Patent · US Expired

Whole-body x-ray bone densitometry using a narrow-angle fan beam, including variable fan beam displacement between scan passes

US5838765A · kind A · utility

53Cited by
28References
53Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 7, 1995
Grant dateNov 17, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 7, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B6/583
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A whole body x-ray bone densitometry system includes a table extending parallel to a Y-axis of an XYZ coordinate system for supporting a patient at a patient position; an x-ray source for emitting a narrow angle fan beam of x-rays to irradiate at any one time a scan line which is transverse to the Y-axis and is substantially shorter than the width of a body cross-section of a typical adult patient occupying the patient position. An x-ray detector is aligned with the source along a source-detector axis which is transverse to the Y-axis, for receiving x-rays from the source within the angle of the fan beam after passage thereof through the patient position. The detector has a number of detecting elements arranged along a direction transverse to the Y-axis and to the source-detector axis. A source-detector support on which the source and detector are mounted at opposite sides of the patient position is coupled with a scanning mechanism moving at least one of the patient table and the source-detector support relative to the other to scan the patient position with the narrow angle fan beam in successive scans parallel to the Y-axis in which the source-detector axis is at different angle…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.