Three-dimensional image generating method and device and associated radiology apparatus

• US 20020048343A1
• Filed: 09/06/2001
• Published: 04/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Launay, Laurent, Vaillant, Regis, Trousset, Yves, Gicquel, Sebastian
• Application Number:
  US09/948,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20020048343A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/98.12
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/467 characterised by special input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/469 for selecting a region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/508 for non-human patients
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/005 Specific pre-processing for tomographic reconstruction, e.g. calibration, source positioning, rebinning, scatter correction, retrospective gating
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/006 Inverse problem, transformation from projection-space into object-space, e.g. transform methods, back-projection, algebraic methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2211/404 Angiography

Abstract

Method of generating three-dimensional images of an object from at least two series of two-dimensional images comprises a third series of two-dimensional image is generated by subtracting the images of one of the two series of images from the other series; a three-dimensional reconstruction is made from the third series of images in order to obtain a subtracted three-dimensional image; a three-dimensional reconstruction is made from the first series of images in order to obtain a three-dimensional image corresponding to the first series; and a three-dimensional image corresponding to the second series of two-dimensional images is generated. A device for generating the three-dimensional images; a radiology apparatus including the device; a computer program code for carrying out the method; and a support having the program stored therein.

Claims

1. The method of generating three-dimensional images of an object from at least two series of two-dimensional images comprising the steps of:

generating a third series of two-dimensional image by subtracting the images of one of the two series of images from the other series;

forming a three-dimensional reconstruction from the third series of images in order to obtain a subtracted three-dimensional image;

forming a three-dimensional reconstruction from the first series of images in order to obtain a three-dimensional image corresponding to the first series; and

generating a three-dimensional image corresponding to the second series of two-dimensional images.

2. The method according to claim 1, in which the first or the second series of images is taken before the injection of a contrast medium into the object, and the second or first series of images is respectively taken after the injection of the contrast medium into the object.

3. The method according to claim 1, in which the three three-dimensional images are simultaneously displayed on three screens or three parts of a screen.

4. The method according to claim 2, in which the three three-dimensional images are simultaneously displayed on three screens or three parts of a screen.

5. The method according to claim 3, in which each image is equipped with a pointer and the movement of the three pointers is made simultaneously and correspondingly.

6. The method according to claim 4, in which each image is equipped with a pointer and the movement of the three pointers is made simultaneously and correspondingly.

7. The method according to claim 1 in which sections of the three three-dimensional images are displayed.

8. The method according to claim 1 in which the three-dimensional image corresponding to the first series of images bears only on a part of the subtracted three-dimensional image.

9. The method according to claim 8, in which the part is defined by movement of a pointer.

10. The method according to claim 8, in which the part is automatically defined by:

location of elements of interest in the subtracted three-dimensional image,

enlargement of the elements of interest in order to determine the part.

11. The method according to claim 1 in which the three-dimensional image corresponding to the second series of two-dimensional images is generated by addition of the subtracted three-dimensional image and of the three-dimensional image corresponding to the first series of two-dimensional images.

14. Computer program comprising program code means for using the stages of the method according to claim 1 when the program is operating on a computer.

15. A support capable of being read by the device for reading a program code means which are stored therein and suitable for use of the stages of the method according to claim 1 when the program is operating on a computer.

12. A device for generating three-dimensional images of an object from at least two series of two-dimensional images comprising”

means for generating a third series of two-dimensional images by subtraction of the images of one of the two series of images of the other series;

a means for three-dimensional reconstruction from the third series of images in order to obtain a subtracted three-dimensional image;

a means for three-dimensional reconstruction of the first series of two-dimensional images in order to obtain a three-dimensional image corresponding to the first series; and

a means for generating a three-dimensional image corresponding to the second series of two-dimensional images.

13. A radiology apparatus comprising:

means providing a radiation source;

means for detecting the radiation source;

means for rotating the source and the detector relative to an object to be scanned; and

means for generating an image from the scanning comprising;

a device for generating three-dimensional images of an object from at least two series of two-dimensional images comprising”

means for generating a third series of two-dimensional images by subtraction of the images of one of the two series of images of the other series;

a means for three-dimensional reconstruction from the third series of images in order to obtain a subtracted three-dimensional image;

a means for three-dimensional reconstruction of the first series of two-dimensional images in order to obtain a three-dimensional image corresponding to the first series; and

a means for generating a three-dimensional image corresponding to the second series of two-dimensional images.