| 主权项 |
1. A hybrid imaging system (100) for imaging a volume of interest of a subject, said hybrid imaging system comprises:
a. a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device (130) for accommodating said volume of interest of said subject and for acquiring at least one MRI image thereof; b. a photon transmitter (150) selected from the group consisting of an optical fiber, a cannula, a light pipe, a light tube, and any combination thereof; said photon transmitter (150) having one end connected to a light source and a second end introducible into said volume of interest of said subject while said predetermined portion of said subject is placed within said MRI device, said photon transmitter being specifically adapted to being guided from within said predetermined portion of said subject; c. at least one imaging photon detector (140) selected from the group consisting of a CCD array, a camera, a photoconductive detector array, a photovoltaic detector array, a quantum dot array, a superconducting single-photon detector array, a photovoltaic cell array, a phototube array, and any combination thereof; said photon detector (140) located functionally solely outside and substantially proximate to said predetermined portion of said animal body for acquiring at least one fluorescence image of said volume of interest of said subject substantially simultaneously with acquiring of said MRI image, by detecting fluorescence emission from an external surface of said subject, said fluorescence is excited within said subject upon illumination by light transmitted by said photon transmitter; and d. a processor adapted to fuse said acquired MRI image and said at least one acquired fluorescence image, thereby generating a rendered MRI image of said volume of interest of said subject; wherein said hybrid imaging system substantially simultaneously acquires said at least one magnetic resonance image and said at least one fluorescence images of said volume of interest of said subject. |
