US 12,013,450 B2
PET transmission source based on continuous bed motion
James Hamill, Knoxville, TN (US); Mohammadreza Teimoorisichani, Knoxville, TN (US); and Charles Russell Buchanan, Knoxville, TN (US)
Assigned to Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Malvern, PA (US)
Filed by Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Malvern, PA (US)
Filed on Apr. 20, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/724,667.
Prior Publication US 2023/0341489 A1, Oct. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. G01R 33/48 (2006.01); A61B 6/00 (2024.01); A61B 6/03 (2006.01); A61B 6/04 (2006.01); G01T 1/29 (2006.01); G06T 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 33/481 (2013.01) [A61B 6/037 (2013.01); A61B 6/0407 (2013.01); A61B 6/4417 (2013.01); G01R 33/4812 (2013.01); G01T 1/2985 (2013.01); G06T 11/003 (2013.01); A61B 6/481 (2013.01); A61B 6/5235 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10088 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10104 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for generating transmission information in a time-of-flight positron emission tomography (PET) scanner having a patient tunnel and a plurality of PET detector rings wherein the PET scanner uses continuous bed motion to move a patient bed having a patient through the patient tunnel and wherein the patient receives a positron-emitting radioisotope dose prior to undergoing a PET scan, comprising:
storing the positron-emitting radioisotope in a radiation shielded container element;
moving the radioisotope into a stationary vessel located adjacent to the PET detector rings and within a field of view of the PET scanner at substantially the same time that the patient receives the radioisotope dose to form a stationary transmission source wherein the transmission information is generated while the patient bed undergoes the continuous bed motion; and
withdrawing the radioisotope from the vessel when the PET scan is complete and storing the radioisotope in the container element wherein the PET scanner is integrated with an x-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner that generates a CT based attenuation map that is algorithmically compared to a PET based attenuation map wherein the PET based attenuation map is used to replace the CT based attenuation map in PET image reconstruction if a discrepancy occurs between the CT and PET based attenuation maps.