Medical imaging apparatus and method of operating same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10127655-B2
Application number	US-201615169889-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2016
Priority date	Jul 9, 2015
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a method of operating a medical imaging apparatus, comprising: acquiring a first image of a first type corresponding to a first respiratory state of an object; determining motion information of the object with respect to a respiratory state, based on first and second images of a second type respectively corresponding to the first respiratory state and a second respiratory state of the object; and generating a second image of the first type corresponding to the second respiratory state by applying the motion information to the first image of the first type.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a medical imaging apparatus, the method comprising:
acquiring a first image of a first type corresponding to a first respiratory state of an object;
acquiring a first image of a second type corresponding to the first respiratory state of the object and a second image of the second type corresponding to a second respiratory state of the object;
determining a spatial transformation between the first image and the second image of the second type by using properties of anatomical structure extracted from the first image and the second image of the second type;
determining motion information of the object with respect to a respiratory state, based on at least one parameter describing the spatial transformation between the first image and the second image of the second type; and
generating a second image of the first type corresponding to the second respiratory state by applying the motion information to the first image of the first type; and
registering one of the first and the second images of the first type and one of the first and the second images of the second type,
wherein the registered one of the first and the second images of the first type and the registered one of the first and the second images of the second type are both of the first respiratory state or the second respiratory state, and
wherein anatomical structures and position information of the object in the registered one of the first and the second images of the first type and anatomical structures and position information of the object in the registered one of the first and the second images of the second type, coincide with each other.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the registering comprises registering the first image of the first type corresponding to the first respiratory state with the first image of the second type corresponding to the first respiratory state; and
wherein the registering comprises registering the second image of the first type corresponding to the second respiratory state with the second image of the second type corresponding to the second respiratory state.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a registered image.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying at least one of the first and second images of the first type and at least one of the first and second images of the second type; and
receiving a user input for selecting the at least one of the first and second images of the first type and the at least one of the first and second images of the second type.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising registering the selected at least one image of the first type with the selected at least one image of the second type.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the displaying of the at least one of the first and second images of the first type and the at least one of the first and second images of the second type comprises at least one of:
displaying the first and second images of the first type and the first and second images of the second type; and
displaying at least two of the first and second images of the first type and the first and second images of the second type in such a manner that the at least two images overlap each other.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the displaying of the at least two of the first and second images of the first type and the first and second images of the second type in the overlapping manner comprises at least one of:
displaying the first and second images of the first type in the overlapping manner; and
displaying the first and second images of the second type in the overlapping manner.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the motion information of the object with respect to the respiratory state comprises:
determining the at least one parameter for acquiring motion information indicating the spatial transformation between the first and second images of the second type;
determining a value of the at least one parameter based on the spatial transformation therebetween; and
determining the motion information based on the determined value of the at least one parameter.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the spatial transformation is based on at least one of a position, rotation, and a size of the object.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining of the motion information of the object with respect to the respiratory state comprises acquiring position information of the object and determining the motion information from the first and second images of the second type respectively acquired in the first and second respiratory states corresponding to the acquired position information.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second images of the first type are computed tomography (CT) images, and the first and second images of the second type are ultrasound images.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second respiratory states are inspiratory and expiratory states of the object, respectively.

13. A medical imaging apparatus comprising:
an image processor configured to acquire a first image of a first type corresponding to a first respiratory state of an object, and to acquire a first image of a second type corresponding to the first respiratory state of the object and a second image of the second type corresponding to a second respiratory state of the object;
a controller configured to determine motion information of the object with respect to a respiratory state based on at least one parameter describing spatial transformation between the first image and the second image of the second type, and to generate a second image of the first type corresponding to the second respiratory state by applying the motion information to the first image of the first type,
and to register one of the first and the second images of the first type and one of the first and the second images of the second type, wherein the registered one of the first and the second images of the first type and the registered one of the first and the second images of the second type are both of the first respiratory state or the second respiratory state, and wherein anatomical structures and position information of the object in the registered one of the first and the second images of the first type and anatomical structures and position information of the object in the registered one of the first and the second images of the second type, coincide with each other.

14. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the controller registers the first image of the first type corresponding to the first respiratory state with the first image of the second type corresponding to the first respiratory state, and registers the second image of the first type corresponding to the second respiratory state with the second image of the second type corresponding to the second respiratory state.

15. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising:
a display configured to display at least one of the first and second images of the first type and at least one of the first and second images of the second type; and
a user interface configured to receive a user input for selecting the at least one of the first and second images of the first type and the at least one of the first and second images of the second type.

16. The medical imaging apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the display displays at least two of the first and second images of the first type and the first and second images of the second type in such a manner that the at least two images overlap each other.

Assignees

• Samsung Medison Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ryu Ji-Won
• Kim Jae-Il
• Bang Won-Chul
• Oh Young-Taek
• Lee Kyong-Joon
• Chang Jung-Woo
• Jeong Ja-Yeon

Classifications

• A61B6/463 Primary

  characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display · CPC title

• G06T7/0012 Primary

  Biomedical image inspection · CPC title

• G06F18/22

  Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures · CPC title

• G06T11/60

  Creating or editing images; Combining images with text · CPC title

• A61B8/467

  characterised by special input means · CPC title