83 results about "Dual modality" patented technology

Herein are described methods and tools for acquiring accurately co-registered PET and TRUS images, as well as the construction and use of PET-TRUS prostate phantoms. Ultrasound imaging with a transrectal probe provides anatomical detail in the prostate region that can be accurately co-registered with the sensitive functional information from the PET imaging. Imaging the prostate with both PET and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) will help determine the location of any cancer within the prostate region. This dual-modality imaging should help provide better detection and treatment of prostate cancer. Multi-modality phantoms are also described.

A dual modality container for transporting either frac sand and proppant or frac liquids for temporary storage and delivery to a well site for fracking operations. In a first modality, a plurality of inlet ports disposed atop the container roof receives frac sand from a frac sand supply source into a funnel-hopper. In a second modality, frac liquid is received at the well site and stored in bilateral bladders within a central chamber. An in situ elongated longitudinal linear valve disposed within the hopper effectuates industry standard pressurized discharge of stored frac sand or discharge of frac liquid.

Semiconductor nanoparticles are doped with paramagnetic ions to serve as dual-mode optical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents. These nanoparticles can be constructed in smaller diameters than typical MRI agents. The dual-modality nature allows the particles to be used for in vivo imaging by MRI, and then followed by histology with optical imaging techniques.

A method of determining linear and angular displacements of a first coordinate system of a field of view of a first imaging system relative to a second a coordinate system of a field of view of a second imaging system, the method comprising: providing a phantom having a plurality of fiducial regions that can be imaged by both imaging systems; acquiring first and second images of the phantom with the first and second imaging systems wherein spatial coordinates of features in the first and second images reference the first and second coordinate systems respectively; determining positions of a plurality of features of the fiducials in the first image and spatial coordinates of the same features in the second image; and using the coordinates to determine the linear and angular displacements.

A nuclear-medical image is generated from a nuclear-medical data set that can be acquired with a dual modality tomography apparatus, which has both a scanner for acquisition of magnetic resonance images and a scanner for acquisition of nuclear-medical data sets within a common acquisition volume. A nuclear-medical data set and an MR image are thereby acquired, and a nuclear-medical magnetic resonance atlas is provided with a reference MR data set of the region of a reference patient to be imaged and a corresponding correction data set. A transformation that maps the reference MR data set to the MR image is generated and applied to the correction data set to generate a transformed correction data set that is registered with the nuclear-medical data set. The corrected nuclear-medical image is subsequently calculated from the transformed correction data set and the nuclear-medical data set.

A dynamic dada sampling system and method is disclosed for in vivo small animal fluorescence molecular imaging and dual-modality molecular imaging. The system comprises a computer, a rotation stage for animal suspension driven by a motor, and a fluorescence excitation-detection apparatus. The fluorescence excitation-detection apparatus comprises a fluorescence excitation module and a fluorescence detection module. The CCD device of the fluorescence detection module is connected to a computer through an interface controller. The motor is connected to a computer through RS232 interface. The process of dynamic data acquisition is as follows: a fluorescent probe is injected into a small animal in order to target specific cells or tissues; a small animal is vertically hung on a rotation stage after anesthesia; the fluorescence imaging detection module acquires the emitting light continuously. The present invention can provide 360 degree imaging quickly, efficiently, and non-invasively.

A Positron Emission Tomography (PET) detector assembly includes a cold plate having a first side and an opposite second side, the cold plate being fabricated from a thermally conductive and electrically non-conductive material, a plurality of PET detector units coupled to the first side of the cold plate, and a readout electronics section coupled to the second side of the cold plate. A radio frequency (RF) body coil assembly and a dual-modality imaging system are also described herein.

A dual modality CT / MRI integrated system for the diagnosis of acute strokes and treating a patient and methods thereof. The method includes: immobilizing a patient or a portion thereof to a support; accommodating the patient or portion thereof in a CT device; scanning the same; placing the patient or portion thereof within an MRI device and imaging the same such that the orientation of the patient or portion thereof in the CT scanning and the MRI imaging is identical or at least spatially (2D or 3D) retrievable.

A compact and mobile gantry for 3-dimensional Application Specific Emission and / or Transmission Tomography (ASETT) imaging of the breast in single photon or coincidence emission modes, and single photon, or coincidence, or x-ray transmission modes. While the ASETT gantry was designed, built and evaluated for imaging metabolically active lesions in the pendant breast, it can also be used to image other organs and objects. This system overcomes physical constraints associated with imaging a pendulous breast in prone patients, while simultaneously satisfying sampling criteria for sufficient data collection in the pendulous breast reference frame. When combined with an offset cone-beam tomographic x-ray transmission imaging system, this dual modality ASETT system could provide simultaneous and coregistered structural and functional information about large or dense breasts, breasts with indeterminate x-ray mammography, and could also be used to accurately 3-dimensionally guide biopsy or surgical resection. Moreover, with the offset beam orientation, the transmission system is designed to have a variable FOV and minimize overall absorbed breast dose.

A scanning assembly for a dual-modality automated biological tissue imaging device having first and second compression surfaces is provided. The system comprises a housing defining a scanning / compression surface, an ultrasonic transducer mounted within the housing adjacent the scanning surface for movement in a plane parallel to the scanning surface and imaging the tissue through the scanning surface, an X-ray detector mounted within the housing for forming an X-ray image of the tissue based on X-ray radiation passed through the tissue and scanning surface from an X-ray source, and a drive for moving the transducer across the scanning surface so that the transducer generates a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound tissue images. The housing is hermetically sealed and filled with non-conductive fluid with acoustic impedance resembling that of the tissue. The scanning surface has acoustic impedance resembling that of the tissue and can substantially withstand compression forces applied to the tissue.

The invention relates to topographic construction that combines photographic and structured light information. The dual modality construction acquires structured light information for an object and photographic images from multiple views about the object. Topographic construction then processes the structured light information and photographic data in the multiple images to generate a surface representation of the object in each modality. The photographic and structured light surface representations are then combined to output a dual modality surface topography.

The invention discloses a differential extrusion forming die of a high-performance magnesium alloy cup-shaped part and relates to the technical field of metal plastic machining processes and forming. A combined type female die comprising a T-shaped upper female die body and a U-shaped lower female die body is adopted. A cylindrical cavity is formed inside the T-shaped upper concave die body mounted on the U-shaped lower concave die body, and the cross section of a formed revolution body cavity is shaped like the Chinese character 'shan'. Staggered ladder type differential extrusion steps are arranged at the bottom of the extrusion cavity shaped like the Chinese character 'shan'. The magnesium alloy cup-shaped part is extruded through the extrusion cavity shaped like the Chinese character 'shan' and the staggered ladder type differential extrusion steps at the bottom of the cavity, so that the forming capacity of a magnesium alloy material is improved greatly, a high compact structure and large plastic deformation are obtained, the grain refining effect is significant, the effect of removing grain dual modality distribution of the cylinder wall of the cup-shaped part is obvious, and the manufacturing process of the high-performance magnesium alloy cup-shaped part is accelerated.

A dual-modality sensor for detecting a presence of a human intruder within a secure setting includes a seismic sensor for acquiring a seismic signature of a disturbance, and includes an active acoustic sensor to acquire an acoustic signature of the disturbance. A system processor is electrically connected to the seismic and active acoustic sensors to receive and process the seismic and acoustic signatures, and generate an alarm signal when the disturbance is determined to come from a human intruder. Also included is an antenna and / or hard-wire connection arranged for communicating the alarm signal. The dual-modality sensor is arranged in a sensor housing constructed to contact a surface of the secure setting. The sensor may include a battery or other means for providing electrical power.

A molecular breast imaging (“MBI”} configured for combined MBI and ultrasound imaging or MBI-guided biopsy is provided. In one configuration, the MBI portion of the system includes two opposed gamma ray detectors, while in another configuration only one gamma ray detector is provided. In two detector configurations, a compression plate is provided to make contact with and apply light compression to the subject under examination. One of the gamma ray detectors is configured to be moveable with respect to the other detector such that the gamma ray detector can be moved away from the examination region, thereby allowing access to the breast for an ultrasound imaging system or a breast biopsy device.

A tomography apparatus that has a support device that can be displaced in a displacement direction for supporting a subject, and at least two acquisition systems disposed in succession in the displacement direction of the support device. The support device has a base that can be displaced relative to the floor and a support plate that can be displaced in the displacement direction relative to the base, such that data acquisitions at respective acquisition positions in the respective acquisition systems under essentially identical acquisition conditions are possible in a simple manner.

This invention relates to a scanning apparatus for imaging the breast that employs both X-ray and ultrasound technologies to enhance the diagnosis of cancer. There is provided a method for acquiring and co-registering the X-ray and ultrasound images in three-dimensional space, so that: the breast is in the same orientation and degree of compression when X-ray and ultrasound images are obtained; both sets of images are acquired simultaneously so as to minimize the time the woman's breast is held stationary; automated breast ultrasound images of the whole breast are acquired in a single scan; both image modalities are acquired in three dimensions; and radiation dose exposure to the woman is minimized. The method incorporates, in a single device, a system for acquiring full-field digital mammography and automated breast ultrasound images, and an algorithm for performing digital tomosynthesis reconstruction using these images.

A dual modality probe is disclosed having both a positron emission tomography sensor and a ultrasound sensor. A dual imaging system is provided having the probe and at least one external positron emission tomography detector and a data acquisition computer system for collecting data simultaneously from said positron emission sensor and said ultrasound sensor of said probe and said positron emission tomography detector. A method for evaluating a target organ of a patient utilizing the probe and imaging system, and performing a biopsy of the organ is disclosed.

A method and system for error prevention and recovery of voice activated navigation through a menu having plural nodes provides situation dependent utterance verification by relating confirmation to utterance determination confidence levels. In one embodiment, a high confidence level results in implicit confirmation, a medium confidence level results in explicit confirmation and a low confidence level results in a concise interrogative prompt of a single word that requests the user to repeat the utterance. In situations where voice recognition is difficult, dual modality with DTMF navigation is provided as an option for menu selections.

The present invention provides agents and methods for dual modality virtual colonoscopy that gives both anatomical and functional information using hybrid CT / PET scanning. In preferred embodiments, the present invention provides radiolabeled tumor-specific agents and methods for distinguishing benign polyps from malignant tumors. In further embodiments, the present invention provides compositions and methods useful for distinguishing morphological and functional subregions of a selected region of tissue based on relative levels of phospholipid metabolism. Preferred radiolabeled tumor-specific agents are phospholipid ether analogs labeled with a halogen radiosiotope. In certain preferred embodiments, the compositions including radiolabeled phospholipid ether analogs have therapeutic actions in addition to functionally identifying malignant tissue.

A dual-modality sensor for detecting a presence of a human intruder within a secure setting includes a seismic sensor for acquiring a seismic signature of a disturbance, and includes an active acoustic sensor to acquire an acoustic signature of the disturbance. A system processor is electrically connected to the seismic and active acoustic sensors to receive and process the seismic and acoustic signatures, and generate an alarm signal when the disturbance is determined to come from a human intruder. Also included is an antenna and / or hard-wire connection arranged for communicating the alarm signal. The dual-modality sensor is arranged in a sensor housing constructed to contact a surface of the secure setting. The sensor may include a battery or other means for providing electrical power.

A radio frequency (RF) body coil assembly includes a coil support structure including an inner tubular member, an outer tubular member disposed radially outwardly from the inner tubular member, and a structural material disposed between the inner and outer tubular members, an RF coil mounted to an inner surface of the coil support structure, and a positron emission tomography (PET) detector assembly mounted to an outer surface of the coil support structure. A dual-modality imaging system is also described.

The present invention relates a dual-modality PET (positron emission tomography) / MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) contrast agent, a hybrid nanoparticle comprising: (a) a magnetic signal generating core; (b) a water-soluble multi-functional ligand coated on the signal generating core; and (c) a positron emitting factor linked to the water-soluble multi-functional ligand. The contrast agent of the present invention is the dual-modality contrast agent enabling to perform PET and MR imaging and can effectively obtain images having the merits of PET (excellent sensitivity and high temporal resolution) and MR (high spatial resolution and anatomical information) imaging. The contrast agent of the present invention is very useful for non-invasive and highly sensitive real-time fault-free imaging of various biological events such as cell migration, diagnosis of various diseases (e.g., cancer diagnosis) and drug delivery.

A nuclear-medical image is generated from a nuclear-medical data set that can be acquired with a dual modality tomography apparatus, which has both a scanner for acquisition of magnetic resonance images and a scanner for acquisition of nuclear-medical data sets within a common acquisition volume. A nuclear-medical data set and an MR image are thereby acquired, and a nuclear-medical magnetic resonance atlas is provided with a reference MR data set of the region of a reference patient to be imaged and a corresponding correction data set. A transformation that maps the reference MR data set to the MR image is generated and applied to the correction data set to generate a transformed correction data set that is registered with the nuclear-medical data set. The corrected nuclear-medical image is subsequently calculated from the transformed correction data set and the nuclear-medical data set.

Provided herein are dual modality imaging systems and methods within displayed anatomical structures of placenta in real time. The imaging system comprises a dual modality laser optoacoustic and ultrasonic platform with a plurality of subsystems for delivering near infrared light, optoacoustic and ultrasonic pulses to the placenta and / or associated tissue and deep anatomic structures, for detecting ultrasonic pulses generated or reflected within the tissue using a multi-channel optoacoustic-ultrasound probe and associated transducers. The dual modality imaging system displays the results obtained as quantitative functional images of the parameters coregistered with anatomic tissue images. A multichannel electronic system comprising a computer tangibly storing software enables processor-executable instructions to calculate quantitative functional parameters of the placental blood within specific anatomical tissue structures and display quantitative functional optoacoustic images of the functional parameters within specific anatomical structures in the tissue that are visualized by ultrasound.

A data processing process and embodiment for optimizing the signal path for multi-modality imaging is described. The embodiment and process optimizes the signal to noise ratio in a positron emission tomography (PET) signal path utilizing scintillation crystals, avalanche photo diodes, and charge sensitive preamplifiers in a dual modality MRI / PET scanner. The dual use of both and analog pole zero circuit and a digital filter enables higher signal levels or a fixed ADC input range and thus a higher possible signal to noise ratio in the presence of significant pileup caused by high positron activity. The higher signal to noise ratio is needed in the PET signal architecture, because of the presence of non-modal time varying electromagnetic fields from the MR, which are a significant source of noise for the wideband PET signal modality.

This invention provides a dual-modality system for performing characterization and imaging of tissue, tumors, structures, lesions, and ablations under investigation. Specifically, the invention couples ultrasound technology comprising at least two focused ultrasound beams for vibrating target tissues located at the focal point of the ultrasound beams intersection with a radio frequency system for measuring the response of the target tissues. The ultrasound system vibrates the target tissues while the reflected radio frequency energy is transmitted into the target tissues. When reflected, the main carrier tone of the reflected radio frequency energy is cancelled and analysis is performed on the remaining sideband frequencies.

The invention provides a contrast medium used for glioma targeted magnetic resonance and fluorescence dual modality imaging, and a preparation method thereof. The contrast medium is composed of an acrylamide monomer, an allyl monmer containing sulfhydryl or carboxyl or amidogen, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, a fluorochrome and lactoferrin. The preparation method comprises following steps: the acrylamide monomer and the allyl monmer containing sulfhydryl or carboxyl or amidogen are subjected to polymerization reaction so as to obtain a copolymer nanogel; the superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles are added in polymerization reaction process so as to obtain a superparamagnetic copolymer nanogel; the fluorochrome and lactoferrin and combined via covalent bonds so as to obtain fluorochrome labeled lactoferrin; and the superparamagnetic copolymer nanogel and fluorochrome labeled lactoferrin are combined via covalent bonds so as to obtain the contrast medium used for glioma targeted magnetic resonance and fluorescence dual modality imaging. The contrast medium possesses characteristics such as high specificity, selectivity and contrast effect, and low toxic and side effect; and is capable of realizing dual modality imaging.

The invention discloses a certainty acoustic-structure coupling response prediction method based on dual-modality equations. The method comprises the following steps: (1) dividing structures and acoustic cavities in an acoustic-structure coupling system into different subsystems; (2) calculating modalities of structure subsystems and acoustic cavity subsystems; (3) calculating coupling parameters of modalities of adjacent subsystems; (4) establishing dual-modality equations of a coupling system; (5) performing preprocessing so as to obtain generalized force loads to subsystem modalities under the action of certainty loads; (6) calculating the dual-modality equations so as to obtain participation factors of all modalities; and (7) through modality overlapping, calculating certainty acoustic-structure coupling response. According to the certainty acoustic-structure coupling response prediction method disclosed by the invention, the system is divided into continuously coupled subsystems, certainty vibration of the system is described through subsystems inside limited frequency bands, and the analysis efficiency of the method is higher than that of conventional finite element methods.