A fluoro-navigation system for navigating a tool relative to a medical image. The system includes a motorized X-ray imaging system for acquiring a plurality of images of a region of interest of a patient, the position of each image being known. Also included is a localization system, a registration phantom with a plurality of radiopaque fiducials, a tracker for being tracked by the localization system, a processor for receiving the plurality of images and for reconstructing a 3D medical image from the images using radiopaque fiducials visible in the plurality of images. Also included is base made of a substantially radiotransparent material, to be rigidly secured to a patient's bone and having a reproducible fixation system for attaching the registration phantom and/or tracker.

Methods for the correction of drive, tilt and scanning speed errors in imaging systems such as CT machines.

The invention relates to a method for detecting a phantom, comprising the steps of: arranging a phantom with respect to an object, acquiring at least one image of said object by means of an x-ray apparatus, such that the image contains projections of the object and projections of at least three first calibration fiducials of the phantom, detecting the projections of the at least three first calibration fiducials in said at least one image, and establishing a correspondence between the 2D image coordinates of said projections of the at least three first calibration fiducials and the 3D coordinates of said at least three first calibration fiducials in a local coordinate system of the phantom for computing the projection matrix at least up to a scale factor.

The present invention is directed to a method for enabling volumetric image reconstruction from unknown projection geometry of tomographic imaging systems, including CT, cone-beam CT (CBCT), and tomosynthesis systems. The invention enables image reconstruction in cases where it was not previously possible (e.g., custom-designed trajectories on robotic C-arms, or systems using uncalibrated geometries), and more broadly offers improved image quality (e.g., improved spatial resolution and reduced streak artifact) and robustness to patient motion (e.g., inherent compensation for rigid motion) in a manner that does not alter the patient setup or imaging workflow. The method provides a means for accurately estimating the complete geometric description of each projection acquired during a scan by simulating various poses of the x-ray source and detector to determine their unique, scan-specific positions relative to the patient, which is often unknown or inexactly known (e.g., a custom-designed trajectory, or scan-to-scan variability in source and detector position).

A method ascertains a time for a fresh calibration for ascertaining up-to-date calibration parameters of an x-ray device. The x-ray device has multiple degrees of freedom of movement for its recording arrangement. X-ray images of a calibration phantom are recorded for recording positions of the recording arrangement and are evaluated to ascertain the calibration parameters allowing ascertainment of geometry parameters. In multiple operating phases, situated between two calibrations, of a further x-ray device of identical design to the x-ray device, a piece of use information describing the accumulated use of the degrees of freedom of movement during the operating phase and a piece of difference information describing the difference in the calibration parameters between the calibrations delimiting the operating phase, is ascertained and used or determining the time for a fresh calibration.

A tolerance error estimating apparatus, method, program, reconstruction apparatus and control apparatus capable of estimating a deviation of a drive axis from a reference position with respect to driving time are provided. A tolerance error estimating apparatus (processing apparatus 300) X-ray analysis apparatus comprises a specific position calculating section 320 for obtaining a specific position of a reference sample at each rotation driving time from X-ray detection images and a deviation amount calculating section 330 for calculating the deviation amount Δx in the x direction and Δy in the y direction of the center position of a rotation drive shaft as the rotation drive axis at each rotation driving time from the reference position based on the specific position, when the z direction of the orthogonal coordinate system fixed to the sample is set the direction parallel to the rotation drive axis.

A medical imaging marker device includes, a main marker body, an outer side visual radiolucent placement indicator, an inner side visual radiolucent placement indicator, an anatomical side visual radiolucent indicator, visual radiolucent length measurement indicator, an attachment system; and a slidable marker piece, including a slidable marker body and a radiopaque marker; such that the slidable marker body is detachably positionable on an image receptor, such that an image of an anatomical target structure taken with the image receptor includes an image portion of the radiopaque marker, which indicates a side orientation of the anatomical target structure.

A controller and a related method of controlling a collimator. The controller operates to select a collimator setting for collimator of an x-ray imager for acquiring an image of a ROI in a patient. The controller operates to select the collimator setting to optimize the patient dosage in respect of primary radiation and secondary radiation dosage of medical staff. A position detector supplies to the controller a current position of a person relative to a patient. Based on said supplied position, the controller's configured to perform an optimization procedure that takes into account the staff dosage in respect of the secondary radiation dosage to reduce the secondary radiation dosage.

Embodiments of the present invention provide phantoms, and associated methods of calibration which are suitable for use in both medical resonance imaging and radiographic imaging systems. A phantom for calibration of a medical imaging system, comprises a first component having a first outer shape, a portion of which defines part of at least one pocket; and a second component coupled to the first component and having a second outer shape, a portion of which defines another part of the at least one pocket. At least one of the first and second components comprises a reservoir, the reservoir having a shape at least a portion of which locates a center of the at least one pocket.

3D image data of a skeletal portion within a subject's body is acquired. Subsequently, one or more radiopaque elements are positioned with respect to the body and first and second x-rays of the radiopaque elements and the skeletal portion are acquired from respective views. Based upon an identified location of the radiopaque elements within the x-rays, and registration of the x-rays to the 3D image data, the location of the radiopaque elements with respect to the 3D image data is determined. An optical image of the body and the radiopaque elements is acquired and the location of the radiopaque elements within the optical image is identified. The 3D image data is overlaid upon the optical image by aligning (a) the location of the radiopaque elements within the 3D image data with (b) the location of the radiopaque elements within the optical image. Other applications are also described.