Apparatus and method for the generation of dental images with height-specific dose application
An extraoral dental X-ray apparatus for imaging of a patient in the dental region including: a radiator array having at least two individual radiators each for emitting X-rays, and offset at least along a predetermined direction (z); and an X-ray detector for at least partially detecting the X-rays emitted by the individual radiators, the radiator array and the X-ray detector being rotatably arranged about an axis parallel to said predetermined direction, further including a control device for separately controlling the individual radiators, the control device being configured such that the emitted X-rays of the at least two individual radiators differ in intensity and/or spectral distribution of the X-rays to effect an intensity and/or spectral distribution which can be varied along the predetermined direction. The control device can adaptively adapt the intensity and/or spectral distribution to the anatomy of the patient.
1 . An extraoral dental X-ray apparatus for imaging of a patient in the dental region comprising:
a radiator array having at least two individual radiators each configured to emit X-rays, which are offset at least along a predetermined direction (z); and
an X-ray detector configured to at least partially detect the X-rays emitted by the individual radiators, the radiator array and the X-ray detector being rotatably arranged about an axis (z′) parallel to said predetermined direction (z);
a control device that separately controls the individual radiators, the control device being configured such that the emitted X-ray beams of the at least two individual radiators differ in the intensity and/or spectral distribution of the X-rays to effect an intensity and/or spectral distribution which is varied along the predetermined direction (z), wherein the control device adapts the intensity and/or spectral distribution adaptively to the anatomy of the patient by separately regulating the current and/or voltage to each of the individual radiators to effect a height-specific dose application along the predetermined direction (z).
2 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured such that the individual radiators can be actuated sequentially or simultaneously, and the detected signals of the X-ray detector are read out synchronously with the actuation of the individual radiators.
3 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the individual radiators each have their own aperture device, or the radiator array has a common aperture device.
4 . The extraoral dental X-ray unit according to claim 1 , wherein the individual radiators each have an own filter device, or the radiator array has a common filter device.
5 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a mode of operation of the X-ray apparatus is configured by the user using an input device with respect to at least one of the following configuration variables: PAN, CEPH, DVT imaging method, target value for intensity and/or spectral distribution of the X-rays, collimation by aperture devices, filtering by filter device, size and/or position of the imaging region in the patient head, trajectory of the radiator array and of the X-ray detector, and the control device is further configured to control the individual radiators on the basis of the user configuration.
6 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to control the individual radiators for the imaging such that the intensity and/or spectral distribution of the X-rays are adaptively adapted to the patient's anatomy, wherein the control device determines the patient's anatomy according to at least one of the following variants:
(a) general assumptions about human anatomy,
(b) adjustment of a device for positioning the patient;
(c) pre-known anatomy of the patient.
7 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to control the individual radiators for the imaging such that the intensity and/or spectral distribution of the X-rays is readjusted during the imaging as a function of the signal from the X-ray detector.
8 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is further configured to control at least one individual radiator during imaging such that the intensity and/or spectral distribution of the X-rays of the individual radiator are varied according to a predetermined sequence which has a frequency of at least 50 Hz.
9 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the operating mode of the X-ray detector for the respective intensity and/or spectral distribution of the X-rays used is adapted completely or regionally before or during the imaging, wherein the operating mode comprises at least one of the following parameters: dynamic range, readout rate, readout range, and the gain.
10 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the extraoral X-ray apparatus comprises one or more of the following imaging methods: PAN, CEPH, and DVT, wherein the one or more imaging methods are selectable by the user.
11 . A method for reconstructing a common image for PAN/CEPH or a volume for DVT from signals of the X-ray detector of the extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the information of the control of the individual radiators is taken into account in the method.
12 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 11 .
13 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device adapts the intensity and/or spectral distribution adaptively to the anatomy of the patient such that the intensity and/or spectral distribution of the X-ray beams of the individual radiators is varied during rotation of the radiator array and X-ray detector about the axis (z′) based on the patient's anatomy.
14 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device adapts the intensity and/or spectral distribution adaptively to the anatomy of the patient such that saturation effects in a high dose range and non-linearities in a low dose range of the X-ray detector are reduced, thereby improving contrast imaging in the high and low dose ranges through more favorable use of the dynamic range of the X-ray detector.
15 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the individual radiators comprise cold cathode tubes.
16 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device is configured to concurrently and independently regulate the current and/or voltage supplied to each of the at least two individual radiators during imaging such that each individual radiator simultaneously emits X-rays at a respective intensity and/or spectral distribution determined by the control device based on the anatomy of the patient.
17 . The extraoral dental X-ray apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control device determines the current and/or voltage for each individual radiator based on a position of the respective individual radiator along the predetermined direction (z) relative to the anatomy of the patient such that the individual radiator offset along the predetermined direction (z) toward a more absorbing anatomical region of the patient is operated at a higher intensity and/or adjusted spectral distribution compared to the individual radiator offset toward a less absorbing anatomical region of the patient.