X-ray CT apparatus including processing circuitry to perform a metal-artifact reducing process

• US 10,610,185 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2017
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), National Cancer Center
• Original Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Taguchi, Hiroki, Tsukagoshi, Shinsuke, Sekiya, Kotaro, Kuno, Hirofumi, Nomura, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Allen C.
• Application Number:
  US15/470,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20170273654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 378 4, 378 38- 40, 378196-198
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/035 Mechanical aspects of CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/06 Diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/08 Auxiliary means for directing the radiation beam to a particular spot, e.g. using light beams
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4035 the source being combined with a filter or grating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/44 Constructional features of apparatus for radiation diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4429 related to the mounting of source units and detector units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4435 the source unit and the detector unit being coupled by a rigid structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4447 Tiltable gantries
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/461 Displaying means of special interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/483 involving scattered radiation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/501 for diagnosis of the head, e.g. neuroimaging or craniography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/51 for dentistry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/52 Devices using data or image processing specially adapted for radiation diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5205 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5211 involving processing of medical diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5223 generating planar views from image data, e.g. extracting a coronal view from a 3D image
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5258 involving detection or reduction of artifacts or noise

Abstract

An X-ray CT apparatus according to an embodiment includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to detect X-rays that have passed through a subject by using a detector and to acquire projection data on a basis of a detection result. The processing circuitry is configured to obtain position information of a highly X-ray absorbent member in the body of the subject. The processing circuitry is configured to derive information about transmission paths of the X-rays in accordance with a processing effect of an artifact reducing process performed on the highly X-ray absorbent member, on the basis of the position information of the highly X-ray absorbent member.

Claims

1. An X-ray CT apparatus, comprising:

processing circuitry configured to;

detect X-rays that have passed through a subject by using a detector and acquire projection data based on a detection result;

obtain position information of a particular highly X-ray absorbent member in a body of the subject; and

derive information about transmission paths of the X-rays in accordance with a processing effect of an artifact reducing process performed on the particular highly X-ray absorbent member, based on the position information of the particular highly X-ray absorbent member.

2. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

obtain position information of a plurality of highly X-ray absorbent members, including the particular highly X-ray absorbent member, in the body of the subject; and

derive the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays, based on a distance between the plurality of highly X-ray absorbent members positioned on the transmission paths of the X-rays.

3. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to derive the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays, in such a manner that the artifact reducing process is able to reduce artifacts in a region of interest within image data reconstructed from the projection data.

4. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

obtain position information of a plurality of highly X-ray absorbent members, including the particular highly X-ray absorbent member, in the body of the subject; and

derive the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays that keep a quantity of highly X-ray absorbent members of the plurality of highly X-ray absorbent members positioned on the transmission paths of the X-rays one or smaller, or that minimize the quantity of highly X-ray absorbent members.

5. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:

obtain position information of a plurality of highly X-ray absorbent members, including the particular highly X-ray absorbent member, in the body of the subject; and

derive the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays that maximize a distance between the plurality of highly X-ray absorbent members positioned on the transmission paths of the X-rays.

6. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

obtain position information of a plurality of highly X-ray absorbent members, including the particular highly X-ray absorbent member, in the body of the subject; and

derive the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays obtained by eliminating, from previous information about previous transmission paths of X-rays, at least a most highly X-ray absorbent member among the plurality of highly X-ray absorbent members in the body of the subject.

7. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing circuitry is further configured to receive an operation to designate a predetermined region of the subject, and

the processing circuitry is further configured to derive the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays obtained by eliminating, from previous information about previous transmission paths of X-rays, the designated predetermined region.

8. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to receive, as the predetermined region, one of a region indicating a metal artifact within a position determining image acquired from the subject, a region indicating the particular highly X-ray absorbent member within a position determining image, and a tooth region of the subject designated by using a dental system.

9. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the dental system includes one of a Zsigmondy system, an ADA system, and an FDI system.

10. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the processing circuitry is further configured to set an acquisition condition for acquiring the projection data, based on the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays, and

the processing circuitry is further configured to acquire the projection data by using the set acquisition condition.

11. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the acquisition condition is at least one of a tilt angle of a gantry including an X-ray source, a rotation angle of the gantry, and a rotation angle of a couch on which the subject is lying.

12. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a light projector configured to irradiate a body surface of the subject with light of which an irradiation position is variable, wherein

the processing circuitry is further configured to control the light projector so as to project the light to a position on a body surface of the subject corresponding to the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays.

13. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display to display the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays, wherein

as the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays, the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the display to display at least one of a position determining image indicating the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays, image information indicating a posture of the subject used for setting the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays in accordance with the processing effect of the artifact reducing process performed on the particular highly X-ray absorbent member, and a simulation image corresponding to when an acquiring process is performed by setting the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays in accordance with the processing effect of the artifact reducing process performed on the particular highly X-ray absorbent member.

14. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to obtain the position information of the particular highly X-ray absorbent member in the body of the subject, based on a CT value of a position determining image of the subject.

15. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to

obtain position information of a plurality of highly X-ray absorbent members including the particular highly X-ray absorbent member in the body of the subject;

and

derive the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays while regarding the plurality of highly X-ray absorbent members that are positioned close to each other in the body of the subject as a single highly X-ray absorbent member.

16. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an aiding tool configured to change a posture of the subject, for setting the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays in accordance with the processing effect of the artifact reducing process performed on the particular highly X-ray absorbent member.

17. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein to perform an image taking process on a head of the subject, when the particular highly X-ray absorbent member is placed in a tooth part of the subject, the processing circuitry is further configured to select a mouthpiece used for eliminating the particular highly X-ray absorbent member from previous information about previous transmission paths of X-rays, based on the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays.

18. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause a display to display a medical image based on projection data acquired based on the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays, as well as an acquisition condition of the projection data.

19. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, based on a manner in which scan ranges overlap each other based on the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays in accordance with the processing effect of the artifact reducing process performed on the particular highly X-ray absorbent member, the processing circuitry is further configured to re-establish the scan ranges so as to fill in a gap between the scan ranges.

20. The X-ray CT apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to set an acquisition condition of the projection data in accordance with a posture of the subject that was changed for setting the information about the transmission paths of the X-rays in accordance with the processing effect of the artifact reducing process performed on the particular highly X-ray absorbent member.