US Patent Application 17923010. REPOSITIONING METHOD simplified abstract
Contents
REPOSITIONING METHOD
Organization Name
Inventor(s)
CHRISTOPH GÜNTHER Leussler of HAMBURG (DE)
JAN HENDRIK Wuelbern of HAMBURG (DE)
MARK THOMAS Johnson of ARENDONK (BE)
RAJENDRA SINGH Sisodia of BKOPAL (IN)
REPOSITIONING METHOD - A simplified explanation of the abstract
This abstract first appeared for US patent application 17923010 titled 'REPOSITIONING METHOD
Simplified Explanation
The present invention is about improving patient positioning during a medical scan using an autonomous motion positioner.
- The motion positioner uses a critical range, which is determined based on the machine settings of the medical imaging system.
- The critical range represents the maximum corrections achievable by the scanner hardware and the maximum tolerable image distortions.
- The critical range can dynamically change in response to changes in the machine settings during an imaging exam.
- External sensors measure the deviation from the start position, and if the patient's motion exceeds the critical range, the scan process is stopped.
- The autonomous scanner enters an idle mode and guides the patient to retake their original position using a feedback system.
- A control loop calculates the deviation from the critical range, and if the motion parameter is within the range, the scan process continues.
- This helps avoid uncorrectable motion artifacts caused by large body movements during the scan.
- The motion positioner is suitable for various medical imaging systems such as MR, MR-LINAC, CT, and PET.
Original Abstract Submitted
The present invention relates to patient positioning. In order to improve patient positioning during a scan, an autonomous motion positioner is proposed using a critical range, which may correspond to maximum corrections achievable by the scanner hardware and the maximum tolerable image distortions. The critical range is determined based on one or more machine settings of the medical imaging system. As the machine setting(s) may vary in a given imaging exam, the critical range may dynamically change in response to a change of the machine setting in the given imaging exam. External sensors may measure, via a feedback loop, the deviation from the start position, i.e. the imaging pose position. If patient motion is too large and the motion parameter (e.g. translation and/or rotation) exceeds the determined critical range, then the scan process may be stopped. The autonomous scanner may hold in an idle mode. During that mode, the patient may be guided to retake its original position via a feedback system. A control loop may calculate critical range deviation and the scan process may be continued, if the motion parameter is less than the determined critical range. Accordingly, uncorrectable motion artefacts due to large body movements may be avoided. The motion positioner may be suitable for systems, such as MR, MR-LINAC, computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET).
