- Email: [email protected]
4752879 Method and apparatus for medical imaging
New Patents
capacitance selected to constrain parasitic resonances to a frequency region below decoupler frequencies employed in the probe.
4751643 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING CONNECTED SUBSTRUCTURES WITHIN A BODY William General
E Lorensen, Harvey Electric Company
Cline assigned
to
An apparatus and method for determining connected substructures within a body is disclosed. The system and method are particularly advantageous for use in medical diagnostic imaging applications. In particular, three dimensional regions exhibiting the same tissue type are similarly labeled. Using the label information together with a seed location located in the substructure of interest, all similarly labeled connected data points are determined. The system and method of the present invention is operable in any situation in which three dimensional signal patterns representing the value of one or more physical properties associated with the substructures within a body at regularly grid locations within the body are presented. A subset of the original data is then provided to a display processor particularly one employing gradient normal shading for display of three dimensional images.
4751644 INTERLEAVED SOURCE FAN RECONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE Narasimhara DeMeester, OH, United tional Inc
Koka, Heang K Tuy, Gordon D Rodney Mattson, Richmond Hts, Statee assigned to Picker Interna-
In a fourth generation CT scanner, source views or data sets are generated for reconstruction processing. A fan beam (16) of radiation rays is rotated around an image region (12) to irradiate subsets of detectors of a detector ring (10). A data sampler (B) samples the detectors of each irradiated subset a plurality of times, each time with the radiation fan beam displaced incremently from the preceding time to generate a plurality of the source views or data sheets from the same detectors. A plurality of consecutive source views or data sets are interleaved to pro-
IX
duce a signal interleaved view or data fan. More specifically, the data sets are stored in data set memories (20-26) and interleaved serially into a data fan memory (30). Each time the fan beam rotates sufficiently to irradiate a different detector subset, an additional plurality of data sets are generated and interleaved into another data fan. The data fans are reconstructed (E) into a representation of an image of radiation absorptive properties of an object disposed in the image region. This reconstruction method is especially applicable to cardiac synchronization or gated patient scanning. This method improves the dynamic scan capacity of fourth generation scanners, improves tolerance to detector drifts, and improves tolerance to temporal x-ray fluctuations.
4752735 METHOD FOR MEASURING THE TIME DEPENDENCE OF THE FIELD GRADIENT IN AN NMR IMAGING DEVICE Takashi Onodera, Shigeru Matsui, Hideki Kohno, Koganei, Japan assigned to Hitachi Ltd Method for measuring the time dependence of an oscillating field gradient and representatively its integral function with respect to time for imaging method using the field gradient such as rapid chemical shift imaging method echo planar method, etc. A uniform specimen is placed within a coil of an NMR device, in which nuclear spins are excited; a phase encoding field gradient is applied thereto; and signals are sampled under application of the field gradient to be measured. These steps are repeated and an integral function of the field gradient with respect to time is obtained by using the peak position in the series of data obtained by this repetition.
4752879 METHOD AND APPARATUS MEDICAL IMAGING Carl J Brunnett Inc
assigned
FOR
to Picker International
An improved medical diagnostic imaging method and apparatus. In both, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Computed Tomography imaging artifacts caused by the finite number of directions from which imaging data is obtained is minimized. An image is con-
X
New Patents
strutted and then modified by adjusting each imelement with contributions from age neighboring picture elements. When all picture elements have been so modified an improved image approximating a result that would have been achieved by interpolating and then reconstructing image data is obtained.
4752948 MOBILE RADIOGRAPHY ALIGNMENT DEVICE Heber MacMahon Chicago
assigned
to University
of
An alignment device for use in mobile radiography. In contrast to prior practice in which a film cassette is placed on one side of the patient, an x-ray source on the other, and it is left to the skill of the technician to approximate the necessary alignment, the present invention assures consistent alignment much more precise than is typically achieved. The precise alignment allows regular use of a grid in mobile radiography which helps to prevent image deterioration caused by scattered radiation. The precise alignment is achieved by providing an adaptable physical connection which when in the deployed condition, accurately establishes both the distance between the focal spot and the film plane and the alignment of the grid with respect to the central ray.
For information about PATSEARCH” Pergamon Orbit InfoLine Inc. 8000 Westpark Drive McLean, VA 22102 USA Telephone (703) 442-0900 Telex: 90-1811
Pergamon Orbit InfoLine Ltd 12 Vandy Street London EC2A 2DE UK Telephone (01) 377-4650 Telex: 8814614
capacitance selected to constrain parasitic resonances to a frequency region below decoupler frequencies employed in the probe.
4751643 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING CONNECTED SUBSTRUCTURES WITHIN A BODY William General
E Lorensen, Harvey Electric Company
Cline assigned
to
An apparatus and method for determining connected substructures within a body is disclosed. The system and method are particularly advantageous for use in medical diagnostic imaging applications. In particular, three dimensional regions exhibiting the same tissue type are similarly labeled. Using the label information together with a seed location located in the substructure of interest, all similarly labeled connected data points are determined. The system and method of the present invention is operable in any situation in which three dimensional signal patterns representing the value of one or more physical properties associated with the substructures within a body at regularly grid locations within the body are presented. A subset of the original data is then provided to a display processor particularly one employing gradient normal shading for display of three dimensional images.
4751644 INTERLEAVED SOURCE FAN RECONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE Narasimhara DeMeester, OH, United tional Inc
Koka, Heang K Tuy, Gordon D Rodney Mattson, Richmond Hts, Statee assigned to Picker Interna-
In a fourth generation CT scanner, source views or data sets are generated for reconstruction processing. A fan beam (16) of radiation rays is rotated around an image region (12) to irradiate subsets of detectors of a detector ring (10). A data sampler (B) samples the detectors of each irradiated subset a plurality of times, each time with the radiation fan beam displaced incremently from the preceding time to generate a plurality of the source views or data sheets from the same detectors. A plurality of consecutive source views or data sets are interleaved to pro-
IX
duce a signal interleaved view or data fan. More specifically, the data sets are stored in data set memories (20-26) and interleaved serially into a data fan memory (30). Each time the fan beam rotates sufficiently to irradiate a different detector subset, an additional plurality of data sets are generated and interleaved into another data fan. The data fans are reconstructed (E) into a representation of an image of radiation absorptive properties of an object disposed in the image region. This reconstruction method is especially applicable to cardiac synchronization or gated patient scanning. This method improves the dynamic scan capacity of fourth generation scanners, improves tolerance to detector drifts, and improves tolerance to temporal x-ray fluctuations.
4752735 METHOD FOR MEASURING THE TIME DEPENDENCE OF THE FIELD GRADIENT IN AN NMR IMAGING DEVICE Takashi Onodera, Shigeru Matsui, Hideki Kohno, Koganei, Japan assigned to Hitachi Ltd Method for measuring the time dependence of an oscillating field gradient and representatively its integral function with respect to time for imaging method using the field gradient such as rapid chemical shift imaging method echo planar method, etc. A uniform specimen is placed within a coil of an NMR device, in which nuclear spins are excited; a phase encoding field gradient is applied thereto; and signals are sampled under application of the field gradient to be measured. These steps are repeated and an integral function of the field gradient with respect to time is obtained by using the peak position in the series of data obtained by this repetition.
4752879 METHOD AND APPARATUS MEDICAL IMAGING Carl J Brunnett Inc
assigned
FOR
to Picker International
An improved medical diagnostic imaging method and apparatus. In both, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Computed Tomography imaging artifacts caused by the finite number of directions from which imaging data is obtained is minimized. An image is con-
X
New Patents
strutted and then modified by adjusting each imelement with contributions from age neighboring picture elements. When all picture elements have been so modified an improved image approximating a result that would have been achieved by interpolating and then reconstructing image data is obtained.
4752948 MOBILE RADIOGRAPHY ALIGNMENT DEVICE Heber MacMahon Chicago
assigned
to University
of
An alignment device for use in mobile radiography. In contrast to prior practice in which a film cassette is placed on one side of the patient, an x-ray source on the other, and it is left to the skill of the technician to approximate the necessary alignment, the present invention assures consistent alignment much more precise than is typically achieved. The precise alignment allows regular use of a grid in mobile radiography which helps to prevent image deterioration caused by scattered radiation. The precise alignment is achieved by providing an adaptable physical connection which when in the deployed condition, accurately establishes both the distance between the focal spot and the film plane and the alignment of the grid with respect to the central ray.
For information about PATSEARCH” Pergamon Orbit InfoLine Inc. 8000 Westpark Drive McLean, VA 22102 USA Telephone (703) 442-0900 Telex: 90-1811
Pergamon Orbit InfoLine Ltd 12 Vandy Street London EC2A 2DE UK Telephone (01) 377-4650 Telex: 8814614