Provided is a medical image imaging apparatus that images a medical image of a breast, including a determination unit configured to determine an insertion state of the breast based on a form of the breast inserted into an imaging area for the medical image from an insertion portion.

A medical image capturing apparatus according to an embodiment includes image generation circuitry, detection circuitry, diagnosis support processing circuitry, setting circuitry, and imaging control circuitry. The image generation circuitry generates image data of a subject. The detection circuitry detects each of a plurality of parts of the subject in the image data generated as a positioning image. The diagnosis support processing circuitry executes diagnosis support processing corresponding to a predetermined part with regard to a region corresponding to the predetermined part of the subject detected. The setting circuitry sets an imaging condition of main imaging with respect to a part in which a lesion site is specified as a processing result of the diagnosis support processing. The imaging control circuitry controls an imaging mechanism to perform imaging with regard to an imaging region including the part in which the lesion site is specified based on the imaging condition.

Methods and systems are provided for dual energy imaging. In one embodiment, a method for a dual energy imaging system comprises determining a first tube potential and a second tube potential according to a size of a subject, and controlling the dual energy imaging system with the first tube potential and the second tube potential to generate lower energy x-rays and higher energy x-rays respectively to image the subject. In this way, image quality may be increased while minimizing dose during dual energy imaging of a particular imaging subject.

A radiographic imaging system uses an automatic exposure control device configured at a default shut-off threshold. If the radiographic imaging system includes a processor programmed to process the image by executing a scatter removal algorithm thereupon, the shut-off threshold of the AEC is increased prior to capturing the radiographic image.

A system for imaging includes an X-ray source for transmitting X-rays through a subject and a measurement sensor to acquire measurement data related to the subject. A detector is provided in the system to receive the X-ray energy of the X-rays after having passed through the subject. The system further includes a controller that receives the measurement data from the measurement sensor and processes the measurement data using an image processing algorithm to determine varying thickness of the subject at a plurality of locations within an area of interest. The controller further positions a filter between the X-ray source and the subject based on varying thickness of the subject and generates the image of the subject based on the detected X-ray energy at the X-ray detector.

Various methods and systems are provided for multi-modal medical imaging systems. In one embodiment, a medical imaging system comprises a first gantry including a first bore and a second gantry including a second bore each adapted to receive a subject to be imaged by the medical imaging system, with the first bore having a first isocenter line and the second bore having a second isocenter line, where the first isocenter line and second isocenter line are offset from each other.

A size and/or shape specific 3D-beam modulation filter and a size and/or shape specific immobilizer are provided for cone-beam breast computed tomography (bCT). The immobilizer places the breast on an optimal position in the field of view of the scanner system and the 3D-beam modulation filter modulates the incident x-ray beam in the cone-angle (i.e. z-axis of the detector panel) and fan angle (i.e. x-axis of the detector panel) directions in order to improve equalization of the photon fluence incident upon the detector panel and reduce unnecessary radiation dose that the breast receives. Both the immobilizer and the 3D-beam modulation filter are selected among a plurality of alternatives based on the specific shape, size and/or shape or size of the person's breast.

An image processing apparatus includes at least one processor. The processor is configured to execute processing of acquiring a first image as a radiographic image including an image of a subject generated by radioscopy for continuously irradiating the subject with radiation to perform imaging, acquiring a second image different from the radiographic image including the image of the subject before acquiring the first image, specifying a subject region as a region where the image of the subject is formed in the first image, based on the second image, and executing image processing of enhancing contrast of the specified subject region on the first image and outputting the first image after the image processing.

A body thickness conversion unit converts a body thickness from a distance image imaged by a distance measurement camera to acquire the body thickness. A strength setting unit sets strength of noise reduction processing to a radiographic image to be stronger as the body thickness is thicker. A radiographic image acquisition unit acquires the radiographic image output from a radiation detector in radioscopy. A noise reduction processing unit executes the noise reduction processing on the radiographic image with the strength set by the strength setting unit.

A body thickness conversion unit converts a body thickness from a distance image imaged by a distance measurement camera to acquire the body thickness. A setting unit sets a gradation transformation function for use in gradation transformation processing to a radiographic image corresponding to the body thickness. A radiographic image acquisition unit acquires the radiographic image output from a radiation detector in radioscopy. A gradation transformation processing unit starts the gradation transformation processing with the gradation transformation function set by the setting unit.