Provided herein is technology relating to radiology and radiotherapy and particularly, but not exclusively, to apparatuses, methods, and systems for multi-axis medical imaging of patients in vertical and horizontal positions with single or dual energy acquisition.

A 3D X-ray device including an X-ray detector, an X-ray source and a computer. The X-ray detector and the X-ray source are moved about an object volume to be recorded on movement paths with a rotation of at least 185°. A number of X-ray projection images are recorded from different directions. X-rays irradiate the object volume in one of the irradiation directions and are captured by the detector. A 3D X-ray image of the object volume is calculated from the recorded X-ray projection images by a reconstruction method. The X-ray detector is arranged asymmetrically relative to a central axis through a center of rotation of the 3D X-ray device. A first fan beam and an opposite second fan beam rotated 180° form an overlap region. At least one X-ray filter is placed between the X-ray source and the object volume for attenuating an X-ray dose inside the overlap region.

A method for the artifact correction of three-dimensional volume image data of an object is disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes receiving first volume image data via a first interface, the first volume image data being based on projection measurement data acquired via a computed tomography device, the computed tomography device including a system axis, and the first volume image data including an artifact including high-frequency first portions in a direction of a system axis and including second portions, being low-frequency relative to the high-frequency first portions, in a plane perpendicular to the system axis; ascertaining, via a computing unit, artifact-corrected second volume image data by applying a trained function to the first volume image data received; and outputting the artifact-corrected second volume image data via a second interface.

A method includes recording a plurality of projection recordings along a linear trajectory. An X-ray source and an X-ray detector move in parallel opposite to one another along the linear trajectory and the examination object is arranged between the X-ray source and the X-ray detector. The method includes reconstructing a tomosynthesis dataset, respective depth information of the examination object is respective determined along an X-ray beam bundle spanned by the motion along the linear trajectory and an X-ray beam fan of the X-ray source perpendicular to the linear trajectory so that different respective depth levels in the object parallel to a detection surface of the X-ray detector are respectively scanned differently. Finally, the method includes determining a first slice image with a first slice thickness in a depth level, among the respective depth levels, substantially parallel to the detection surface of the X-ray detector based on the tomosynthesis dataset.

Various methods and systems are provided for stationary CT imaging. In one embodiment, a method for an imaging system includes activating a plurality of emitters of a stationary distributed x-ray source unit to emit x-ray beams toward an object within an imaging volume, where the x-ray source unit does not rotate around the imaging volume, receiving attenuated x-ray beams with one or more detector arrays to form a sparse view projection dataset, where each attenuated x-ray beam generates a different view, and reconstructing an image from the sparse view projection dataset using a sparse view reconstruction method.

A method of obtaining three-dimensional data includes: obtaining three-dimensional reference data with respect to an object; aligning, on the three-dimensional reference data, a first frame obtained by scanning a first region of the object; aligning, on the three-dimensional reference data, a second frame obtained by scanning a second region of the object, at least a portion of the second region overlapping the first region; and obtaining the three-dimensional data by merging the first frame with the second frame based on an overlapping portion between the first region and the second region.

The present invention provides stationary CT architecture for imaging at a faster temporal resolution and lower radiation dose. In embodiments, the architecture features stationary distributed x-ray sources and rotating x-ray detectors. Provided is a stationary source computed tomography (CT) architecture comprising: a detector disposed on a rotatable gantry; an x-ray source disposed on a fixed ring; wherein the detector is disposed on the gantry in a manner such that the detector is capable of rotating around a subject and of receiving a signal from the x-ray source. Embodiments of the invention include a CT-MRI scanner comprising the stationary CT architecture.

System for treatment positioning is provided. The system may include a treatment component, an imaging component, and a couch. The treatment component may include a radiation source that has a radiation isocenter. The couch may be movable between the treatment component and the imaging component, and include a positioning line that has a positioning feature. The system may acquire at least one first image relating to a subject and the positioning line using the radiation source at a set-up position. The system may also acquire at least one second image relating to the subject and the positioning line using the imaging component at an imaging position. The system may further determine a treatment isocenter of a target of the subject based on the at least one second image, and determine a treatment position of the subject based on the first image(s), the second image(s), and the positioning line.

Disclosed is a linear array ultra-fast scanning x-ray imaging device. The linear array x-ray imaging device is single photon sensitive, operating in frame output mode and including a pixel array Application Specific Integrated Circuit including the readout pixel array. The ASIC includes digital control logic and sufficient memory to accumulate digital output frames in various modes of operation prior to output from the ASIC, permitting advanced imaging functionalities directly on the ASIC, while maintaining a dynamic range of 16 bits and single photon sensitivity. The effective or secondary frames output from the pixel array ASIC can be tagged with user provided external triggers synchronizing the effective frames to the x-ray beam energy and/or to the movement of the x-ray source or imaged object. This enables dual energy imaging and ultra-fast scanning, without complex and costly conventional photon counting x-ray imaging sensors. The system architecture is simpler and higher performance.

A plurality of image projections are acquired at faster than cardiac rate. A spatiotemporal reconstruction of cardiac frequency angiographic phenomena in three spatial dimensions is generated from two dimensional image projections using physiological coherence at cardiac frequency. Complex valued methods may be used to operate on the plurality of image projections to reconstruct a higher dimensional spatiotemporal object. From a plurality of two spatial dimensional angiographic projections, a 3D spatial reconstruction of moving pulse waves and other cardiac frequency angiographic phenomena is obtained. Reconstruction techniques for angiographic data obtained from biplane angiography devices are also provided herein.