Creating a resultant image for a specifiable, virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9993216-B2
Application number	US-201615068554-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2016
Priority date	Mar 12, 2015
Publication date	Jun 12, 2018
Grant date	Jun 12, 2018

Abstract

A method for creating a resultant image for a specifiable, virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution includes capturing a first image dataset of the patient, capturing at least one second image dataset of the patient, and specifying a virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution. The method also includes establishing a spatial density distribution of the patient for at least two materials based on the first image dataset and the at least one second image dataset. The method includes creating a third image dataset of the patient based on the specified virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution and the established spatial material density distributions. The third image dataset represents an x-ray attenuation distribution of the patient corresponding to the specified virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution. The method also includes creating the virtual image from the third image dataset.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for creating a resultant image of a patient with an x-ray imaging device for a specifiable, virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution, the method comprising:
capturing a first image dataset of the patient, the first image dataset representing a first x-ray attenuation distribution of the patient in accordance with a first x-ray quanta energy distribution;
capturing at least one second image dataset of the patient, the at least one second image dataset representing at least one second x-ray attenuation distribution of the patient corresponding to at least one second x-ray quanta energy distribution;
specifying a virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution as a function of a predetermined clinical issue;
establishing a spatial density distribution of the patient for at least two materials based on the first image dataset and the at least one second image dataset;
creating a third image dataset of the patient based on the specified virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution and the established spatial material density distributions, wherein the third image dataset represents a third x-ray attenuation distribution of the patient corresponding to the specified virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution; and
creating the resultant image from the third image dataset.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first image dataset and the at least one second image dataset are captured with a spectrally-separating x-ray radiation detector.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first image dataset and the at least one second image dataset are captured with a quanta-counting detector or a dual-layer detector.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein specifying the virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution as a function of a predetermined clinical issue comprises specifying the virtual x-ray quanta distribution as a function of desired image quality.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution is specified as a function of desired image quality with respect to an improved contrast-to-noise ratio, reduced image noise, or reduced artifacts.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution is specified after the capturing of the first image dataset and the at least one second image dataset with an x-ray imaging device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution is specified by a user.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least two materials comprise iodine and soft tissue.

9. A method for creating a resultant image of a patient with an x-ray imaging device for a specifiable, virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution, the method comprising:
capturing a first image dataset of the patient, the first image dataset representing a first x-ray attenuation distribution of the patient in accordance with a first x-ray quanta energy distribution;
capturing at least one second image dataset of the patient, the at least one second image dataset representing at least one second x-ray attenuation distribution of the patient corresponding to at least one second x-ray quanta energy distribution;
specifying a virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution;
establishing a spatial density distribution of the patient for at least two materials based on the first image dataset and the at least one second image dataset;
creating a third image dataset of the patient based on the specified virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution and the established spatial material density distributions, wherein the third image dataset represents a third x-ray attenuation distribution of the patient corresponding to the specified virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution; and
creating the resultant image from the third image dataset, wherein specifying the virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution comprises specifying the virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution as a function of at least one item of patient-specific, body-related information of the patient.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one item of patient-specific, body-related information comprises patient height, patient width, patient shape, patient weight, x-ray attenuation behavior of the patient, or any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising capturing, by an optical sensor, the at least one item of patient-specific, body-related information of the patient.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the optical sensor comprises a three-dimensional camera.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein specifying the virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution as a function of a predetermined clinical issue comprises specifying the virtual x-ray quanta distribution as a function of an examination type.

14. In a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions executable by a computer to create a resultant image of a patient with an x-ray imaging device for a specifiable, virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution, the instructions comprising:
capturing a first image dataset of the patient, the first image dataset representing a first x-ray attenuation distribution of the patient in accordance with a first x-ray quanta energy distribution;
capturing at least one second image dataset of the patient, the at least one second image dataset representing at least one second x-ray attenuation distribution of the patient corresponding to at least one second x-ray quanta energy distribution;
specifying a virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution as a function of a predetermined clinical issue or at least one item of patient-specific, body-related information of the patient;
establishing a spatial density distribution of the patient for at least two materials based on the first image dataset and the at least one second image dataset;
creating a third image dataset of the patient based on the specified virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution and the established spatial material density distributions, wherein the third image dataset represents a third x-ray attenuation distribution of the patient corresponding to the specified virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution; and
creating the resultant image from the third image dataset.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein specifying the virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution as a function of a predetermined clinical issue comprises specifying the virtual x-ray quanta distribution as a function of an examination type.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein specifying the virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution as a function of a predetermined clinical issue comprises specifying the virtual x-ray quanta distribution as a function of desired image quality.

17. An x-ray imaging device for creating a resultant image of a patient for a specifiable, virtual x-ray quanta energy distribution, the x-ray imaging device comprising:
an x-ray module comprising at least one x-ray source, each x-ray source of the at least on x-ray source being operable to create and emit x-ray radiation with a specified x-ray quanta energy distribution;
a detector module comprising at least one x-ray radiation detector, each x-ray radiation detector of the at least one x-ray radiation detector being operable to detect x-ray radiation emitted by the x-ray module; and
a computer system configured to:
capture a first image dataset of the patient, the first image dataset representing a first x-ray attenuation distribution of the patient in accordance with a first x-ray quanta energy distribution;
capture at least one second image dataset of the patient, the at least one second image dataset represent

Assignees

• Flohr Thomas
• Kappler Steffen
• Raupach Rainer
• Schmidt Bernhard
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Flohr Thomas
• Kappler Steffen
• Raupach Rainer
• Schmidt Bernhard

Classifications

• A61B6/482

  involving multiple energy imaging · CPC title

• A61B5/0077

  Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens · CPC title

• A61B6/5205 Primary

  involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data · CPC title

• A61B6/032

  Transmission computed tomography [CT] · CPC title