A medical imaging system for detecting ionizing radiation. The system includes one or more pixilated imagers positioned to acquire patient image data and one or more position sensors positioned to acquire patient position data. Once the patient image data and patient position data are acquired, one or more processors operably connected to each of the one or more pixilated imagers and one or more position sensors calculate a three-dimensional mass distribution based on patient image data and patient position data.

A method and apparatus are provided for nonlinear energy correction of a gamma-ray detector using a calibration spectrum acquired from the background radiation of lutetium isotope 176 (Lu-176) present in scintillators in the gamma-ray detector. Further, by periodically acquiring Lu-176 spectra using the background radiation from the scintillators, the nonlinear energy correction can be monitored to detect when changes in the gamma-ray detector cause the detector to go out of calibration, and then use a newly acquired Lu-176 spectrum to update the calibration of the nonlinear energy correction as needed. The detector calibration is performed by comparing a reference histogram to a calibration histogram generated using the nonlinear energy correction, and adjusting the parameters of the nonlinear energy correction until the two histograms match. Alternatively, the detector calibration is performed by comparing reference and calibration values for specific spectral features, rather than for the whole Lu-176 spectrum.

Provided is a PET scanner system having a PET scanner gantry that is configured for delivering a uniformly distributed cooling air to a plurality of detectors housed in the PET scanner gantry. The PET scanner gantry includes a cooling air delivery manifold that includes a patient tunnel portion; and a front funnel portion. The front funnel portion includes an annular interior wall defining an entry opening of the patient tunnel portion; and an air plenum has an annular structure for carrying a flow of pressurized cooling air received from a remote source supplements the pressurized cooling air with a supply of ambient air and directs it to the plurality of detectors.

The invention relates to a system and a method for determining a characteristic of a blood vessel portion, which comprises blood including a contrast agent exhibiting resonant absorption of x-ray photons at a specific energy. The system comprises a tunable monochromatic x-ray source (21) emitting x-ray radiation, an x-ray detector device (22) for detecting the x-ray radiation after it has travelled through the blood vessel portion. A control unit (26) varies a tuning of the x-ray source (21) to vary the energy of the x-ray radiation emitted by the x-ray source (21), and an evaluation unit (27) determines a tuning of the x-ray source (21) at which nuclear resonant absorption of the x-ray radiation incident onto the blood vessel portion occurs and estimates the characteristic on the basis of the determined tuning. The characteristic may particularly be the blood velocity in the blood vessel portion.

An imaging capsule including, a radiation source, a collimator that provides a collimated beam from the radiation source, at least one detector configured to detect particles resulting from X-ray fluorescence and/or Compton backscattering in response to the collimated beam to reconstruct images of a user's gastrointestinal tract, wherein the imaging capsule is configured to identify an inflamed area, within the user's gastrointestinal tract, based on a count of the detected particles and initiate actions responsive to detecting the inflamed area.

Parameterized model reconstruction is used for internal dose tomography. The parameterized model, solved for within the reconstruction, models the dose level and may account for diffusion, isotope half-life, and/or biological half-life. Using the detected emissions from different scans (e.g., from different scan sessions in a given cycle) as input for the one reconstruction, the parameterized model reconstruction determines the biodistribution of dose at any time.

An apparatus and method for reducing the blurriness of tomographic (3D) images constructed from a gamma camera system with one or more VASH (variable-angle slant-hole) collimators. A conventional gamma camera with a VASH collimator exhibits a loss of spatial resolution from the fact that the gamma-ray is entering the detector element at an angle other than normal to the surface. This depth dependence of the spatial localization causes a blurring of the spatial resolution, which is dependent on the incident angle relative to the normal, on the thickness of the detector element and on the stopping length of the gamma-ray in the detector element material. The invention provides an apparatus and method for correcting the spatial location where the gamma ray is recorded to improve the spatial resolution of the system.

Various embodiments of a device for in-vivo measurements radiopharmaceuticals used for diagnosis and monitoring of radiotherapy are presented. In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a device having a cannula that may include a measurement chamber, a radiation detector and a delivery lumen, wherein the device may be used to both deliver material to the patient (e.g., radiotracers used in radiopharmaceuticals) and measure levels and concentrations of radioactive material in, for example, the patient's blood both during and after administration of the radioactive material. In some embodiments, particles emitted by the radioactive material interact with a scintillation material, resulting in the release of light that may be transmitted, via the scintillation material and/or fiber optic material, to an optical detectors or processor for processing. In some embodiments, particle absorbing materials may be used to limit measurements to materials within the measurement chamber or other area of interest.

For gamma ray detection, 3D tiling is made possible by modules that include a gamma ray detector with at least some electronics extending away from the detector as a side wall, leaving an air or low attenuation gap behind the gamma ray detector. The modules may be stacked to form arrays of any shape in 3D, including stacking to form a Compton detector with a scatter detector separated from the catcher detector by the low attenuation gap where the electronics form at least one side wall between the detectors. The modules may be stacked so that the detectors from the different modules are in different planes and/or not part of a same surface (e.g., same surface provided with just 1D or 2D tiling).

Improved imaging devices and methods. A portable SPECT imaging device may co-register with imaging modalities such as ultrasound. Gamma camera panels including gamma camera sensors may be connected to a mechanical arm. A coded aperture mask may be placed in front of a gamma-ray photon sensor and used to construct a high-resolution three-dimensional map of radioisotope distributions inside a patient, which can be generated by scanning the patient from a reduced range of directions around the patient and with radiation sensors placed in close proximity to this patient. Increased imaging sensitivity and resolution is provided. The SPECT imaging device can be used to guide medical interventions, such as biopsies and ablation therapies, and can also be used to guide surgeries.