Patient positioning in diagnostic imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11234660-B2
Application number	US-201816954581-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2018
Priority date	Dec 18, 2017
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

A positioning system (10) for positioning a patient (101) for diagnostic imaging is provided. The system comprises a sensor arrangement (12) with at least one sensor (14, 16) configured to provide a sensor signal indicative of at least one body parameter of the patient (101), a controller (18) configured to determine a value of the at least one body parameter based on the sensor signal of the at least one sensor (14, 16), and at least one actuatable support (20) configured to move at least one of an arm (105) and a leg (107) of the patient with respect to a torso of the patient. Therein, the controller (18) is configured to actuate the at least one actuatable support (20) depending on the determined value of the at least one body parameter to move at least one of the arm and the leg relative to the torso of the patient, such that the patient is guided to a posture for diagnostic imaging.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A positioning system for positioning a patient for diagnostic imaging, the system comprising:
a sensor arrangement comprising at least one sensor configured to provide a sensor signal indicative of at least one body parameter of the patient;
a controller configured to determine a value of the at least one body parameter based on the sensor signal of the at least one sensor; and
at least one actuatable support configured to move at least one of an arm and a leg of the patient with respect to a torso of the patient;
wherein the controller is configured to actuate the at least one actuatable support depending on the determined value of the at least one body parameter to move at least one of the arm and the leg relative to the torso of the patient, such that the patient is guided to a posture for diagnostic imaging.

2. The positioning system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is configured to determine at least one of a morphology, a movement limitation, a mobility, and a flexibility of the patient based on the determined value of the at least one body parameter; and
wherein the controller is configured to actuate the at least one actuable support depending on at least one of the determined morphology, the determined movement limitation, the determined mobility, and the determined flexibility of the patient.

3. The positioning system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the controller is configured to move the actuatable support and/or to adjust the direction, speed, and/or magnitude of the movement of the actuatable support depending on at least one of the determined morphology, the determined movement limitation, the determined mobility, and the determined flexibility.

4. The positioning system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one sensor for detecting a resistance and/or a force exerted by the patient against a movement of the at least one actuatable support; and/or
at least one of a camera, a distance sensor, a laser distance sensor, an ultrasound sensor, a force sensor, a pressure sensor, and a contact sensor for detecting contact with at least one of a chin, a breast, a belly, an elbow, a hip, and a pelvis of the patient.

5. The positioning system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the controller is configured to determine a movement limitation of at least one of the arm and the leg with respect to the torso of the patient based on the sensor signal of the at least one sensor; and/or
wherein the controller is configured to actuate the at least one actuatable support depending on a movement limitation of at least one of the arm and the leg of the patient.

6. The positioning system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one body parameter of the patient is at least one of a length of an extremity, a length of an arm, a length of a leg, a length of a neck, a belly size, a breast size, a spine shape, a movability of a body joint, a movability of a neck, a movability of a scapula, a movability of a shoulder, a movability of a knee, a movability of a hip, a movability of an ankle, a movability of a wrist, a movability of a chest, a movability of an elbow, a body height, and a corpulence.

7. The positioning system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one actuatable support comprises at least one of a handle, an arm support, an armpit support, a footrest, a leg support, and an elastic band.

8. The positioning system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one actuatable support is movable three-dimensionally and/or rotatable.

9. The positioning system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one actuatable support comprises at least one handle for being grasped with at least one hand of the patient; and
wherein the controller is configured to move the at least one handle upward to stretch the patient and/or to move a scapula of the patient towards a spine of the patient.

10. The positioning system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one actuatable support comprises a first handle for being grasped with a first hand of the patient and a second handle for being grasped with a second hand of the patient.

11. The positioning system according to claim 9 ,
wherein the controller is configured to move the first handle and the second handle upward and laterally outward in opposite directions to open the arms of the patient; and/or
wherein the controller ( 18 ) is configured to move the first handle and the second handle downward and towards a rear side of a detector of a diagnostic imaging apparatus, such that a distance between a scapula and a spine of the patient is increased.

12. The positioning system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a wall stand configured to encompass a detector and support the torso of the patient; and
at least one alignment element for aligning a vertical axis of the patient and a center axis of the detector based on moving the torso of the patient towards a center of the wall stand; and/or
b) a pivotable support for supporting a foot, a back, and/or a buttocks of the patient;
wherein the controller is configured to actuate the pivotable support such that the torso of the patient is moved towards a wall stand of the positioning system and/or towards a detector of a diagnostic imaging apparatus ( 100 ).

13. The positioning system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one instructing element for providing at least one of an acoustic, visual, audio-visual, and haptic instruction to the patient to guide the patient to the posture for diagnostic imaging.

14. An X-ray imaging apparatus, comprising:
an X-ray source;
an X-ray detector; and
a positioning system according to claim 1 .

15. A method for operating a positioning system comprising a controller and a sensor to position a patient for diagnostic imaging, the method comprising:
processing, with a controller, a sensor signal of the sensor of the positioning system;
determining, with the controller ( 18 ), a value of at least one body parameter based on the sensor signal; and
actuating, with the controller, at least one actuatable support of the positioning system, the actuatable support being configured to move at least one of an arm and a leg of the patient with respect to a torso of the patient,
wherein the actuatable support is actuated in dependence of the determined value of the at least one body parameter, such that the patient is guided to a posture for diagnostic imaging based on moving at least one of the arm and the leg relative to the torso.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Talgorn Elise Claude Valentine
• Djajadiningrat Johan Partomo
• Weichert Sven
• Rohse Thomas
• Runge Rik August
• Han Gyeol

Classifications

• A61B5/70

  Means for positioning the patient in relation to the detecting, measuring or recording means · CPC title

• A61B6/545

  involving automatic set-up of acquisition parameters · CPC title

• A61B5/1114

  Tracking parts of the body · CPC title

• A61B6/08

  Auxiliary means for directing the radiation beam to a particular spot, e.g. using light beams · CPC title

• G01L5/00

  Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes · CPC title