Minimal radiologic imaging method and apparatus

Patent · Tue Aug 21 00:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6006089

Wang, Y

X-rays at a minimal exposure level representing 25% of the conventional exposure are emitted from an X-ray tube and pass through a subject, such as a patient under-going radiographic examination. The minimal exposure X-rays are detected by a preselected detector means, such as illuminated film, an X-ray intensifier, a CT scanner, a radioactive nuclear scanner or an image intensifier in combination with a televeision camera. The detector converts the radiation emerging from the subject to light images in the case of the video system. The light images are converted to electronic signals in a television camera. In the case of the CT scanner and nuclear scanner a photodiode array or scintillation crystal is actuated by the emerging radiation to generate an electrical current proportional to the intensity of the emerging radiation. The electronic signal is transmitted to an analog to digital converter, and the digital signal is transmitted to a computer for storage. Simultaneously, the digital signal is processed by the computer in accordance with a mathematical model to convert the signal representing the minimal exposure level to a signal representing the maximum or conventional exposure level. Output from the computer representing the maximum exposure level is either suitably stored for later retrieval or the retrieval or the digital signals are converted to analog signals for transmission to a video display device. In this manner, a radiograph is obtained by exposing the subject to substantially less than the conventional radiation level and having the degree of spatial resolution normally obtained at the conventional radiation level.

• Assignee: EDB-85-040001
• Patent Number(s): US 4467351
• OSTI ID: 6006089
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 30 Nov 1981; Other Information: PAT-APPL-325656
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
BIOMEDICAL RADIOGRAPHY
IMAGE PROCESSING
ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERTERS
COMPUTERS
DIGITAL-TO-ANALOG CONVERTERS
DISPLAY DEVICES
IMAGE INTENSIFIERS
IMAGE SCANNERS
PHOTODIODES
PHOTON TRANSMISSION SCANNING
TELEVISION CAMERAS
X-RAY TUBES
CAMERAS
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
ELECTRON TUBES
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
MEDICINE
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
PROCESSING
RADIOLOGY
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES
X-RAY EQUIPMENT
550602* - Medicine- External Radiation in Diagnostics- (1980-)