Ultrasound imaging apparatus and method for segmenting anatomical objects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10667786-B2
Application number	US-201615540297-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2016
Priority date	Jan 6, 2015
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

An ultrasound imaging apparatus (10) for segmenting an anatomical object in a field of view (29) of an ultrasound acquisition unit (14) is disclosed. The ultrasound imaging apparatus comprises a data interface (32) configured to receive a two-dimensional ultrasound data (30) of the object in the field of view in an image plane from the ultrasound acquisition unit and to receive a three-dimensional segmentation model (46) as a three-dimensional representation of the object from a segmentation unit (36). An image processor (34) is configured to determine a two-dimensional segmentation model (50) on the basis of the three-dimensional segmentation model and a segmentation plane (48), wherein the segmentation plane and an image plane of the two-dimensional ultrasound data correspond to each other. The image processor is configured to adapt a contour of the two-dimensional segmentation model to the two-dimensional ultrasound data on the basis of pattern detection and where the image processor is configured to provide annotated two-dimensional image data (42) on the basis of the two-dimensional ultrasound data and the adapted segmentation model aligned to the two-dimensional ultrasound data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ultrasound imaging apparatus for segmenting an anatomical object in a field of view of an ultrasound probe during an image-guided intervention, comprising:
a first data interface configured to receive a continuous two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound data stream, provided as live image data, of the anatomical object in the field of view in an image plane from the ultrasound probe, wherein the first data interface is further configured to receive a three-dimensional segmentation model as a three-dimensional representation of the anatomical object,
an image processor configured to generate a sequence of 2D images from the live image data, wherein the image processor is configured, for each 2D image of the sequence of 2D images, to determine a two-dimensional segmentation model from the three-dimensional segmentation model at a segmentation plane that corresponds to an image plane of the respective 2D image of the sequence of 2D images,
adapt a contour of the two-dimensional segmentation model to the respective 2D image of the sequence of 2D images on the basis of pattern detection, and superposing the contour of the adapted two-dimensional segmentation model on the respective 2D image of the sequence of 2D images to generate annotated two-dimensional live image data, and wherein the image processor is further configured to provide the annotated two-dimensional live image data on a display.

2. An ultrasound imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a second data interface configured to receive three-dimensional medical image data of the object for adapting the three-dimensional segmentation model of the anatomical object on the basis of the three-dimensional medical image data prior to the image-guided intervention.

3. An ultrasound imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional segmentation model and/or the two-dimensional segmentation model include a plurality of surface elements or line elements forming the representation of the anatomical object surface or contour and wherein anatomical information and/or pattern information are assigned to the surface elements or line elements.

4. An ultrasound imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the image processor is configured to adapt a contour of the two-dimensional segmentation model to the ultrasound data on the basis of pattern information.

5. An ultrasound imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the pattern information comprise ultrasound data intensity information of the object and wherein the image processor is configured to adapt a contour of the two-dimensional segmentation model to corresponding intensities in the continuous two-dimensional ultrasound data stream.

6. An ultrasound imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the image processor is configured to display the anatomical information in the annotated two-dimensional live image data.

7. An ultrasound imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a position sensor for determining a position and a viewing direction of the ultrasound probe and for determining the image plane of the continuous two-dimensional ultrasound data stream, wherein the image processor is configured to determine the segmentation plane corresponding to the determined image plane.

8. An ultrasound imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the segmentation plane is predefined in relation to the three-dimensional segmentation model and wherein the image plane is adapted to the predefined segmentation plane.

9. An ultrasound imaging apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising a user interface, wherein the segmentation plane is predefined by the user via the user interface.

10. A method for identifying an anatomical object in a field of view of an ultrasound probe during image-guided intervention, comprising the steps of:
receiving a continuous two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound data stream, provided as live image data, in an image plane of the object in the field of view from the probe;
receiving a three-dimensional segmentation model as a three-dimensional representation of the object,
generating a sequence of 2D images from the live image data,
determining a two-dimensional segmentation model from the three-dimensional segmentation model, for each 2D image of the sequence of 2D images, at a segmentation plane that corresponds to an image plane of a respective 2D image of the sequence of 2D images,
deforming a contour of the two-dimensional segmentation model to the respective 2D image of the sequence of 2D images on the basis of pattern detection,
superposing the contour of the two-dimensional segmentation model on the respective 2D image of the sequence of 2D images to generate annotated two-dimensional live image data, and
providing the annotated two-dimensional live image data on a display.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium configured to carry out the steps of the method as claimed in claim 10 when said computer program is carried out on a computer.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Peters Jochen
• Tahmasebi Maraghoosh Amir Mohammad
• Weese Juergen
• Buerger Christian

Classifications

• G06T7/0014

  using an image reference approach · CPC title

• A61B8/468

  allowing annotation or message recording · CPC title

• G06T7/149

  involving deformable models, e.g. active contour models · CPC title

• G06T7/75

  involving models · CPC title

• G06T2207/10132

  Ultrasound image · CPC title