Abstract: A patient positioning apparatus for supporting and properly positioning a patient during medical imaging procedures. A positioning apparatus can be segmented into articulated sectional members, which may be pivotally connected to one another allowing proper positioning within the gantry port of a CT, PET, and/or SPECT tomography scanning machine.

Abstract: Some embodiments include a low-dose CT apparatus. Such an apparatus can comprise a plurality of x-ray sources disposed on a gantry and spaced apart along a z-axis. The sources may be configured to produce substantially overlapping fan beams, wherein overlap is substantially complete at a detector surface. Some embodiments also include a controller in electronic communication with the plurality of x-ray sources. The controller may be adapted to switch the plurality of x-ray sources between on and off states such that only one x-ray source is in an on state at any time. Furthermore, the controller circuit may be in electronic communication with at least one x-ray detector and may be adapted to synchronize the x-ray detector with the plurality of x-ray sources such that detected x-rays can be matched to an x-ray source.

Abstract: Some embodiments can comprise a tomographic imaging data acquisition method(s) and/or systems embodying the method(s). Some methods according to embodiments of the invention include simultaneously reading each photoconverter of a scintillation detector; reading the photoconverters at a frequency sufficient to obtain a plurality of digital sample measurements of a scintillation wave front; and recording the data read from each of the plurality of photoconverters as a function of time.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a common PET/SPECT/CT gantry including a central aperture. At least one x-ray source can be mounted on the common gantry in a fixed relation, wherein an x-ray beam emitted by the source is directed across the central aperture. Some embodiments can also include a plurality of x-ray scintillation detectors mounted on the common gantry in a fixed relation and directed in an opposing orientation relative to the at least one x-ray source. In some embodiments a plurality of PET/SPECT scintillation detectors is also mounted on the common gantry in a fixed relation, wherein the PET/SPECT detectors define an arc having a center in common with the central aperture.

Abstract: A slab detector for PET and/or SPECT imaging comprising a scintillation crystal slab and a plurality of photoconverters each in optical communication with a surface of the scintillation crystal. In some embodiments, the plurality of photoconverters define a two dimensional array, wherein each photoconverter abuts adjacent photoconverters. Furthermore, according to some embodiments a plurality of slab detectors can be juxtaposed with one another so that their slab crystals abut edgewise.