Positioning of an examination object for an imaging method

• US 10,687,778 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2017
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Lerch, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Allen C.
• Application Number:
  US15/614,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20170354385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 378 20, 378196, 378197, 378162-166, 378204-209
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/70 Means for positioning the patient in relation to the detecting, measuring or recording means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/035 Mechanical aspects of CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/04 Positioning of patients; Tiltable beds or the like operating tables A61G13/00; operating chairs A61G15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/0407 Supports, e.g. tables or beds, for the body or parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/0414 with compression means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/42 Arrangements for detecting radiation specially adapted for radiation diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4208 characterised by using a particular type of detector
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4258 for detecting non x-ray radiation, e.g. gamma radiation A61B6/037 takes precedence
• 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 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/48 Diagnostic techniques A61B6/022, A61B6/025 A61B6/032, A61B6/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/488 involving pre-scan acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/54 Control of apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/542 involving control of exposure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/544 dependent on patient size
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/545 : involving automatic set-up of acquisition parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/589 : Setting distance between source unit and patient
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/283 : Intercom or optical viewing arrangements, structurally associated with NMR apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/30 : Sample handling arrangements, e.g. sample cells, spinning mechanisms

Abstract

A method is described for positioning of an examination object for an imaging method. The method is used to record an external image of externally visible features of the examination object. The recording of the external image is used as the basis for determining a position and/or orientation of at least one part of the examination object assigned to the imaged features. Subsequently, a check is performed as to whether the determined position and/or orientation of the at least one part of the examination object conforms to a reference position and/or reference orientation. Finally, if the determined position and/or orientation of the at least one part of the examination object does not conform to the reference position and/or reference orientation, the position and/or orientation of the at least one part of the examination object is corrected. Also described is an object-positioning facility. Furthermore, an imaging medical facility is described.

Claims

1. A method for positioning of an examination object for an imaging method, comprising:

recording an external image of externally visible features of the examination object via an external-image recording unit;

determining at least one of a position and an orientation of at least one part of the examination object assigned to the externally visible features of the examination object based upon the external image recorded;

checking whether or not the at least one of the position and the orientation determined, of the at least one part of the examination object, conforms to a respective at least one of a reference position and a reference orientation; and

correcting the at least one of the position and the orientation determined, of the at least one part of the examination object, in response to the checking indicating that the at least one of the position and the orientation determined, of the at least one part of the examination object, does not conform to the respective at least one of the reference position and the reference orientation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective at least one of the reference position and the reference orientation includes at least one of an alignment of the at least one part of the examination object with respect to an axis of symmetry of the at least one part of the examination object and a relative position of individual parts of the examination object with respect to another axis of symmetry.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the examination object includes a patient, and wherein the at least one part of the examination object includes at least one body part of the patient.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining, includes extracting anatomical landmarks from the external image recorded and using the anatomical landmarks to compile a virtual 3D body model from which at least one of the position and the orientation of the at least one part of the examination object is determined.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the checking includes determining at least one of:

whether the at least one body part of the patient should be arranged differently, and

whether the axis of symmetry of the at least one body part of the patient is aligned correctly relative to a medical imaging facility, and

whether individual body parts of the patient are arranged correctly relative to one another.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the checking includes determining at least one of:

whether the at least one body part of the patient should be arranged differently, and

whether the axis of symmetry of the at least one body part of the patient is aligned correctly with respect to a medical imaging facility, and

whether individual body parts of the patient are arranged correctly relative to one another.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

displaying at least one of the position and the orientation of the patient determined, during positioning of the at least one body part of the patient, in real time, wherein at least one of the reference position and the reference orientation of the at least one body part of the patient is displayed simultaneously to permit identifying, from two image depictions, a need to change at least one of the position and the orientation of the at least one body part of the patient determined.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying suggested correction, in response to identifying a need to change at least one of the position and the orientation of the at least one body part of the patient.

9. A method of claim 3, wherein the correcting of the at least one of the position and the orientation determined includes placing at least one inflatable patient support cushion with a plurality of air chambers under the patient and determining, during the correcting and in dependence of the at least one of the position and the orientation of the at least one body part determined, which air chambers of the plurality of air chambers have to be inflated with which defined air quantity in order to achieve correct at least one of the positioning and the orientation of the patient determined.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the external-image recording unit includes sensors for recording the external image of the externally visible features of the examination object from at least one of a 3D surface and a 2D image.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

performing at least one of the recording of the external image of the externally visible features of the examination object, the determining of at least one of the position and the orientation of the at least one part of the examination object, the checking, and the correcting semi-automatically or fully automatically.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the external-image recording unit includes sensors for recording the external image of the externally visible features of the examination object from at least one of a 3D surface and a 2D image.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing at least one of the recording of the external image of the externally visible features of the examination object, the determining of at least one of the position and the orientation of the at least one part of the examination object, the checking, and the correcting semi-automatically or fully automatically.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the external-image recording unit includes at least one of:

a camera,

a depth camera,

a non-contact electromagnetic sensor,

an ultrasound distance-measuring unit,

a radar-sensor facility, and

a depth camera and additionally a 2D camera.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the examination object includes a patient, and the at least one part of the examination object includes at least one body part of the patient.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining includes extracting anatomical landmarks from the external image recorded and using the anatomical landmarks to compile a virtual 3D body model from which at least one of the position and the orientation of the at least one part of the examination object is determined.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program sections, readable and executable by a computing unit, for carrying out the method of claim 1 when the program sections are executed by the computing unit.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program sections, readable and executable by a computing unit, for carrying out the method of claim 2 when the program sections are executed by the computing unit.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program sections, readable and executable by a computing unit, for carrying out the method of claim 7 when the program sections are executed by the computing unit.

20. An object-positioning facility, comprising:

an external image recorder, including at least one of a camera, an electromagnetic sensor, and an ultrasound device, to record an external image of externally visible features of an examination object and to produce a recorded external image of externally visible features of the examination object; and

at least one processor;

to determine at least one of a position and an orientation of at least one part of the examination object assigned to the externally visible features of the examination object based upon the recorded external image of externally visible features of the examination object and to produce a determined at least one of a position and an orientation;

to determine whether or not the at least one of the position and the orientation determined conforms to a respective at least one of a reference position and a reference orientation; and

to correct the at least one of the position and the orientation determined, of the at least one part of the examination object, in response to determining that the at least one of the position and the orientation determined, of the at least one part of the examination object, does not conform to the respective at least one of the reference position and the reference orientation.

21. An imaging medical facility, comprising:

a scanner to acquire a region to be examined of an examination object;

a control facility to control the scanner; and

the object-positioning facility of claim 20.

22. A computed tomography system, comprising:

a computed tomography device to acquire a region to be examined of an examination object;

a control facility to control the computed tomography device; and

the object-positioning facility of claim 20.

23. An object-positioning facility, comprising:

an external-image recorder, including at least one of a camera, an electromagnetic sensor, and an ultrasound device, to record an external image of externally visible features of an examination object and to produce a recorded external image of the externally visible features of the examination object;

a memory storing computer-readable instructions; and

one or more processors configured to execute the computer-readable instructions such that the one or more processors are configured to;

determine at least one of a position and an orientation of at least one part of the examination object assigned to the externally visible features of the examination object based upon the external image recorded and to produce a determined at least one of a position and an orientation;

determine whether or not the at least one of the position and the orientation determined, conforms to a respective at least one of a reference position and a reference orientation; and

correct the at least one of the position and the orientation determined, of the at least one part of the examination object, in response to determining that the at least one of the position and the orientation determined, of the at least one part of the examination object, does not conform to the respective at least one of the reference position and the reference orientation.

24. An imaging medical facility, comprising:

a scanner to acquire a region to be examined of an examination object;

a control facility to control the scanner; and

the object-positioning facility of claim 23.

25. A computed tomography system, comprising:

a computed tomography device to acquire a region to be examined of an examination object;

a control facility to control the computed tomography device; and

the object-positioning facility of claim 23.