A patient positioning system for the ESRF medical imaging facility

The medical imaging facility of the ESRF is devoted to human coronary angio graphy, computed tomography, diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI), bronchogra phy, and also radiation therapy programs. Most of the imaging is performed in a satellite building located at 150 m from the wiggler source (H. Elleau me et al., Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 428 (1999) 513). A multi-purpose device known as the Patient Positioning System (PPS or medical chair) has been de signed to perform in different modes of research on patients. This device o perates in the angiography mode, with alternating up and down movements in 1.6 s cycles over a period of about 30 s. The tomography mode is used mainl y for the imaging of the brain. It consists of turning the patient around a n axis perfectly perpendicular to the beam plane. A dual-energy scan involv es two rotations with one image recorded each turn at a different energy (P hys. Med. Biol. 45 (2000) L39). The first angiography imaging on patients w as undertaken in January 2000 after successful pre-clinical tests on animal s. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.