Method of visualizing the perfusion of an organ while utilizing a perfusion measurement

• US 20020095086A1
• Filed: 12/11/2001
• Published: 07/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Breeuwer, Marcel
• Granted Patent: US 7,415,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/426
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56341 Diffusion imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56509 due to motion, displacement or flow, e.g. gradient moment nulling G01R33/567 takes precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of visualizing the perfusion of an organ, notably the perfusion of the myocardium of the heart. A series of MR perfusion images is displayed on a visual display unit. Each pair of successive images from a series of images is transformed in such a manner that the organ that is shown on the display unit essentially maintains its position.

Claims

1. A method of visualizing the perfusion of an organ, notably the myocardium of a patient, while utilizing a perfusion measurement, in which method a series of images of the organ that has been acquired by way of the perfusion measurement is displayed on a display device so as to be visually inspected, characterized in that a transformation operation is performed on every pair of successive images from the series of images of the organ in such a manner that subsequent to the transformation operation the organ will be displayed essentially in a fixed position.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first image in time serves as a reference base and that each of the subsequent images is transformed so as to minimize differences between each of said images and the reference base.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the first image in time of every pair of successive images serves as a reference base, and that the subsequent second image is transformed so as to minimize differences between said second image and the reference base.

4. A method as claimed in one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the transformation operation is composed of a rotation operation and a translation operation that are performed on the image.

5. A method as claimed in one of the preceding claims, characterized in that prior to the transformation operation there is determined a reference region in the image that constitutes the reference base and in the subsequent image, and that the transformation operation is determined by minimizing the differences in the reference region of successive images.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the reference image is bounded by the immediate vicinity of the organ being examined.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the transformation operation as determined by means of the reference region is performed on the entire image.

8. A data processing system comprising a display device arranged for visualizing the perfusion of an organ, notably the myocardium of a patient, while utilizing a perfusion measurement, and to acquire a series of images of the organ by way of the perfusion measurement;

display said images on the display device so as to be visually inspected, characterized in that the data processing system is arranged to perform a transformation operation is performed on every pair of successive images from the series of images of the organ in such a manner that subsequent to the transformation operation the organ will be displayed essentially in a fixed position.

9. A computer program for processing a series of images of an organ comprising instructions to perform a transformation operation is performed on every pair of successive images from the series of images of the organ in such a manner that subsequent to the transformation operation the organ will be displayed essentially in a fixed position.