Radiological imaging method

Inventors

BEUCHER, Jérôme • Desaute, Pascal • KYRGYZOV, Khrystyna • LEMOUSSU, Audrey • MORICHAU-BEAUCHANT, Pierre • OUAMARA, Hamid

Assignees

EOS Imaging SA

Abstract

A radiological imaging method including 2 radiation sources with imaging directions orthogonal to each other, performing vertical scanning of a standing patient along a vertical scanning direction, wherein radiological method includes at least one operating mode in which: a frontal scout view is made so as to identify a specific bone(s) localization within the frontal scout view, driving current intensity modulation of the frontal radiation source, depending on patient thickness and on the identified specific bone(s) localization along the vertical scanning direction, is performed automatically, so as to improve a compromise between: lowering the global radiation dose received by a patient during the vertical scanning, while keeping at a sufficient level the local image contrasts of the identified specific bone(s) localization at different imaging positions along the vertical scanning direction, for the frontal image.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a radiological imaging method using two radiation sources with imaging directions orthogonal to each other, one frontal radiation source and one lateral radiation source, sliding vertically to perform vertical scanning of a standing patient along a vertical scanning direction. In an operating mode, a frontal scout view is made by performing a preliminary vertical scanning of a standing patient along the vertical scanning direction by the frontal radiation source, and the frontal scout view is processed to identify at least one specific bone localization within the frontal scout view.

Based on the patient thickness and the at least one specific bone localization along the vertical scanning direction, a driving current intensity modulation of at least the frontal radiation source is performed along the vertical scanning direction. This driving current intensity modulation is performed automatically, with no modulation of driving voltage intensity of the frontal radiation source along the vertical scanning direction, to improve a compromise between lowering a global radiation dose received by the standing patient during the vertical scanning and keeping at a sufficient level local image contrasts of the at least one specific bone localization at different imaging positions along the vertical scanning direction for providing a frontal image.

In other operating modes, a lateral scout view is made by performing a preliminary vertical scanning by the lateral radiation source, and the lateral scout view is processed to identify at least one specific bone localization within the lateral scout view. A driving current intensity modulation of at least the lateral radiation source is then performed along the vertical scanning direction depending on patient thickness and on the specific bone localization, with no modulation of driving voltage intensity along the vertical scanning direction, and automatically to improve the same compromise for a lateral image.

In further operating modes, frontal and lateral scout views are made, the frontal and lateral scout views are processed to identify at least one specific bone localization within both scout views, and driving current intensity modulations for both sources are performed simultaneously and automatically, while keeping driving voltage intensities unmodulated, to provide a frontal image and a lateral image while improving the compromise between global radiation dose and local image contrasts.

Claims Coverage

The partial content provides three independent claims. Each independent claim defines vertical scanning of a standing patient with orthogonal frontal and lateral radiation sources and automatic driving-current intensity modulation along the vertical scanning direction using a processed scout view for at least one specific bone localization, while maintaining unmodulated driving voltage intensity to balance reduced global radiation dose with sufficient local image contrast across vertical positions.

Across the three independent claims, the core coverage is the use of processed frontal and/or lateral scout views to identify at least one specific bone localization and then automatically modulate driving current intensity along the vertical scanning direction, with driving voltage intensity kept unmodulated, to balance reduced global radiation dose with sufficient local image contrast at different vertical imaging positions.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications