Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
The present invention relates to radiological equipment, and more
particularly to apparatus for supporting and manoeuvering a plurality of x-ray
machines to permit simultaneous or sequential exposure for the examination of
different planes of an organ.
Arteriography is a technique in which blood vessels and organs are
injected wi~h an opaque contrast medium to be used for diagnosis. Radiograms
are made of the injected area to detect the flow of the contrast medium through
and around the suspected entity. ~arious types of tumors and other disorders
are thereby differentiated. Radiotopography is a technique wherein a radiG-
isotope is injected into the area under study and a scintillation camerameasures the distribution of the isotope in and around the suspected lesion.
Minimizing the quantity of contrast mediums or radioisotopes injected into the
subject is naturally the most desired course of examination/ while maximizing
the quantity of film exposure of the subject over a wide range of angles with
minimum discomfort to the patient.
A number of devices have been devised over the years to facilitate
radiological examination. AT1 early attempt is shown in United States Patent
1,599~696 to Wantz wherein an x-ray apparatus comprises a single x-ray tube in
movable cooperation with a fluorescent screen~ on a circular frame arranged
around a patient to be studied. The early Wantz apparatus did not provide for
variation in distances between cooperating elements in the system and/or the
patient being examined and in combination with the examining table shown, was
somewhat c~bersome without facilitating the wide range of radiography desired.
Another x-ray device is shown in United States Patent 2,167,116 to Kieffer
wherein a single x-ray source is provided with a spherical surface of moveme~t
concommitant with the film avoiding arcuate movement in a single plane. Yet a
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further device is shown in U~ited States Patent 2,818,510 -to Verse wherein a
wheeled carriage supports annular rings which guide~s an x-ray tube and
Juminoscopc to concentrically encircle an object to be studied. The rings are
howcver clriven by large gear mechanisms which move the x-ray generator and
receiver through their path. United States Patent 3~281J598 to ~lollstein shows
a C-shaped arm holding a single x-ray generator and receiving unit thereon,
which arm is movable in conjunction with an overhead support system through a
cumbersome vertical arm member. A recent device for radiological examination
is shown in United States Patent 3,892,967 to Grady et al, wherein a movable
U-shaped arm has its intermediate portion in a linkage arrangement comprising
a parallelogram to provide a spherical locus of points for x-ray generator and
the radiation receptor. None of the art addresses taking exposures in two
planes simultaneously or sequentially so that a single injection of contrast
medium can be utilized in the examination nor does the art address the inter-
locking of two x-ray tubes or radioactive elements in predetermined radial
positions while allowing joint motion of two radiation means about an axis of
rotation. Interlocking allows rotating the two means simultaneously around an
isocenter to sequentially take biplanar exposures of an organ and enable the
examiner to view the functioning of that organ.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide apparatus
which will permit simultaneous or sequential radiological examination of a
subject on two planes by a plurality of radiological examination devices and to
minimize the exposure level of radioisotopes and contrast mediums within the
subject.
The present invention comprises radiological support apparatus wherein
a plurality of radiological generators and radiological receptors are circum-
ferentially and radially movable with respect to a subject being examined to
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provide simultaneous or sequential examination of the subject at two planes
from a plurality of angles to minimize the dangers to the subject by minimizing
thc cluantity of contrast mediums or radioisotopes necessary in the subject.
The support apparatus comprises two generally U-shaped supports, each pivotable
about a common axis at an isocenter. The distal ends of the supports have a
radiological generator and receptor thereon, respectively. Each radiological
generator and receptor, while being movable circumferentially about the subject~
is movable radially towards or away from the subject to provide different
intensity of examination as well cas simultaneous multi-angular examination of
the subject. A system using cables, counterweights and pulleys within the
support permits the radially directed movement of the respective units, while
each U-shaped support arm is pivotally mounted on a journal which is supported
on a heavy base. The support arms move circumferentially with respect to one
another and to the subject being examined, the subject being in alignment with
the axis of rotation of those arms. Moreover, the arms are lockable relative
to each other bu~ movable circumferentially about the axis of rotation so that
a series of biplanar views can be provided around an isocenter. The invention
further concerns a radiological examining system of the support apparatus and
an examining table, the table being rotatable about an axis normal to the
common axis of the U-shaped support arms.
Broadly, the present invention provides a radiological support apparatus
for the examination of a subject, comprising: two support arms which each
carry radiation means including a radiation source and a radiation receptor;
a common axis of rotation for each of said support arms, said axis of rotation
in alignment with said subject being examined; said support arms being indepen-
dently rotatable with respect to each other~ about said axis of rotation.
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'I`he objects and advantages of the present invention will become more
apparent when viewed ln conjunction with the following drawlngs, in which:
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a radiological ap~aratus
constructed in accordance with the prescnt invention, portions being deleted
for clarity;
Figure 2 ls a view taken along the lines II-II of F:igure l;
Figure 3 is a plan view of the radiological apparatus, including a
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support table, portions of the apparatus deleted for clarity; and
~igure 4 is a side elevat:ional view of the support member.
ReEerring now to the drawings in detail, and particularly to Figure
1, there is shown a racliological examination apparatus 10 comprising a :E:irst
U-shaped support arm 12 and a second U-shaped support arm 14, pivotally mounted
with respect to one another on a common shat 16, ~hich itsel:f may be rotation-
ally movable in a collar 18 which is fixedly supported on a heavy base 20. The
first and second support arms 12 and 14 pivot about a common axis "A" which is
the axis of the common shaft 16. The axis "A" is in alignment with that portion
of a patient "P" or subject being examined, shown in Figure 1 Oll a radiation-
transparent table "T". The common axis "A" may be generally horizontally
disposed or it may be vertically arranged about the table "T" and the subject
being examined.
The first support arm 12 comprises a pair of hollow generally parallel
extended members 22 and 24 connected by a hollow transverse member 26. Each
extended member 22 and 24 has a frame 28 at its distal end thereof. On one
extended member 22, the frame 28 thereon movably secures a radiation means such
as a radiation image rece~ptor 30, and the Erame 28 on the other extended member
24 secures a radiation means such as a radiation source 32. The radiation
image receptor 30 and the radiation source 32 may move radially with respect
to the common axis "A", in conjunction with one another to vary the imagery of
the radiological examination. The second support arm 14 is arranged in a manner
similar to the first support arm 12, except that it has a pair of generally
parallel extended members 34 and 36, which may not be as long as the extended
members 22 and 24 of the first support arm 12 because of their overlapping
relationship. The extended members 34 and 36 (only one being shown in Figure 1
for clarity) are interconnected by a hollow transverse member 38. Each extended
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member 34 and 36 of the second support arm 14 has a frame 28' at the distal end
thereof. On one of the extended members 34, the frame 28' movably secures a
radiation means such as a radiation ima~e receptor 30' and the frame 28' on the
other extended member 36 movably secures a radiation means such as a radiation
source 32' shown more clearly in ~igures Z and 3.
Each extended member 22, 24, 34 and 36 is hollow, as is each trans-
verse member 26 and 38, in which hollow space is disposed a system 40 of cablPs,
pulleys and counterweights to facilitate the radially directed movement of the
radiation sources 32 and the radiation image receptors 30. A portion of the
system 40, is shown in Figure 4, in one of the extended members 22, wherein a
double pulley 42 having two sheaves is disposed in the distal end thereof, near
the radiation source 32. Another arrangement of pulleys 44 and 46 is disposed
a~ the elbow or juncture of the interconnecting member 26 and the extended
member 22, and a further double pulley 48 having double sheaves is disposed at
an intermediate location in the interconnecting member 26. A flexible cable
50 is attached at one end to an arm 52 on the radially outwardly directed side
of the frame 28 on the extended member 22. The cable 50 wraps partially around
the radially inward portion on one of the sheaves on the double pulley 42 and
is carried through the hollow portion of the extended member 22 to wrap around
the radially outer side of one o:E the pulleys 46 at the elbow of the support
arm 12, and continues radially inwardly in the transverse member 26 to wrap
around a sheavc of the further double pulley 48 therein, thence radially out-
wardly to a weight "W" of proper balancing characteristics, and continues from
the radially outer end thereof around another pulley 44 at the elbow of the
support arm 12, out through the extended member 22 and around the other sheave
of the double pulley 42 and thence radially inwardly to be secured on an arm
54 on the radially inwardly directed side of the frame 28 on the extended member
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22. 'I'he fralne 28 which compriscs a portion of the radiological apparatus is
slidable on a rod 56 which is provided at the end of each extended member.
More particularly, the rod 56 is slidably received in aperturcs in arms 52 and
54 of the frame and enlarged heacls 57 at the endsof ~he rod serve as limit stops
for the frame. ~n endless cable 58 may be disposed in a Figure eight con-
figuration between the second sheave on the double pulley 48 at the intermediate
position in the connecting member 20, and a sheave on another double pulley 48'
spaced towards the other extended member 2q and which comprises the remaining
portion of the funicular system 40 in the first support arm 12. The double
pulleys 48 and 48' have their respective sheaves fixedly attached to one another
to facilitate selective effectuation of simultaneous radially inwardly and
radially outwardly directed movement of the support arms' respective radiation
image receptor 30 and the radiation source 32. If desired a single loop can
be substituted for the "8" configuration to allow simultaneous movement of the
receptor 30 and source 32 in the same direction.
The pulley system in the second support arm 14 is similar to that
described in the first support arm 12, wherein the image intensity may be varied
according to the particular radial separation oE the radiation means. The
radiation means on each support arm 12 and 14 are preferably actuated seriatim
to eliminate chance of interference between intersecting radiation which might
otherwise obfuscate the images of the subject on the film plate. A lock 49 is
provided on the bearing member 53 which engages bearing member 16 so as to
interlock the support arms 12 and 14 in fixed angular relationship with each
other so as to allow the two support arms 12 and 14 to maintain the fixed
angular overlapping examination around the common axis "A".
A radiological examination of a patient "P" is facilitated further by
his disposition on a table "T", the table itself being movable in any of three
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directions, two of which are shown by the arrows "M" in Figure 3. Of these
two directions, one is rotational about an isocenter C and the other allows
movement parallel to common axis "A". In Figure 1, ~he support "S" for the
table "T" includes an arcuate leg releasably and lockably supported in a base
"B" which is rotatably disposed on a floor stand "F". The radiological
apparatus comprises radiation sources and radiation receptors which may be
moved inwardly and~or outwardly with respect to the common axis "A", by manual
stipulation or by motorization of the counterweight system~ while the support
arms 12 and 14 swing around the common axis "A", as shown by the arrows "R" in
Figure 2.
Each set of radiation source and receptor has a radiation axis inter-
secting the rotational axis "A" at a common isocenter C inside the subject of
examination. Also the table "T" rotates around the isocenter. Rotation of the
table, and the two U-shaped supports allows examination from all angles inwardly
of an imaginery sphere centred on the isocenter C.
Thus there has been shown and described a radiological support
apparatus having the characteristics of permitting a plurality of nearly
simultaneous radiological examination of a patient, minimizing hazardous
exposure to radioisotopes or other necessary contrast mediums common in the
field.
