Abstract: A multi-head SPECT-capable scintillation camera has one head collimated by a parallel hole collimator and one or more focussing collimators. The focussing collimators are advantageously cone beam collimators or (for scintillation cameras which have rectangular detectors) astigmatic collimators. The scintillation camera is used to acquire information about a relatively small body organ of interest, such as the heart or the brain. From this information, the spatial location of the organ is determined. Then, during rotation of the camera heads about the patient during a SPECT study, the positions of the focussing collimators are controlled so as to maintain the organ of interest in a predetermined position with respect to their field(s) of view. Thereafter, the data acquired during the SPECT study is used to form a SPECT image of the organ of interest. The SPECT image may then be displayed or outputted.

Abstract: Two planar nuclear medicine images of a target organ are acquired using a focussing collimator at two different heights. An anatomic landmark associated with the target organ is computer-identified in each of the images, and the depth of the target organ is determined geometrically using the differences in size between the images of the identified landmark and the differences in height.

Abstract: Anatomical landmarks relating to a target organ which is to be studied in a nuclear medicine study are automatically identified by a computer. The landmarks are superimposed upon a nuclear medicine persistence image of the target organ. This facilitates technician identification of the target organ and also facilitates repeatability of, e.g., myocardial perfusion studies, which require that two studies be performed on a single patient at two different times.