Systems and methods for viewing medical 3D imaging volumes

• US 10,614,615 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2016
• Issued: 04/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Merative US LP
• Original Assignee: Merge Healthcare Solutions Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Fram, Evan K., Reicher, Murray A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Richer, Joni
• Application Number:
  US15/292,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20170046870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/367 creating a 3D dataset from 2D images using position information
• 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 90/37 Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/08 Volume rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 Medical
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/008 Cut plane or projection plane definition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting

Abstract

A method of automatically tracking the portions of a 3D medical imaging volume, such as the voxels, that have already been displayed according to use-defined display parameters, notating those portions, and providing the user with information indicating what portions of the imaging volume have been displayed at full resolution.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith; and

one or more processors configured to execute the program instructions to cause the one or more processors to;

determine, for a three dimensional imaging volume comprising a plurality of voxels, a subset of voxels from the plurality of voxels to be displayed, wherein the subset of voxels is represented as at least one of;

a particular percentage of the plurality of voxels are to be displayed, or particular portions of the plurality of voxels are to be displayed, and wherein the subset of voxels is based on one or more of;

a resolution of the three dimensional imaging volume, a user of the computing system, a type of user of the computing system, a modality of the three dimensional imaging volume, an exam type associated with the three dimensional imaging volume, a group of exams of which the three dimensional imaging volume is a part, a group of users of the computing system of which the user is a member, a facility in which the three dimensional imaging volume is displayed, or a system on which the three dimensional imaging volume is displayed;

receive indications of portions of the three dimensional imaging volume that are selectively displayed; and

determine whether the subset of voxels has been displayed based on the indications of portions of the three dimensional image volume that have been selectively displayed.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the subset of voxels is based on a user the three dimensional imaging volume is displayed to.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the subset of voxels is based on an exam type associated with the three dimensional imaging volume.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to execute the program instructions to further cause the one or more processors to:

in response to determining that the subset of voxels has not been displayed based on the indications of portions of the three dimensional imaging volume that have been selectively displayed, provide a warning to a user.

5. A computer-implemented method comprising:

by one or more processors executing program instructions;

determining, for a three dimensional imaging volume comprising a plurality of voxels, a subset of voxels from the plurality of voxels to be displayed, wherein the subset of voxels is represented as at least one of;

a particular percentage of the plurality of voxels are to be displayed, or particular portions of the plurality of voxels are to be displayed, and wherein the subset of voxels is based on one or more of;

a resolution of the three dimensional imaging volume, a user of the computing system, a type of user of the computing system, a modality of the three dimensional imaging volume, an exam type associated with the three dimensional imaging volume, a group of exams of which the three dimensional imaging volume is a part, a group of users of the computing system of which the user is a member, a facility in which the three dimensional imaging volume is displayed, or a system on which the three dimensional imaging volume is displayed;

receiving indications of portions of the three dimensional imaging volume that are selectively displayed; and

determining whether the subset of voxels has been displayed based on the indication of portions of the three dimensional imaging volume that have been selectively displayed.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the subset of voxels is based on a user the three dimensional imaging volume is displayed to.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the subset of voxels is based on an exam type associated with the three dimensional imaging volume.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 further comprising:

by the one or more processors executing program instructions;

in response to determining that the subset of voxels has not been displayed based on the indications of portions of the three dimensional imaging volume that have been selectively displayed, providing a warning to a user.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to:

determine, for a three dimensional imaging volume comprising a plurality of voxels, a subset of voxels from the plurality of voxels to be displayed, wherein the subset of voxels is represented as at least one of;

a particular percentage of the plurality of voxels are to be displayed, or particular portions of the plurality of voxels are to be displayed, and wherein the subset of voxels is based on one or more of;

a resolution of the three dimensional imaging volume, a user of the computing system, a type of user of the computing system, a modality of the three dimensional imaging volume, an exam type associated with the three dimensional imaging volume, a group of exams of which the three dimensional imaging volume is a part, a group of users of the computing system of which the user is a member, a facility in which the three dimensional imaging volume is displayed, or a system on which the three dimensional imaging volume is displayed;

receive indications of portions of the three dimensional imaging volume that are selectively displayed; and

determine whether the subset of voxels has been displayed based on the indications of the portions of three dimensional imaging volume that have been selectively displayed.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the subset of voxels is based on a user the three dimensional imaging volume is displayed to.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the subset of voxels is based on an exam type associated with the three dimensional imaging volume.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the program instructions are executable by one or more processors to further cause the one or more processors to:

in response to determining that the subset of voxels has not been displayed based on the indications of portions of the three dimensional imaging volume that have been selectively displayed, providing a warning to a user.