Abstract: A multi-modality diagnostic imaging system includes a first imaging subsystem, such as a computed tomographic (CT) system, for performing a first imaging procedure on a subject. The first imaging system has a gantry that slides along rails. A second imaging subsystem, such as a nuclear medicine system (NUC), performs a second imaging procedure on a subject. The second imaging subsystem is separate from the first imaging system, but in the same room. The second imaging subsystem has a gantry or is gantryless. A patient couch supports a subject. The patient couch is supported on a couch support having vertical adjustment and horizontally fixed. In this manner, the patient is maintained in the same position for multiple types of scans using the same couch support without horizontal translation of the patient couch and patient.

Abstract: A medical imaging system locates tumors in tissue surrounding an anatomical portion of the human body subject to investigation for primary lesions. The imaging system comprises a single-photon limited angle tomographic imaging device to provide a first emission image including tissue surrounding the anatomical portion. In combination with the single photon limited angle tomographic imaging device, a digital x-ray device provides an x-ray transmission image of the anatomical portion and tissue thereabout. A third component of the imaging system is a single-photon nuclear imaging device for tomographic image acquisition and reconstruction to produce a second emission image of the anatomical portion and tissue previously viewed by the digital radiography device. Registration of the first emission image, the transmission image and the second emission leads to selection of two- and three-dimensional image sets of the anatomical portion and tissue surrounding the anatomical portion.

Abstract: A system and method of integrating a nuclear medicine imaging device such as a gamma camera with a patient handling system where the nuclear medicine imaging system does not prevent full access to the patient and does not interfere with the field of view of accompanying modalities accommodated by use of the patient handling system.

Abstract: Generation of attenuation maps for nuclear medicine image reconstructions based on the use of anatomical image data, such as CT data, take into account variations caused by variations in acquisition energy width and emission energy of the radioisotope used in the clinical imaging procedure, as coefficient correction factors that are stored together with such maps.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for nuclear medicine imaging in which the imaging platform is attached directly to the detectors for nuclear imaging to allow for minimal constant distance between the detector(s) and the object to be imaged. As the detector moves around the object to be imaged to capture different angular views of the object, the imaging platform is rotated in a compensatory manner to maintain a its long axis perpendicular to gravity during movement of the detector. An advantage of this configuration over prior systems is the ability to obtain multiple angular projections while the distance between the detector and the object being imaged is maintained at a minimum, but the danger of detector-object collision is minimized and the necessity for orbital path calibration to preserve precision of detector movement and distance is eliminated.

Abstract: A generalized rebinning method transforms SPECT projection data acquired with a first type of collimator into projection data as if it were acquired with a second type of collimator, for subsequent reconstruction using a 3-D algorithm devised for the second type of collimator. The method includes use of a non-stationary point-spread function in the conversion to account for image blurring.

Abstract: Systems and methods are described for co-registering, displaying and quantifying images from numerous different medical modalities, such as CT, MRI and SPECT. In this novel approach co-registration and image fusion is based on multiple user-defined Regions-of-Interest (ROI), which may be subsets of entire image volumes, from multiple modalities, where the each ROI may depict data from different image modalities. The user-selected ROI of a first image modality may be superposed over or blended with the corresponding ROI of a second image modality, and the entire second image may be displayed with either the superposed or blended ROI.

Abstract: A method for converting output data from a computer tomography (CT) device to linear attenuation coefficient data includes a step of receiving output pixel data from a CT device for a pixel of a CT image. The value of the pixel data is compared to a predetermined range. If the value is within the predetermined range, a linear attenuation coefficient is calculated from the pixel data using a first conversion function corresponding to said predetermined range. If the value is outside the predetermined range, the linear attenuation coefficient is calculated from the pixel data using a second conversion function corresponding to a range outside said predetermined range. The calculated coefficient is stored in a memory as part of a linear attenuation coefficient map.