Medical image processing apparatus and medical image registration method using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016155222-A1
Application number	US-201514823059-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 11, 2015
Priority date	Nov 28, 2014
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A medical image registration method includes determining whether a reference point of registration is present in a first medical image and a second medical image of an object; in response to determining that the reference point is not present in one of the first medical image and the second medical image, estimating a virtual reference point corresponding to the reference point in one of the first medical image and the second medical image, in which the reference point is not present, by using anatomical information of the object; and registering the first medical image and the second medical image by using the estimated virtual reference point.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A medical image registration method comprising:
determining whether a reference point of registration is present in a first medical image and a second medical image of an object; in response to determining that the reference point is not present in at least one of the first medical image and the second medical image, estimating a virtual reference point corresponding to the reference point in the at least one of the first medical image and the second medical image, in which the reference point is not present, by using anatomical information of the object; and registering the first medical image and the second medical image by using the estimated virtual reference point.

2 . The medical image registration method of claim 1 , wherein the estimating the virtual reference point comprises:
determining a peripheral tissue related to the reference point in the first image and the second image in response to determining that the reference point is not present in each of the first medical image and the second medical image; and estimating the virtual reference point corresponding to the reference point in each of the first medical image and the second medical image based on an anatomical structure between the determined peripheral tissue and the reference point.

3 . The medical image registration method of claim 1 , wherein the estimating the virtual reference point comprises:
determining a peripheral tissue related to the reference point in the first image and the second image in response to determining that the reference point is not present in each of the first medical image and the second medical image; and estimating the virtual reference point in each of the first medical image and the second medical image by using pre-learned shape information related to the peripheral tissue or by using geometric information between the peripheral tissue and the reference point.

4 . The medical image registration method of claim 2 , wherein the registering the first image and the second image comprises:
registering the first medical image and the second medical image by using the estimated virtual reference points on the first medical image and the second medical image.

5 . The medical image registration method of claim 1 , wherein the estimating the virtual reference point comprises:
in response to determining that the reference point is present only in the first medical image, determining a peripheral tissue related to the reference point in the second medical image in which the reference point is not present; and estimating the virtual reference point corresponding to the reference point based on an anatomical structure between the determined peripheral tissue and the reference point.

6 . The medical image registration method of claim 1 , wherein the estimating the virtual reference point comprises:
in response to determining that the reference point is present only in the first medical image, determining the peripheral tissue related to the reference point in the second medical image not having the reference point; and estimating the virtual reference point by using pre-learned shape information related to the determined peripheral tissue or by using geometric information between the peripheral tissue and the reference point.

7 . The medical image registration method of claim 5 , wherein the registering the first image and the second image comprises:
registering the first medical image and the second medical image by using the reference point of the first medical image and the estimated virtual reference point of the second medical image.

8 . A medical image processing apparatus comprising:
a communicator configured to receive a first medical image and a second medical image of an object from a first medical imaging apparatus and a second medical imaging apparatus, respectively; and an image processor configured to estimate a virtual reference point corresponding to a reference point of registration by using anatomical information of the object from one of the first medical image and the second medical image in which the reference point of registration is not shown.

9 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the image processor is configured to estimate the virtual reference point corresponding to the reference point in the second medical image by using the anatomical information of the object, when the reference point is present only in the first medical image, and register the first medical image and the second medical image by using the reference point of the first medical image and the virtual reference point of the second medical image.

10 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein:
the image processor is configured to determine a peripheral tissue related to the reference point in the second medical image, and estimate the virtual reference point corresponding to the reference point based on an anatomical relationship between the peripheral tissue and the reference point.

11 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:
the image processor is configured to determine a geometric structure between the peripheral tissue and the reference point based on the anatomical relationship between the peripheral tissue and the reference point, and estimate the virtual reference point corresponding to the reference point by using the geometric structure.

12 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:
the image processor is configured to estimate the virtual reference point corresponding to the reference point by using pre-learned shape information with respect to the peripheral tissue or by using geometric information between the peripheral tissue and the reference point.

13 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein:
the image processor is configured to estimate virtual reference points corresponding to the reference point from the first medical image and the second medical image by using the anatomical information of the object when the reference point is not present in each of the first medical image and the second medical image, and register the first medical image and the second medical image by using the estimated virtual reference points.

14 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 13 , wherein:
the image processor is configured to determine a peripheral tissue related to the reference point from the first medical image and the second medical image, and estimate the virtual reference points of the first medical image and the second medical image corresponding to the reference point based on an anatomical relationship between the peripheral tissue and the reference point.

15 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 14 , wherein:
the image processor is configured to determine a geometric structure between the peripheral tissue and the reference point based on the anatomical relationship between the peripheral tissue and the reference point, and estimate the virtual reference points of the first medical image and the second medical image corresponding to the reference point by using the geometric structure.

16 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 14 , wherein:
the image processor is configured to estimate the virtual reference points of the first medical image and the second medical image corresponding to the reference point by using pre-learned shape information with respect to the peripheral tissue or by using geometric information between the peripheral tissue and the reference point.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jeong Jayeon
• Bang Won-Chul
• Ryu Jiwon
• Oh Youngtaek
• Chang Jungwoo
• Kim Jungbae
• Lee Kyong Joon

Classifications

• G06T3/0068

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T2207/10072

  Tomographic images · CPC title

• G06T2210/41

  Medical · CPC title

• G06T2207/30196

  Human being; Person · CPC title

• G06T7/003 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic