Patient support system in a narrow-beam tomographic imaging apparatus

Claim 1

A patient support system for a narrow beam tomographic X-ray apparatus for obtaining tomographic X-ray images of the jaw area of a patient, said support system comprising: a substantially vertical support member (1) for mounting the system on the floor or wall of a building; a first substantially horizontal upper frame member (2) extending from said vertical support member; a pair of spaced temple braces (8) mounted on said first frame member to depend therefrom, said temple braces being so mounted on said first frame member that the perpendicular bisecting plane of a line extending between said spaced temple braces avoids intersection with said vertical support member; a forehead brace (7) mounted on said first frame member to depend therefrom, said forehead brace being mounted on said first frame member to be generally in said perpendicular bisecting plane of said spaced temple braces; a bearer bar (3) having a source of X-ray radiation (4) at one end and an imaging medium (5) at the other end, said bearer bar depending from said first frame member and being movably mounted thereon for imaging a predetermined layer of the jaw area of the patient; a second substantially horizontal lower frame member (6) extending from said vertical support member spacedly below said first frame member; and a chin brace (9) mounted on said second frame member to lie generally in alignment with said forehead brace and along said perpendicular bisecting plane of said spaced temple braces; so that said forehead and temple braces and said chin brace orient the head of the patient such that the medial sagittal plane (5) of the patient's head does not intersect said vertical support member during tomographic imaging of the jaw area, said X-ray radiation source and said imaging medium being positionable on opposite sides of the patient's head when the patient's head is received in said braces.