X-ray image feature detection and registration systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11020078-B2
Application number	US-201916437587-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2019
Priority date	Nov 18, 2015
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

The disclosure relates generally to the field of vascular system and peripheral vascular system data collection, imaging, image processing and feature detection relating thereto. In part, the disclosure more specifically relates to methods for detecting position and size of contrast cloud in an x-ray image including with respect to a sequence of x-ray images during intravascular imaging. Methods of detecting and extracting metallic wires from x-ray images are also described herein such as guidewires used in coronary procedures. Further, methods for of registering vascular trees for one or more images, such as in sequences of x-ray images, are disclosed. In part, the disclosure relates to processing, tracking and registering angiography images and elements in such images. The registration can be performed relative to images from an intravascular imaging modality such as, for example, optical coherence tomography (OCT) or intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A processor-based method of detecting one or more regions of interest in one or more x-ray images, the method comprising:
storing a first set of angiography image frames obtained during a first time period m an electronic memory device;
identifying a contrast cloud region in one or more frames of the first set;
determining a second set of angiography images frames excluding regions of the one or more frames of the first set that include the identified contrast cloud region;
generating vessel centerlines in one or more frames of the second set;
generating a group of skeleton image frames from the one or more frames of the second set;
detecting one or more bends or anchor points on each frame of the one or more frames of the second set of the group of skeleton image frames;
generating a plurality of cross-frame positions using detected bends or anchor points; and
performing cross-frame registration of the second set of angiography image frames using the plurality of cross-frame positions.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying a plurality of anatomic features in one or more of the frames.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein identifying an anatomic feature comprises generating a cluster comprising a set of detected anatomic features across a plurality of frames, wherein the cluster is indicative of the detected anatomic feature being the same anatomic feature imaged on different frames.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein detecting one or more bends or anchor points comprises generating a cluster comprising a set of detected bends or anchor points across a plurality of frames, wherein the cluster is indicative of the detected bends or anchor points being same bends or anchor points imaged at different times on different angiography frames.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising detecting one or more guidewire regions in one or more of the angiography image frames.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising determining one or more end points for vessel centerlines using one or more detected guidewire regions.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising defining a proximal endpoint of one or more vessel centerlines using an endpoint selected from one or more detected guidewire regions.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing intravascular data collection during the first time period.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising registering intravascular data with regard to a plurality of the angiography image frames.

10. A system for detecting one or more features in an angiographic image, the system comprising:
one or more memory devices; and
a computing device in communication with the memory device, wherein the memory device comprises instructions executable by the computing device to cause the computing device to:
store a first set of angiography image frames obtained during a first time period m an electronic memory device;
identify a contrast cloud region in one or more frames of the first set;
determine a second set of angiography images frames excluding regions of the one or more frames of the first set that include the identified contrast cloud region;
generate vessel centerlines in one or more frames of the second set;
generate a group of skeleton image frames from the one or more frames of the second set;
detect one or more bends or anchor points on each frame of the one or more frames of the second set of the group of skeleton image frame;
generate a plurality of cross-frame positions using detected bends or anchor points; and
perform cross-frame registration of the second set of angiography image frames using the plurality of cross-frame positions.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the computing device comprises further instructions to identify a plurality of anatomic features in one or more of the frames.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein identifying an anatomic feature comprises generating a cluster comprising a set of detected anatomic features across a plurality of frames, wherein the cluster is indicative of the detected anatomic feature being the same anatomic feature imaged on different frames.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein detecting one or more bends or anchor points comprises generating a cluster comprising a set of detected bends or anchor points across a plurality of frames, wherein the cluster is indicative of the detected bends or anchor points being same bends or anchor points imaged at different times on different angiography frames.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the computing device comprises further instructions to detect one or more guidewire regions in one or more of the angiography image frames.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the computing device comprises further instructions to determine one or more end points for vessel centerlines using one or more detected guidewire regions.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein the computing device comprises further instructions to define a proximal endpoint of one or more vessel centerlines using an endpoint selected from one or more detected guidewire regions.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the computing device comprises further instructions to perform intravascular data collection during the first time period.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the computing device comprises further instructions to register intravascular data with regard to a plurality of the angiography image frames.

Assignees

• Lightlab Imaging Inc

Inventors

• Dascal Lorina
• Winkler Itai

Classifications

• G06T7/33 Primary

  using feature-based methods · CPC title

• G06T5/50

  using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction · CPC title

• G06T2207/30101

  Blood vessel; Artery; Vein; Vascular · CPC title

• A61B8/12

  in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters · CPC title

• G06T7/0012

  Biomedical image inspection · CPC title