and the image may be used in a cleaning or correction process that allows generation of a final image having reduced or eliminated artifacts attributable to out-of-field source effects.

Abstract: A system and method for collimation in diagnostic imaging systems is provided. One collimator includes a plurality of parallel hole segments and a plurality of collimator bores within each of the plurality of parallel hole segments. Additionally, all of the plurality of collimator bores in at least one of the plurality of parallel hole segments have a first pointing direction and all of the plurality of collimator bores in at least one other of the plurality of parallel hole segments have a second pointing direction, wherein the plurality of parallel hole segments are arranged in a fanbeam collimation configuration. Further, the first pointing direction is different than the second pointing direction.

Abstract: Systems and methods for localizing a medical device with nuclear medicine imaging are provided. One system includes a medical tool having a body with a length and configured to be inserted within an object. The medical tool also includes one or more radiation opaque regions along at least a portion of the length of the body, wherein the radiation opaque regions block gamma ray emission from within the object.

Abstract: A method for performing an imaging scan of a subject includes positioning a narrow field-of-view camera at a first imaging position to acquire a first set of imaging information of a first object of interest, positioning the narrow field-of-view camera at a second imaging position to acquire a second set of imaging information of a second object of interest, determining emission counts for the first and second sets of imaging information, and utilizing the determined emission counts to generate a value that indicates a probability of a successful medical procedure being performed on the subject.

Abstract: Systems and methods for medical imaging are provided. One method includes obtaining image information including timing information and obtaining motion information corresponding to an external movement by a patient being imaged. Obtaining the motion information includes detecting motion of the patient with a sensing device that does not engage the patient. The motion information includes motion timing information. The method further includes associating the motion information with the image information using the image timing information and the motion timing information. The method further includes forming an image representative of a portion of the patient using the associated image and motion information.