Abstract: The present invention relates to a device (100) for iterative reconstruction of images recorded by at least two imaging methods, the device comprising: an extraction module (10), which is configured to extract a first set of patches from a first image recorded by a first imaging method and to extract a second set of patches from a second image recorded by a second imaging method; a generation module (20), which is configured to generate a set of reference patches based on a merging of a first limited number of atoms for the first set of patches and of a second limited number of atoms for the second set of patches; and a regularization module (30), which is configured to perform a regularization of the first image or the second image by means of the generated set of reference patches.

Abstract: A method includes modulating a flux of emission radiation between a first lower flux level and a second higher flux level in coordination with a cardiac cycle signal so that the flux is at the first lower flux level during a first cardiac motion phase having a first higher cardiac motion and is at the second higher flux level during a second cardiac motion phase having a second lower cardiac motion. The method further includes reconstructing the projection data with a first reconstruction window, which applies a first higher weight to a first sub-set of the projection data that corresponds to the first cardiac motion phase and the lower first flux level and a second lower weight to a second sub-set of the projection data that corresponds to the second cardiac motion phase and the higher second flux level, to generate first volumetric image data.

Abstract: A method includes obtaining first spectral image data, which includes at least a first component corresponding to a targeted first K-edge based contrast agent administered to a subject if a target of the targeted first K-edge based contrast agent is present in the subject, decomposing the first spectral image data into at least the first component, reconstructing the first component thereby generating a first image of the targeted first K-edge contrast agent, determining if the targeted first K-edge contrast agent is present in the first image, and generating a signal indicating the targeted first K-edge contrast agent is present in the first image in response to determining the targeted first K-edge contrast agent is present in the first image.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and a corresponding imaging method.

Abstract: An imaging system (1400) includes a first and a second focal spot (1410I and 1410N), a first pre-patient radiation beam filter (1416) disposed between the first focal spot and the examination region and having a first profile and a second pre-patient radiation beam filter (1416N) disposed between the second focal spot and the examination region and having a second profile, and a source controller (1412) that controls an operation of the focal spots by modulating the operation during a scan based on at least one of an angular position of focal spots, a shape of a region of interest of subject or object being scanned, or based on a change in size between two adjacent regions of the subject or object being scanned.

Abstract: A method includes performing a first pass of an iterative image reconstruction in which an intermediate first spectral image and an intermediate second spectral image are generated using an iterative image reconstruction algorithm, start first spectral and second spectral images, and initial first spectral regularization and second spectral regularization parameters, updating at least one of the initial first spectral regularization or second spectral regularization parameters, thereby creating an updated first spectral regularization or second spectral regularization parameter, based at least on a sharpness of one of the intermediate first spectral or second spectral images, and performing a subsequent pass of the iterative image reconstruction in which an updated intermediate first spectral and second spectral image is generated using the iterative image reconstruction algorithm, the intermediate first spectral and second spectral images, and the updated first spectral regularization and Compton scatter reg

Abstract: The invention relates to a projection data acquisition apparatus (31) for acquiring projection data. The projection data acquisition apparatus comprises a radiation device (32) for generating a pulsed radiation beam (4) for traversing an object and a detection device (6) for generating projection data being indicative of the pulsed radiation beam (4) at different acquisition positions, wherein the radiation device (32) is adapted to generate the pulsed radiation beam (4) such that at different acquisition positions the pulsed radiation beam (4) has different shapes, i.e. is differently blocked and/or attenuated. Thus, not the complete radiation providable by the radiation device is used at each acquisition position, but at least at some acquisition positions only a smaller pulsed radiation beam is used. This can lead to less scattered radiation and hence to improved projection data and an improved computed tomography image, which may be reconstructed based on the acquired projection data.

Abstract: An imaging system (200) includes a radiation source (208) that emits radiation that traverses an examination region. The imaging system further includes a hybrid data acquisition system (212) that receives radiation that traverses the examination region. The hybrid data acquisition system includes a phase-contrast sub-portion (304) spanning a sub-portion of a full field of view. The hybrid data acquisition system further includes at least one of an integrating portion (302, 702, 804, 806, 902) or a spectral portion (402, 704, 706, 802, 1002) spanning the full field of view. The hybrid data acquisition system generates a phase-contrast signal and at least one of an integration signal or a spectral signal. The imaging system further includes a reconstructor (216) that reconstructs the phase-contrast signal and at least one of the integration single or the spectral signal to generate volumetric image data indicative of the examination region.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a radiographic imaging apparatus and a corresponding radiographic imaging method. The proposed apparatus comprises an X-ray source and a photon counting X-ray detector. The X-ray source comprises a rotary X-ray anode having a number of radial slits and a target layer provided on a surface of said rotary X-ray anode in between said radial slits for emitting X-ray radiation when hit by said electron beam. The said photon counting X-ray detector comprises a persistent current sensing and correction unit for sensing a persistent output current in a blanking interval during which no X-ray radiation is emitted by said X-ray source and for using the sensed persistent output current to correct a detector signal in a subsequent measurement interval during which X-ray radiation is emitted by said X-ray source.

Abstract: The invention relates to a CT imaging apparatus and a method for generating sectional images of an object such as a patient on a patient table. According to one embodiment, first projections (P) are generated along a first helical scanning path (Tr1) of a first X-ray source according to a sparse angular sampling scheme. Additional projections (Q1, Q2, R1) may dynamically be introduced along said first helical scanning path (Tr1) and/or along a second helical scanning path (Tr2) of an additional X-ray source based on the evaluation of previous projections (P1).

Abstract: Methods and related apparatus (SP) to correct phase shift image data for phase wrapping artifacts. The data is detected at a detector (D) of an imaging system (IM) including interferometric equipment (G0, G1, G2). In a phase unwrapping method that involves optimizing an objective function with regularization, a two-sage approach is proposed. The measured data is processed in one stage with regularization and in the other stage without regularization. This allows improving the accuracy of the corrected (phase unwrapped) phase shift data because an undesirable bias caused by the regularization can be avoided.

Abstract: The invention relates to an imaging system (17) like a computed tomography system for generating an image of an object. Spectral measured projection data and non-spectral measured projection data are generated by a detector (6) having spectral detection elements and non-spectral detection elements, and spectral estimated projection data are estimated by using a model material distribution which could have caused the non-spectral measured projection data and by simulating a measurement of the spectral estimated projection data based on the model material distribution. An image is reconstructed based on the measured and estimated spectral projection data. Using the spectral estimated projection data in addition to the spectral measured projection data can lead to high quality spectral imaging, especially high quality spectral computed tomography imaging, which uses a simplified detector not only having generally more complex spectral detection elements, but also having simpler non-spectral detection elements.

Abstract: A method is disclosed that includes decomposing, with a decomposer, agent-based time series projection data for an object or a subject into at least an agent based component. A projection data decomposer includes a time series decomposer that determines agent-based projection data based on agent-based time series projection data based on at least two energy dependent components. A computer readable storage medium containing instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the act of determining an agent-based component of agent-based time series projection data utilizing at least two components of the agent-based time series projection is provided.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a radiographic imaging apparatus and a corresponding radiographic imaging method. The proposed apparatus comprises an X-ray source and a photon counting X-ray detector. The X-ray source comprises a rotary X-ray anode having a number of radial slits and a target layer provided on a surface of said rotary X-ray anode in between said radial slits for emitting X-ray radiation when hit by said electron beam. The said photon counting X-ray detector comprises a persistent current sensing and correction unit for sensing a persistent output current in a blanking interval during which no X-ray radiation is emitted by said X-ray source and for using the sensed persistent output current to correct a detector signal in a subsequent measurement interval during which X-ray radiation is emitted by said X-ray source.

Abstract: An imaging system (100) includes a radiation source (108) that emits radiation that traverses an examination region, a paralyzable photon counting detector pixel (110) that detects photons traversing the examination region and arriving at an input photon rate and that generates a signal indicative thereof, high flux electronics (122) that produce a total time over threshold value each integration period based on the signal, a reconstruction parameter identifier (124) that estimates the input photon rate based on the total time over threshold value and identifies a reconstruction parameter based on the estimate, and a reconstructor (130) that reconstructs the signal based on the identified reconstruction parameter.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a radiographic imaging apparatus and a corresponding radiographic imaging method. The proposed apparatus comprises an X-ray source (20, 108) and a photon counting X-ray detector (40, 110). The X-ray source (20, 108) comprises a rotary X-ray anode (23) having a number of radial slits and a target layer provided on a surface of said rotary X-ray anode in between said radial slits for emitting X-ray radiation when hit by said electron beam. The said photon counting X-ray detector (40, 110) comprises a persistent current sensing and correction unit (70) for sensing a persistent output current in a blanking interval during which no X-ray radiation is emitted by said X-ray source and for using the sensed persistent output current to correct a detector signal in a subsequent measurement interval during which X-ray radiation is emitted by said X-ray source.

Abstract: Detection apparatus for detecting radiation The invention relates to a detection apparatus for detecting radiation. The detection apparatus comprises at least two scintillators (14, 15) having different temporal behaviors, each generating scintillation light upon reception of radiation, wherein the generated scintillation light is commonly detected by a scintillation light detection unit (16), thereby generating a common light detection signal. A detection values determining unit determines first detection values by applying a first determination process and second detection values by applying a second determination process, which is different to the first determination process, on the detection signal. The first determination process includes frequency filtering the detection signal.

Abstract: A detector array includes at least one direct conversion detector pixel (114-114M) configured to detect photons of poly-chromatic ionizing radiation. The pixel includes a cathode layer (116), an anode layer (118) including an anode electrode (118-118 M ) for each of the at least one detector pixels, a direct conversion material (120), disposed between the cathode layer and the anode layer, and a gate electrode disposed in the direct conversion material, parallelto and between the cathode and anode layers.

Abstract: A detection apparatus for detecting photons, such as used in radiographic imaging systems includes a detection unit that generates detection signal pulses having a detection signal pulse height being indicative of the energy of the detected photons, a detection values generation unit that generates energy-resolved detection values depending on the detection signal pulses and a signal pulse generation unit that generates artificial signal pulses having a predefined artificial signal pulse height and a predefined generated rate. The detection values generation unit determines an observed rate of the artificial signal pulses having an artificial signal pulse height being larger than a predefined threshold as observed by the detection values generation unit and determines an offset of the detection signal pulses depending on the determined observed rate. This allows reliably determining the offset of the detection signal pulses, which can be used for correcting the finally generated detection values.

Abstract: A method includes re-sampling current image data representing a reference motion state into a plurality of different groups, each group corresponding to a different motion state of moving tissue of interest, forward projecting each of the plurality of groups, generating a plurality of groups of forward projected data, each group of forward projected data corresponding to a group of the re-sampled current image data, determining update projection data based on a comparison between the forward projected data and the measured projection data, grouping the update projection data into a plurality of groups, each group corresponding to a different motion state of the moving tissue of interest, back projecting each of the plurality of groups, generating a plurality of groups of update image data, re-sampling each group of update image data to the reference motion state of the current image, and generating new current image data based on the current image data and the re-sampled update image data.