Patents by Inventor Michael E. Casey

Michael E. Casey has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7848559
    Abstract: Axial rebinning methods are provided for 3D time-of-flight (TOF) positron emission tomography (PET), based on 2D data rebinning. Rebinning is performed separately for each axial plane parallel to the axis of the PET scanner. An analytical approach is provided that is based on a consistency condition for TOF-PET data with a gaussian profile. A fully discrete approach is also provided, wherein each 2D TOF-PET data is calculated as a linear combination of 3D TOF-PET data having the same sinogram coordinates s and ?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Michel Defrise, Vladimir Panin, Christian J. Michel, Michael E. Casey
  • Publication number: 20100148047
    Abstract: A method for improving clinical data quality in Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The method provides for the processing of PET data to accurately and efficiently determine a data single-to-noise ratio (SNR) corresponding to each individual clinical patient scan, as a function of a singles rate in a PET scanner. The method relates an injected dose to the singles rate to determine SNR(Dinj), and provides an accurate estimate of a quantity proportional to SNR, similar in function to the SNR(Dinj). Knowledge of SNR(Dinj) permits determination of peak SNR, optimal dose, SNR deficit, dose deficit, and differential dose benefit. The patient dose is fractionated, with a small calibration dose given initially. After a short uptake, the patient is pre-scanned to determine T, S, and R. An optimal does is then determined and the remainder injected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Publication date: June 17, 2010
    Applicant: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Bernard Bendriem, Michael E. Casey, Charles C. Watson
  • Patent number: 7737405
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles C. Watson, Vladimir Panin, Bernard Bendriem, Michael E. Casey
  • Publication number: 20100076300
    Abstract: A data processing process and embodiment for optimizing the signal path for multi-modality imaging is described. The embodiment and process optimizes the signal to noise ratio in a positron emission tomography (PET) signal path utilizing scintillation crystals, avalanche photo diodes, and charge sensitive preamplifiers in a dual modality MRI/PET scanner. The dual use of both and analog pole zero circuit and a digital filter enables higher signal levels or a fixed ADC input range and thus a higher possible signal to noise ratio in the presence of significant pileup caused by high positron activity. The higher signal to noise ratio is needed in the PET signal architecture, because of the presence of non-modal time varying electromagnetic fields from the MR, which are a significant source of noise for the wideband PET signal modality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 22, 2009
    Publication date: March 25, 2010
    Applicant: SIEMENS MEDICAL SOLUTIONS USA, INC.
    Inventors: Roger E. Arseneau, James Frank Caruba, Michael E. Casey, Mark Musrock, Nan Zhang
  • Publication number: 20100067758
    Abstract: Point spread function (PSF) radial filtering in a line of response space. Modeling a radial component, R, of a point spread filter as a function of at least a radial projection index ?, a radial image space coordinate r, and an azimuth ?. The index ? is characterized by an asymmetrical Gaussian distribution having where ?left(r) and ?right(r) derived from point source measurements, and an adjustment ?J(r, ?) estimated from point source sinogram by Josephs' projector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2009
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: SIEMENS MEDICAL SOLUTIONS USA, INC.
    Inventors: Michael E. Casey, Vladimir Y. Panin
  • Publication number: 20100070808
    Abstract: An event data transmission scheme is provided for reducing positron emission tomography event losses. The event data transmission scheme employs a more effective use of available data bandwidth. Each of a plurality of detector data slots is connected directly to a data aggregation control interface, and the control interface is connected to a coincidence processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2009
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: SIEMENS MEDICAL SOLUTIONS USA, INC.
    Inventors: Michael E. Casey, Andrew P. Moor, Kenneth PUTERBAUGH
  • Publication number: 20100061263
    Abstract: A system identifies when received packets are lost at a node in a multi-node processing chain. The system processing chain may include a gantry interface module for receiving coincident event data from a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) detector array, a DMA (direct memory access) rebinner card, and a transmission line coupled between the gantry interface module and the DMA card. FPGA and FIFO elements in each processing portion receive packets that may be lost if there is insufficient FIFO capacity. Lost packets are marked, discarded, and counted. At specified intervals, set in accordance with a threshold number of packets received a lost tally data packet is generated that includes count information for lost packets. The lost tally data packet is forwarded downstream when sufficient storage capacity exists.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2009
    Publication date: March 11, 2010
    Applicant: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Breeding, Michael E. Casey, Jimmy Everman, William F. Jones, Johhny H. Reed, Wing K. Luk
  • Patent number: 7655914
    Abstract: A constant fraction discriminating circuit outputs timing information corresponding to an event corresponding to a detected photon for providing nuclear medicine imaging. The constant fraction discriminating circuit includes a stripline or microstrip delay element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Musrock, Michael E. Casey
  • Patent number: 7649176
    Abstract: A method for improving clinical data quality in Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The method provides for the processing of PET data to accurately and efficiently determine a data signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) corresponding to each individual clinical patient scan, as a function of a singles rate in a PET scanner. The method relates an injected dose to the singles rate to determine SNR(Dinj), and provides an accurate estimate of a quantity proportional to SNR, similar in function to the SNR(Dinj). Knowledge of SNR(Dinj) permits determination of peak SNR, optimal dose, SNR deficit, dose deficit, and differential dose benefit. The patient dose is fractionated, with a small calibration dose given initially. After a short uptake, the patient is pre-scanned to determine T, S, and R. An optimal dose is then determined and the remainder injected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Watson, Michael E. Casey, Bernard Bendriem
  • Patent number: 7638771
    Abstract: A system for generating time-of-flight (TOF) positron emission tomography (PET) projection data includes a direct memory access rebinner constructed as a digital FPGA pipeline for rebinning TOF coincidence data in accordance with a number of projection space mapping algorithms, such as single-slice rebinning (SSRB) and reduced multiple-slice rebinning (MSRB), together with less precise transaxial and/or axial sampling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2009
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: John E. Breeding, Michael E. Casey, William F Jones
  • Patent number: 7569829
    Abstract: A calibration system for a combined Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Computed Tomography scanner system, may have a support structure carrying a rotation motor driving a phantom, wherein the phantom has at least two phantom rods and the rods are positioned such that they are neither parallel nor connected to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2009
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Mu Chen, Michael E. Casey, Jun Bao
  • Publication number: 20090072131
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for estimating crystal efficiency in a PET detector that takes axial compression into account. It does so via an iterative methodology in which a ?-map is first generated and then is used to obtain a solution for the equation L ? ( ? i ) = ? n ? N ? ? y n ? log ? ? i , j ? span ? ? g ij ? ? i ? ? j ? x ij - ? i , j ? span ? ? g ij ? ? i ? ? j ? x ij , wherein gij is a geometric factor for LOR(i,j), ?i and ?j are the efficiencies for crystal i and crystal j, and xij is the line integral of the source distribution along LOR(i,j). Once efficiencies are determined, they are used to calibrate the PET detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Applicant: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Mu Chen, Vladimir Panin, Michael E. Casey
  • Publication number: 20090072152
    Abstract: A calibration system for a combined Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/Computed Tomography scanner system, may have a support structure carrying a rotation motor driving a phantom, wherein the phantom has at least two phantom rods and the rods are positioned such that they are neither parallel nor connected to each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Applicant: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Mu Chen, Michael E. Casey, Jun Bao
  • Publication number: 20090076379
    Abstract: A medical imaging device has an emission tomograph, at least one ultrasonic (US) probe for providing images giving real-time information about the location of the internal organs of a subject, a tracking system for spatially locating the at least one ultrasonic probe in relation to the medical imaging device, and an image processing unit in which the location information obtained by the ultrasonic probe is used for attenuation correction of image information obtained by the emission tomograph.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2008
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Applicant: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: James J. Hamill, Gunther Platsch, Michael E. Casey
  • Publication number: 20090074152
    Abstract: A method for determining quality of sinograms produced by a medical imaging device. The method may include placing a uniform phantom object in the field of view of the medical imaging device; acquiring one or more phantom sinograms of the uniform phantom object; establish a set of parameters for the acquired one or more phantom sinograms; and determine, based on pre-set ranges of the parameters, the quality of sinograms produced by the medical imaging device. The parameters may be one or more parameters of a group of parameters consisting of block uniformity, block efficiency, randoms rate, scanner efficiency, and scatter ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Applicant: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Mu Chen, Michael E. Casey
  • Publication number: 20090072155
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2008
    Publication date: March 19, 2009
    Applicant: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles C. Watson, Vladimir Panin, Bernard Bendriem, Michael E. Casey
  • Publication number: 20090008563
    Abstract: A constant fraction discriminating circuit outputs timing information corresponding to an event corresponding to a detected photon for providing nuclear medicine imaging. The constant fraction discriminating circuit includes a stripline or microstrip delay element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Publication date: January 8, 2009
    Applicant: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Musrock, Michael E. Casey
  • Patent number: 7465927
    Abstract: For patient transmission data acquired simultaneously with patient emission data, blank transmission data are acquired in the absence of the patient emission and therefore under count rate conditions different from the count rate conditions of the patient transmission data. To prevent the different count rate conditions from causing artifacts in reconstructed tomographic images, a correction is made for spatially varying count rate effects on the attenuation correction. For example, the blank scan data are adjusted according to the count rate at which the patient emission data are acquired, and the adjusted blank scan data and the patient transmission data are used for attenuation correction of the patient emission data used for reconstructing a tomographic image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Vladimir Panin, Maurizio Conti, Michael E. Casey
  • Publication number: 20080283758
    Abstract: A method for correcting PET emission data for prompt gamma emission background components present in non-pure positron-emitting isotopes uses a two component fit of modeled scatter and modeled prompt gamma emission in the area of scatter tails in a normalized emission sinogram. The method allows a PET scan using non-standard PET isotopes to be quantitative and thus more clinically useful.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Publication date: November 20, 2008
    Applicant: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles H. Hayden, JR., Michael E. Casey, Charles C. Watson
  • Publication number: 20080275688
    Abstract: A system for simulating a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) gantry has a computer system having a bus system for receiving expansion cards, a mass data storage support system, the mass storage system being operable to store coincidence-event and tag packet data, and a data transfer simulation card for said bus system, wherein the data transfer simulation card is operable to simulate transfer timing of the stored coincidence-event and tag packet data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Publication date: November 6, 2008
    Applicant: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: William Jones, John E. Breeding, Johnny H. Reed, Jim Everman, Michael E. Casey