Medical imaging systems and methods for performing motion-corrected image reconstruction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016247293-A1
Application number	US-201615052376-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 24, 2016
Priority date	Feb 24, 2015
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system and method to perform motion tracking and motion-corrected image reconstruction in the field of medical imaging in general and Positron Emission Tomography in particular.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A medical imaging system comprising:
an imaging apparatus configured to acquire a plurality of data points or image frames corresponding to events taking place in an object disposed in the imaging apparatus; a marker-less tracking system configured to determine, simultaneous with the acquisition of the plurality of data points or the image frames, a position and motion of the object with respect to the imaging apparatus; an image correction unit configured to correct the data points or the image frames so as to remove the artifacts due to the motion of the object during the acquisition of the data points of the frames, and an image forming unit configured to receive the corrected data points or frames from the image correction unit and to form a corrected image by using an image reconstruction algorithm or by combining the reconstructed image frames.

2 . The medical imaging system of claim 1 wherein the marker-less tracking system comprises two pairs of stereo video cameras.

3 . The medical imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the two pairs of stereo video cameras both generate image data which is analyzed by the image correction unit to tracks at least one specific facial feature as a function of time.

4 . The medical imaging system of claim 2 wherein the distance between cameras in each of the two pairs is smaller than the distance between the cameras in different pairs.

5 . The medical imaging system of claim 2 wherein the first pair of stereo cameras is configured to form a first stereo 3D image and the second pair of stereo camera is configured to form a second stereo 3D image.

6 . The medical imaging system of claim 1 wherein the imaging apparatus is a PET scanner and each data point comprises information about a single line of response.

7 . The medical imaging system of claim 1 wherein the marker-less tracking system is configured to automatically identify three or more intrinsic features of the object.

8 . The medical imaging system of claim 1 wherein the marker-less tracking system is configured to enable an operator to select, via an input device, from an image of the object displayed on a computer display three or more intrinsic features of the object.

9 . A medical imaging method comprising:
calibrating the positions of an imaging apparatus and a system of cameras; placing the object to be imaged in an imaging-volume of the imaging apparatus; receiving, at the imaging apparatus, a plurality of data points or image frames corresponding to the object during an imaging period; continuously tracking the motion of the object during the imaging period by a marker-less tracking system; correcting individual image frames or data points for the motion of the object; and forming a motion-corrected image of the object.

10 . The medical imaging method of claim 9 wherein the marker-less tracking system comprises two pairs of stereo video cameras.

11 . The medical imaging method of claim 10 , wherein the two pairs of stereo video cameras both generate image data which is analyzed by the image correction unit to track at least one specific facial feature as a function of time.

12 . The medical imaging method of claim 10 , wherein the distance between cameras in any of the two pairs is smaller than the distance between the cameras in different pairs.

13 . The medical imaging method of claim 10 , wherein the first pair of stereo cameras is configured to form a first stereo 3D image and the second pair of stereo camera is configured to form a second stereo 3D image.

14 . The medical imaging method of claim 9 , wherein the imaging apparatus is a PET scanner and each data point comprises information about a single line of response.

15 . The medical imaging method of claim 9 , wherein the marker-less tracking system is configured to automatically identify three or more intrinsic features of the object.

16 . The medical imaging method of claim 9 , wherein the marker-less tracking system is configured to enable an operator to select, via an input device, from an image of the object displayed on a computer display three or more intrinsic features of the object.

Assignees

• Brain Biosciences Inc
• Univ Maryland

Inventors

• Beylin David
• Anishchenko Sergey
• Smith Mark F
• Stepanov Pavel
• Stepanov Alex
• Zavarzin Valery
• Schaeffer Stephen
• Weinberg Irving N

Classifications

• G06T12/10 Primary

  Image preprocessing, e.g. calibration, positioning of sources or scatter correction · CPC title

• G06T7/0016

  involving temporal comparison · CPC title

• G06T7/2086 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T11/005

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T2207/10104

  Positron emission tomography [PET] · CPC title