Abstract: A phantom and method are provided for co-registering a magnetic resonance image and a nuclear medical image. The phantom includes a first housing defining a first chamber configured to receive a magnetic resonance material upon which magnetic resonance imaging can be performed in order to produce the magnetic resonance image. The phantom also includes three or more second housings configured to be attached to the first housing, where the second housings each define a second chamber configured to receive a radioactive material upon which nuclear imaging can be performed in order to produce the nuclear medical image and upon which the magnetic imaging can be performed in order to produce the magnetic resonance image. The first chamber has a volumetric capacity that is larger than a volumetric capacity of each second chamber.

Abstract: A method of TOF-PET image reconstruction using time-truncated TOF-PET projection data. The time-truncated TOF-PET data is obtained by narrowing the scanner time window to a smaller “time window field of view,” which reduces the field of view of a TOF-PET scanner. This results in a lower list mode stream transfer rate, which can be useful in high count rate data acquisitions, in particular 82Rb cardiac studies.

Abstract: A detector is provided for nuclear medicine imaging. Scintillator pixels form an axial array and a transaxial array. A first photosensor is positioned along the axial array; and a second photosensor is positioned along the transaxial array, wherein the first photosensor and the second photosensor provide dual event localization for nuclear medicine imaging.

Abstract: A scintillation detector according to an embodiment of the invention features a monolithic scintillation crystal and a plurality of optical fibers coupled to the scintillation crystal. The optical fibers are arranged to convey scintillation light to an optical sensor that is located exterior to the scintillation crystal. Because the optical fibers are extremely small in diameter, a multiplicity of them can be coupled to the scintillation crystal to provide the extremely high resolution of a pixelated scintillation crystal while the comparative manufacturing simplicity of a monolithic scintillation crystal is maintained. In preferred embodiments, the optical fibers are further arranged so that depth of interaction information can be obtained.

Abstract: A Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner has a plurality of photo detector blocks. Each photo detector block or region has a plurality of photo detectors, a multiplexer receiving output signals from the plurality of photo detectors and generating a multiplexer output signal, a multiplexer control unit controlling switching of the multiplexer, and an analog-to-digital converter receiving the multiplexer output signal and generating a digital output signal.

Abstract: A process for obtaining an attenuation map from a truncated transmission scan of an imaged object, by compensating for missing emission data as a result of truncation by using non-truncated emission data of the imaged object to derive “fill-in” emission data. The truncation-compensated emission data then is used to generate an attenuation map for correcting a reconstructed emission image for effects of attenuation.

Abstract: Attenuation correction data is obtained from one or more transmission sources to calculate the attenuation factors of a reconstruction area of an object being imaged by a nuclear medicine apparatus, such as a SPECT gamma camera. The transmission sources are capable of swiveling the direction of the transmission to correspond with the direction of capture of the gamma detectors. Additionally, the transmission sources are capable of linear movement to correspond with any linear movement of the detectors. The transmission sources are able to follow the same path as the detectors in order to determine the attenuation factors through the same reconstruction area being scanned by the detectors.

Abstract: A radiographic three dimensional imaging apparatus capable of focusing on a center of rotation point, includes at least two gamma ray detectors, each having a radiation input face, with each detector positioned on a linear path, wherein each detector is movable along the detector's linear path, while simultaneously swiveling to maintain the detector's input face towards the rotation point. The apparatus allows for organ-targeted tomography as a virtual center of rotation can be placed arbitrarily with respect to a patient, constrained only by the physical limits of the detector motion.

Abstract: A multiple position support structure is disclosed. The support structure comprising a base, a planar member configured for supporting a patient, a linking assembly connecting the planar member with the base, and an actuator assembly operably connected to the linking assembly and the base for moving the planar member from a first position to a second position. The linking assembly includes a first pair of connecting arms and second pair of connecting arms, each arm being bent at a fulcrum point. The actuator assembly includes a driver means, a screw actuator rotatably connected to the driver means, a driver nut mounted about the screw actuator, and a pull arm pivotably mounted to the driver nut. Rotation of the screw actuator causes linear movement of the driver nut and results the pull arm applying a pulling force to the linking assembly. Extension of the linking assembly causes vertical movement of the planar member.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for providing efficient space leaping using neighbor guided emptiness map in octree traversal for fast ray casting. The apparatus and method include providing a min-max octree structure, marching a ray through the min-max structure; and skipping empty nodes associated with the min-max structure along the direction of the ray based on a memory byte included in each node comprising an emptiness state of neighbor nodes and a current node.

Abstract: A method of reducing ring artifacts in tomographic images including providing an original digitized projection measurement comprising a plurality of intensities corresponding to a domain of points on an 2-dimensional grid, operating on said original projection measurement with a filter wherein features of high radial frequency and low angular frequency are attenuated, forming a weighted mixture of said filtered projection measurement and said original projection measurement wherein ring artifacts in said original tomographic image are substantially reduced, and reconstructing the projection measurement to form a tomographic image. Alternatively, a first tomographic image is reconstructed from said original projection measurement, a second tomographic image is reconstructed from said filtered projection measurement, and a weighted mixture is formed from said first tomographic image and said second tomographic image.

Abstract: A system and method for rendering an image that includes accessing image data and dividing the image data into one or more blocks. One or more corner points of the blocks are identified and rays are cast through voxel space of the image data in the direction of the corner points to determine one or more integrated values for the corner points. The integrated values are then sampled and compared to the sampled values for each combination of the corner points. A difference value (diffvalue) is calculated as a function of the comparison and an initial gradient (grad) is calculated as a function of a Reduced Path Octree (RPO) structure during the casting of rays. Next, a maximum gradient (maxGrad) is calculated based on the initial gradient (grad). Finally, an image processing operation is determined as a function of the maximum gradient (maxGrad) and the difference value (diffvalue).

Abstract: A device for improved on-line histogramming of data acquired in a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan. The device is a Smart DRAM (SD) PCI card, of which more than one can be used in combination within a PC-based architecture for on-line histogramming. The SD PCI card is applied as either of a Gating Buffer, a histogramming card, and a normalization buffer. The Gating Buffer card alternately stores an arriving PET data packet stream into two dedicated DRAM banks. The two DRAM banks store and retransmit the packet stream in the order of arrival for an entire physiological cycle. The histogramming SD RMW PCI cards provide a very high rate of histogramming. The extendible daisy-chain of SD RMW PCI cards supports large memory banks across potentially hundreds of SD RMW PCI cards. Under a single PC, a multiple PCI Expansion chassis is employed such that a large number of PCI cards are supported.

Abstract: A medical imaging system having a patient support apparatus is provided. The medical imaging system includes a framework portion and a kit of rigid modular patient support panels, constructed of material having a radiation attenuation coefficient less than that of metals. The panels in sub-combination are removably mounted to and supported by the framework portion. The panels are selectively assembled to define varying surface profiles, including selective gaps there between, that are capable of conforming a patient in contact with the surface profile in a range of supported body positions from supine to seated.

Abstract: A method and system for compensating truncated transmission projection data used for attenuation correction in a SPECT apparatus. The method and system include generating an initial estimate of a transmission reconstruction without modeling source geometry or detector collimator response and refining the transmission reconstruction by using the initial estimate with a modified model of the source geometry and the collimation geometry.

Abstract: A phantom for use in generating a normalization data set to be used in PET scanning (particularly integrated MR/PET scanning) is disclosed. The phantom features radiation activity distributed throughout a foam material. The foam—e.g., a polyurethane foam—may be produced by reacting two liquids, one of which is emulsified with water in which Ge68 has been dissolved. The foam produced thereby exhibits uniform distribution of radioactivity and a long mean free path for 511 keV gamma particles—two attributes that are important attributes of a PET phantom.

Abstract: The present application is directed to radiolabeled cyclic polypeptides, pharmaceutical compositions comprising radiolabeled cyclic polypeptides, and methods of using the radiolabeled cyclic polypeptides. Such polypeptides can be used in imaging studies, such as Positron Emitting Tomography (PET) or Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT).

Abstract: In some preferred embodiments, a system for the automatic identification of cortical and/or medulla regions of the kidneys in renal dynamic studies is provided that includes: a computer module configured to perform principal component analysis on a dynamic sequence corresponding to only one of the kidneys based on a linear combination of the first few component images with coefficients for the principal component analysis as normalization factors.

Abstract: A method and system of correcting misalignment effects in reconstructed images of a nuclear medical imaging apparatus includes calculating misalignments of a detector to accommodate for deflections (e.g., gravity induced deflections) of a detector (e.g., a cantilevered detector mounted for rotation movement about a patient) from a fixed coordinate system used for image data acquisition.

Abstract: A solid state PET module for retrofitting to a standalone CT scanner generally includes a housing that is insertable into at least a portion of a bore opening of a gantry of the CT scanner. The housing includes a number of PET coincidence detectors, which are preferably solid state APD detectors. The module may include a base for supporting the module on a floor or platform of the CT scanner, or may be in the form of a disk securably fastened to the CT scanner gantry.