Patent Application
20160135778
The exemplary embodiments described herein relate to computed tomography (CT) systems.
The X-ray beam in most computer tomography (CT) scanners is generally polychromatic. However, third-generation CT scanners generate images based upon data according to the energy integration nature of the detectors. These conventional detectors are called energy-integrating detectors and acquire energy integrated X-ray data. On the other hand, photon-counting detectors are configured to acquire the spectral nature of the X-ray source, rather than the energy integrated nature. To obtain the spectral nature of the transmitted X-ray data, the photon-counting detectors split the X-ray beam into its component energies or spectrum bins, and count a number of photons in each of the bins. The use of the spectral nature of the X-ray source in CT is often referred to as spectral CT. Since spectral CT involves the detection of the transmitted X-ray at two or more energy levels, spectral CT generally includes dual-energy CT by definition.
Spectral CT is advantageous over conventional CT as it offers the additional clinical information inherent in the full spectrum of an X-ray beam. For example, spectral CT improves discriminating tissues and differentiating between materials such as tissues containing calcium and iodine, and enhances the detection of smaller vessels. Among other advantages, spectral CT is also expected to reduce beam-hardening artifacts and to increase accuracy in CT numbers independent of individual scanners.
Conventional spectral CT approaches include the use of the integrating detectors in implementing spectral CT. One attempt included dual sources and dual integrating detector units that are placed on the gantry at a predetermined angle with respect to each other for acquiring data as the gantry rotates around a patient. Another attempt includes a single source that performs kV-switching and a single integrating detector unit that are placed on the gantry for acquiring data as the gantry rotates around a patient. Yet another attempt includes a single source and dual integrating detector units that are layered on the gantry for acquiring the data as the gantry rotates around a patient. All of these attempts at spectral CT are not successful in substantially solving issues such as beam hardening, temporal resolution, noise, poor detector response, poor energy separation, etc. for reconstructing clinically viable images.
Conventional spectral CT approaches also include the replacement of the conventional integrating detectors by photon-counting detectors in implementing spectral CT. In general, photon-counting detectors are costly and have performance constraints under high flux. Although at least one experimental spectral CT system has been reported, the costs of high-rate photon-counting detectors are prohibitive for a full-scale implementation. Despite some advancement in photon-counting detector technology, currently available photon-counting detectors still require solutions to implementation issues, such as polarization due to space charge build-up, pile-up effects, scatter effects, spatial resolution, temporal resolution, and dose efficiency.
A more complete appreciation of the teachings of this disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
In a hybrid PCCT design, a ring of sparsely distributed photon-counting detectors are used to acquire spectral information in a fourth-generation CT geometry, while energy-integrating detectors acquire data using a third-generation geometry. The fourth-generation design can overcome challenges facing photon-counting detector technology, while the third-generation data can be used to maintain the spatial resolution and noise characteristics of the reconstruction.
In one embodiment, there is provided a computed tomography (CT) imaging apparatus, comprising: (1) a radiation source configured to emit X-rays while rotating in a predetermined trajectory; (2) a plurality of detectors arranged in a circular ring and configured to detect the emitted X-rays; and (3) processing circuitry configured to cause the radiation source to scan an object, and cause a subset of the detectors nearest to the radiation source to move in a direction intersecting with a plane of the predetermined trajectory of the radiation source in accordance with a determined location of the radiation source.
In another embodiment, there is provided a computed tomography (CT) imaging method for a CT apparatus that includes a plurality of detectors arranged in a circular ring and configured to detect X-rays emitted from a radiation source that rotates in a predetermined trajectory, the method comprising: (1) causing the radiation source to scan an object, and (2) causing a subset of the detectors nearest to the radiation source to move in a direction intersecting with a plane of the predetermined trajectory of the radiation source in accordance with a determined location of the radiation source.
In another embodiment, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions, which when executed by a processor of a CT apparatus that includes a plurality of detectors arranged in a circular ring and configured to detect X-rays emitted from a radiation source that rotates in a predetermined trajectory, cause the computer processor to execute a method comprising: (1) causing the radiation source to scan an object, and (2) causing a subset of the detectors nearest to the radiation source to move in a direction intersecting with a plane of the predetermined trajectory of the radiation source in accordance with a determined location of the radiation source.
The CT apparatus illustrated in
The X-ray tube 1, filters and collimators 2, detector 3, and controller 4 can be provided in a frame 8 that includes a bore. The frame 8 has a general cylindrical or donut shape. In the view shown in
In
Now referring to
As shown in
Conventional attempts to improve the use of the photon-counting detectors include rotating a detector ring about a rotational direction to reduce the blockage of radiation source by parts of the detectors. In that system, all of the detectors are located along a predetermined circular component and form a detector ring. The detector ring performs a nutating motion in the rotational direction so that the detectors on the side closer to X-ray radiation source, whose back surface is facing the radiation source, do not block the detection of the radiation by the detectors whose detecting surfaces is facing the radiation source. However, the rotation of the detector ring involves all of the detectors attached to the predetermined circular components, while only a fraction of the detectors that block the X-ray detection need to be moved.
In the present embodiments, a subset of detectors includes a first subset at an upper side of a plane and a second subset at a lower side of the plane, and processing circuitry that is configured to cause the first and second subsets to move in opposite directions. The subsets of detectors move in directions intersecting with a plane of the predetermined trajectory of the radiation source in accordance with a determined location of the radiation source.
As shown in
As the X-ray source 101-1 and the detector 103 rotate around the object, the photon-counting detectors (PCDs) and the detector 103 respectively detect the transmitted X-rays during the data acquisition. X-rays are projected through openings between the first subset and the second subset of open PCDs towards the object. Since the first subset of the PCDs (PCD1 through PCDK) is at a upper side of the trajectory plane of the X-ray source 101-1, and the second subset of the PCDs (PCDK+1 through PCDM) is at a lower side of the trajectory plane of the X-ray source 101-1, the emitted X-rays are no longer blocked by detectors PCD1 through PCDM of the sparsely placed photon-counting detectors PCD1 through PCDN. The first subset of the PCDs and the second subset of PCDs can be combined into a single subset of PCDs (PCD1 through PCDM). This single subset can be moved in either the +z axis direction or the −z axis direction so that the emitted X-rays are no longer blocked by detectors PCD1 through PCDM of the sparsely placed photon-counting detectors PCD1 through PCDN.
The X-rays travel through the opening and reach detectors PCDM+1 through PCDN of the photon-counting detectors PCD1 through PCDN, whose detecting surface is facing the source 101-1 and reach the detector 103, whose detecting surface is substantially within the predetermined source fan beam angle θA.
The photon-counting detectors PCDM+1 through PCDN intermittently detect the X-rays that have been transmitted through the object with a predetermined detector fan beam angle θA, and individually output a count of photons for each of predetermined energy bins. On the other hand, the detector elements in the detector unit 103 continuously detect the X-rays that have been transmitted through the object and output the detected signals as the detector 103 rotates.
The PCDs can be grouped as needed to be opened or closed as a group when the X-ray focal spot is arriving. According to embodiments disclosed herein, the configuration of each group can be varied in order to optimize performance and scalability. Thus, while the whole set of photon-counting detectors PCD1 through PCDN can be divided into 4 subsets as described below, it is recognized that the whole set of PCDs can alternatively be divided into N subsets (e.g., N=4, 8, or 16 for example), with the size of the subset being optimized based on cost, performance, yield, testing time scalability, reliability, etc.
The processor shown in
The frequency of the subsets of PCDs, opening and closing is defined by:
wherein the third-generation CT detector is the energy-integrating detector 103, and N is the number of the subsets of the PCDs that move together.
In the disclosed embodiment, a pair of PCD detector subsets in the X-Y plane open in opposite directions simultaneously with precise timing control. The opening motion can be driven by an electro-mechanical system, which includes sensors, step motors, and actuators. A pure mechanical system, which includes gears, sling rings, etc., can also be used to implement the system. The electro-mechanical system includes a subsession frame including a first rail guide at a first end of the frame, a second rail guide at the second end of the frame, and the actuator to move the frame along the first and second rail guides
An exemplary computer processing system is illustrated in
The microprocessor or aspects thereof, in alternate implementations, can include or exclusively include a logic device for augmenting or fully implementing aspects of this disclosure. Such a logic device includes, but is not limited to, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a generic-array of logic (GAL), and their equivalents. The microprocessor can be a separate device or a single processing mechanism. Further, this disclosure can benefit from parallel processing capabilities of a multi-cored CPU and a graphics processing unit (GPU) to achieve improved computational efficiency. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangement may also be employed to execute sequences of instructions contained in memory. Alternatively, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions. Thus, the exemplary implementations discussed herein are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software.
In another aspect, results of processing in accordance with this disclosure can be displayed via a display controller to a monitor. The display controller preferably includes at least one graphic processing unit, which can be provided by a plurality of graphics processing cores, for improved computational efficiency. Additionally, an I/O (input/output) interface is provided for inputting signals and/or data from microphones, speakers, cameras, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch-based display or pad interface, etc., which can be connected to the I/O interface as a peripheral. For example, a keyboard or a pointing device for controlling parameters of the various processes or algorithms of this disclosure can be connected to the I/O interface to provide additional functionality and configuration options, or control display characteristics. Moreover, the monitor can be provided with a touch-sensitive interface for providing a command/instruction interface.
The above-noted components can be coupled to a network, such as the Internet or a local intranet, via a network interface for the transmission or reception of data, including controllable parameters. A central BUS is provided to connect the above hardware components together and provides at least one path for digital communication there between.
Further, the processing systems, in one implementation, can be connected to each other by a network or other data communication connection. One or more of the processing systems can be connected to corresponding actuators to actuate and control movement of the gantry, the X-ray source, and/or the patient bed.
Suitable software can be tangibly stored on a computer readable medium of a processing system, including the memory and storage devices. Other examples of computer readable media are compact discs, hard disks, floppy disks, tape, magneto-optical disks, PROMs (EPROM, EEPROM, flash EPROM), DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, or any other magnetic medium, compact discs (e.g., CD-ROM), or any other medium from which a computer can read. The software may include, but is not limited to, device drivers, operating systems, development tools, applications software, and/or a graphical user interface.
Computer code elements on the above-noted medium may be any interpretable or executable code mechanism, including but not limited to scripts, interpretable programs, dynamic link libraries (DLLs), Java classes and complete executable programs. Moreover, parts of the processing of aspects of this disclosure may be distributed for better performance, reliability and/or cost.
The data input portion of the processing system accepts input signals from a detector or an array of detectors by, e.g., respective wired connections. A plurality of ASICs or other data processing components can be provided as forming the Data Input portion, or as providing input(s) to the data input portion. The ASICs can receive signals from, respectively, discrete detector arrays or segments (discrete portions) thereof. When an output signal from a detector is an analog signal, a filter circuit can be provided, together with an analog-to-digital converter for data recording and processing uses. Filtering can also be provided by digital filtering, without a discrete filter circuit for an analog signal. Alternatively, when the detector outputs a digital signal, digital filtering and/or data processing can be performed directly from the output of the detector.
While certain implementations have been described, these implementations have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. The novel devices, systems and methods described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the devices, systems and methods described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover.
