Method and apparatus for improvement of spatial resolution in molecular and radiological imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10034640-B2
Application number	US-201514644489-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2015
Priority date	Mar 11, 2015
Publication date	Jul 31, 2018
Grant date	Jul 31, 2018

Abstract

A method and apparatus for improvement of spatial resolution in molecular and radiological imaging is presented. System equipment includes bed with either flat or cylindrical detectors large detector arrays with collimator(s), lens(s), mirror(s) and/or shutter(s). This system utilizes magnification principles with large detector arrays. There is error reduction by reduction of non-collinearity error as seen in current PET scans by determination of the trajectory of the photons and accurate localization of the annihilation event of a positron. Additional error reduction of random coincidence and scatter coincidence is seen. Overall, this method and apparatus affords improved spatial resolution and higher efficiencies, which would allow for lower cost and dose reduction to the patient.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a tomographic nuclear imaging device comprising:
a first detector array comprising a plurality of photon detectors;
a diverging lens disposed between a photon source location and the first detector array, the diverging lens having an area of incidence through which photons emitted from the photon source location pass and are refracted such that an area of incidence of the photons on the first detector array is greater than the area of incidence on the diverging lens; and
a processor providing processing based on photon intercepts on the first detector array to reduce image errors.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a radionuclide or radiopharmaceutical photon source, and further comprising a collimator disposed between the radionuclide or radiopharmaceutical photon source and the diverging lens, said collimator comprising a cylindrical structure through which the photons emitted from the radionuclide or radiopharmaceutical photon source pass.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a mirror that redirects the photons that pass through the diverging lens onto the first detector array.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a second detector array disposed opposite to the first detector array, the first detector array and the second detector array being at asymmetric distances from a patient being imaged to reduce a region of uncertainty.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first detector array comprises a first set of a first type of detector comprising crystals for detection of single photon radioactive decay and wherein said first detector array further comprises a second set of a second type of detector comprising crystals for detection of dual photon positron decay.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein processing based on photon intercepts on the first detector array to reduce image errors comprises recording data collection in a three-dimensional coordinate system for subsequent three-dimensional visualization of images obtained through nuclear imaging.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said apparatus is characterized by at least one of the group consisting of:
improved spatial resolution for a given detector size;
improved spatial resolution in the presence of non-collinearity;
improved image quality in the presence of scatter which creates an erroneous line of response; and
improved image quality in the presence of random coincidence which creates an erroneous line of response.

8. An apparatus for nuclear imaging comprising:
a cylindrical device which supports and moves a patient being imaged;
a collimator in the cylindrical device through which photons emitted from a radionuclide or radiopharmaceutical pass;
a mirror used to redirect the photons, said mirror in communication with said collimator;
a diverging lens system having an area of incidence through which the photons pass and are refracted such that an area of incidence of the photons on a detector array is greater than the area of incidence on the diverging lens system;
a shutter system for selection of an angle of said photons, said shutter system in communication with said collimator;
a repositionable or insertable cylindrical imaging device which moves around the patient and obtains images of the patient from differing angles;
the detector array having a plurality of detectors wherein a first detector of said detector array abuts a second detector of said detector array, said detector array in communication with said diverging lens system, said detector array configured to accommodate a magnified area upon which receives the photons; and
a processor providing processing based on photon intercepts on the detector array to reduce image errors.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said apparatus comprises at least one of the group consisting of:
a computed tomography (CT) scanner;
a planar device for planar nuclear medicine scans;
a device for SPECT nuclear medicine scans;
a device for SPECT-CT nuclear medicine scans;
a device for SPECT-MRI nuclear medicine scans;
a device for PET nuclear medicine scans;
a device for PET-CT nuclear medicine scans; and
a device for PET-MRI nuclear medicine scans.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising temporally asynchronous event collection with the first detector array relative to the second detector array to reduce a region of uncertainty.

Assignees

• Douglas David Byron
• Douglas Robert E

Inventors

• Douglas David Byron
• Douglas Robert E

Classifications

• A61B6/06

  Diaphragms · CPC title

• A61B6/037 Primary

  Emission tomography · CPC title

• A61B6/4291

  the detector being combined with a grid or grating · CPC title

• G01T1/2985

  In depth localisation, e.g. using positron emitters; Tomographic imaging (longitudinal and transverse section imaging; apparatus for radiation diagnosis sequentially in different planes, steroscopic radiation diagnosis); (using external radiation sources A61B6/02) · CPC title

• A61B6/4417

  related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities · CPC title