Method and Apparatus for Determining an X-Ray Image Dataset

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This invention concerns a method and an apparatus for generating an X-ray image dataset of a specific target region within an object under examination, such as a patient in medical imaging. It uses a specialized collimator system that allows for focused irradiation (collimation) of the target region, and selectively illuminates the peripheral areas with auxiliary radiation openings. This design reduces radiation dose but maintains high image quality, especially for computed tomography (CT) scans focused on a known area of interest, reducing artifacts at the edges of the image.

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• Medical imaging for targeted computed tomography (CT) scans, particularly where a specific body region is of interest (e.g. post-stent placement follow-up in the brain).
• Interventional radiology procedures that require high-quality 3D or 2D images of a focused region while minimizing patient radiation dose.
• Veterinary imaging when scanning only specific anatomical regions.
• Industrial non-destructive testing where only a part of an object needs detailed X-ray imaging.
• Scientific imaging applications or research involving low-dose, high-precision CT scans of biological samples or devices.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Significantly reduces patient or object exposure to X-ray radiation by precisely targeting only the necessary region.
• Improves image quality, especially at the edges of the area of interest, by addressing truncation artifacts typically caused by limited data acquisition.
• Enables adaptive control of the size, position, and transparency of collimator openings, allowing real-time optimization during imaging for best balance of image quality and radiation dose.
• Supports automatic detection and compensation for irradiated and non-irradiated regions of the detector, enhancing accuracy in image reconstruction.
• Applicable to both diagnostic and therapeutic imaging scenarios, and potentially adaptable to a range of imaging systems using X-rays.

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining an X-ray image dataset of a target region of an object to be examined, wherein projection images showing the target region are captured by means of an X-ray detector and the X-ray image dataset is reconstructed from the projection images, wherein a first portion of the projection images is captured so as to be collimated onto the target region by the target region being irradiated with X-ray radiation by means of an X-ray device through at least one main radiation opening of a collimator assembly. The invention also relates to a corresponding apparatus for determining an X-ray image dataset of a target region of the object to be examined. The invention generally relates to the field of medical X-ray imaging, in particular with the aim of acquiring projections for reconstructing 2D computed-tomography images.