IP Library › Granted Patent US 12685495
Granted Patent B1
US 12685495 · App. 19/184,489 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Mu-map alignment using CAD data

Inventors: Johann Sukkau (Herzogenaurach, DE); Noah Birge (Knoxville, TN); Rainer Kurth (Erlangen, DE); Vincent Kelber (Bamberg, DE)
Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
A61B6/032A61B6/037A61B6/4241A61B6/5235
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12685495
App. No.
19/184,489
Granted
Jul 21, 2026
Kind
B1
Abstract

Systems and methods include acquisition of a respective computed tomography (CT) image of each of a plurality of adjacent portions of a patient support, determination of a respective transformation matrix between each of the CT images and a corresponding portion of a predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support, application of the respective transformation matrix to each of the CT images, generation of a respective linear attenuation coefficient map from each of the transformed CT images, combination of the linear attenuation coefficient maps into a combined linear attenuation coefficient map, and reconstruction of a positron emission tomography (PET) image based on PET data and the combined linear attenuation coefficient map.

Claims (49)

1 . A system comprising:

an x-ray tube;

a detector to receive photons emitted by the x-ray tube and generate respective projection data based on the received photons;

a processing unit to:

operate the x-ray tube and the detector to generate respective projection data of each of a plurality of portions of a patient support;

reconstruct a respective computed tomography (CT) image of each of the plurality of portions from the respective projection data of each of the plurality of portions;

generate a respective linear attenuation coefficient map of each of the plurality of portions from the respective CT image;

determine a respective transformation matrix between each of the linear attenuation coefficient maps and a corresponding portion of a predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support;

apply the respective transformation matrix to each of the linear attenuation coefficient maps; and

combine the transformed linear attenuation coefficient maps.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support is calculated based on a structural design of the patient support, materials of the patient support, and linear attenuation coefficients of the materials.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the structural design is specified in a computer-aided design file.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein determination of a respective transformation matrix between each of the linear attenuation coefficient maps and a corresponding portion of a predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support comprises:

determination, for each of the linear attenuation coefficient maps, of an (x, y, z) position and a rotation angle around each of x, y and z axes relative to the corresponding portion of the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map.

5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein a scale of the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map is different from a scale of the plurality of linear attenuation coefficient maps.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein determination of a respective transformation matrix between each of the linear attenuation coefficient maps and a corresponding portion of a predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support comprises:

determination, for each of the linear attenuation coefficient maps, of an (x, y, z) position and a rotation angle around each of x, y and z axes relative to the corresponding portion of the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein a scale of the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map is different from a scale of the plurality of linear attenuation coefficient maps.

8 . A method comprising:

acquiring a respective computed tomography (CT) image of each of a plurality of adjacent portions of a patient support;

determining a respective transformation matrix between each of the CT images and a corresponding portion of a predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support;

applying the respective transformation matrix to each of the CT images;

generating a respective linear attenuation coefficient map from each of the transformed CT images;

combining the linear attenuation coefficient maps into a combined linear attenuation coefficient map; and

reconstructing a positron emission tomography (PET) image based on PET data and the combined linear attenuation coefficient map.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

calculating the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support based on a structural design of the patient support, materials of the patient support, and linear attenuation coefficients of the materials.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining the structural design from a computer-aided design file.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein determining a respective transformation matrix between each of the CT images and a corresponding portion of the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support comprises:

determining, for each of the CT images, an (x, y, z) position and a rotation angle around each of x, y and z axes relative to the corresponding portion of the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map comprises values of linear attenuation coefficients and a plurality of CT images comprise Hounsfield values.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map comprises values of linear attenuation coefficients and the plurality of CT images comprise Hounsfield values.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein determining a respective transformation matrix between each of the CT images and a corresponding portion of a predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support comprises:

determining, for each of the CT images, an (x, y, z) position and a rotation angle around each of x, y and z axes relative to the corresponding portion of the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map.

15 . One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing program code executable by a processor to cause a system to perform operations comprising:

acquiring a respective computed tomography (CT) image of each of a plurality of adjacent portions of a patient support;

determining a respective transformation matrix between each of the CT images and a corresponding portion of a predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support;

applying the respective transformation matrix to each of the CT images;

generating a respective linear attenuation coefficient map from each of the transformed CT images;

combining the linear attenuation coefficient maps into a combined linear attenuation coefficient map; and

reconstructing a positron emission tomography (PET) image based on PET data and the combined linear attenuation coefficient map.

16 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , the program code executable by a processor to cause a system to perform operations further comprising:

calculating the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support based on a structural design of the patient support, materials of the patient support, and linear attenuation coefficients of the materials.

17 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16 , the program code executable by a processor to cause a system to perform operations further comprising determining the structural design from a computer-aided design file.

18 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16 , wherein determining a respective transformation matrix between each of the CT images and a corresponding portion of the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support comprises:

determining, for each of the CT images, an (x, y, z) position and a rotation angle around each of x, y and z axes relative to the corresponding portion of the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map.

19 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map comprises values of linear attenuation coefficients and a plurality of CT images comprise Hounsfield values.

20 . The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein determining a respective transformation matrix between each of the CT images and a corresponding portion of a predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map of the patient support comprises:

determining, for each of the CT images, an (x, y, z) position and a rotation angle around each of x, y and z axes relative to the corresponding portion of the predetermined linear attenuation coefficient map.