Thick-slice display of medical images

• US 20060153434A1
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Published: 07/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Shih-Ping Wang
• Original Assignee: Shih-Ping Wang
• Inventors: Wang, Shih-Ping
• Application Number:
  US10/536,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20060153434A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/00 Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161; apparatus for taking X-ray photographs G03B42/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/502 for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5205 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 Medical
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/028 Multiple view windows (top-side-front-sagittal-orthogonal)
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A method and associated systems for processing and displaying three-dimensional medical imaging data of a subject anatomical volume is described in which a plurality of thick-slice images is computed and displayed each thick-slice image corresponding to a thick-slice or slab-like subvolume of the anatomical volume substantially parallel to a standard x-ray view plane for that anatomical volume. The thick-slice or slab-like subvolumes have a thickness generally related to a lesion size to be detected and/or examined. The described thick-slice processing and display is generally applicable for any anatomical volume (e.g.,chest, head, abdomen, breast, etc.) having associated standard x-ray views (e.g., PA, lateral. CC, MLO, etc.) that is also amenable to one or more three-dimensional imaging modalities (e.g., MRI, CT, SPECT, PET, ultrasound, etc.). According to one preferred embodiment in which the particular three-dimensional imaging modality is CT imaging, thick-slice processing and display is used to facilitate reduced screening radiation dosage.

Claims

1. A method for processing scans of an anatomical volume derived from a three-dimensional medical imaging modality, comprising:

computing from said scans a plurality of two-dimensional thick-slice images, each thick-slice image corresponding to a slab-like subvolume of the anatomical volume substantially parallel to a standard x-ray view plane for that anatomical volume; and

displaying said thick-slice images to a viewer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said viewer is a clinician screening for lesions within the anatomical volume.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said slab-like subvolumes collectively occupy substantially all of the anatomical volume.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein all of said slab-like subvolumes are simultaneously displayed to the viewer.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising displaying computer-aided detection (CAD) annotations to said viewer in conjunction with said thick-slice images.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said slab-like subvolumes have an average thickness roughly equal to about twice an expected size of lesions to be detected according to the three-dimensional imaging modality.

7. The method of claim 6, said anatomical volume including a chest or abdomen volume, said average thickness being in the range of 1-3 cm, and said standard x-ray view plane being an anterior-posterior (PA) view or a lateral view.

8. The method of claim 6, said anatomical volume including a head or neck volume, said average thickness being in the range of 0.5-2 cm, and said standard x-ray view plane being a lateral view or a coronal view.

9. The method of claim 6, said anatomical volume including a breast volume, said average thickness being in the range of 0.5-2 cm and said standard x-ray view plane being a craniocaudal (CC) or mediolateral oblique (MLO) view.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said three-dimensional medical imaging modality is CT, wherein the scans are obtained a substantially reduced radiation level as compared to a conventional CT imaging radiation level, and wherein said computing preserves structures approximately 0.5 cm or greater in size in said thick-slice images.

15. The system of claim 6, said anatomical volume including a breast volume, said average thickness being in the range of 0.5-2 cm, and said standard x-ray view plane being a craniocaudal (CC) or mediolateral oblique (MLO) view.

11. A system for screening for lesions in an anatomical volume using scans thereof derived from a three-dimensional medical imaging modality, comprising a display device simultaneously displaying a plurality of two-dimensional thick-slice images to a viewer, each thick-slice image corresponding to a slab-like subvolume of the anatomical volume substantially parallel to a standard x-ray view plane for that anatomical volume.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said slab-like subvolumes collectively occupy substantially all of the anatomical volume and have an average thickness proportional to an expected size of lesions to be detected according to the three-dimensional imaging modality.

13. The system of claim 12, said anatomical volume including a chest or abdomen volume, said average thickness being in the range of 1-3 cm, and said standard x-ray view plane being an anterior-posterior (PA) view or a lateral view.

14. The system of claim 12, said anatomical volume including a head or neck volume, said average thickness being in the range of 0.5-2 cm, and said standard x-ray view plane being a lateral view or a coronal view.

16. An apparatus for processing scans of an anatomical volume derived from a three-dimensional medical imaging modality, comprising:

means for computing from said scans a plurality of two-dimensional thick-slice images, each thick-slice image corresponding to a slab-like subvolume of the anatomical volume substantially parallel to a standard x-ray view plane for that anatomical volume; and

means for displaying said thick-slice images to a viewer.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said slab-like subvolumes collectively occupy substantially all of the anatomical volume.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising means for displaying computer-aided detection (CAD) annotations associated with said thick-slice images to the viewer.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said slab-like subvolumes have an average thickness roughly equal to about twice an expected size of lesions to be detected according to the three-dimensional imaging modality.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, said anatomical volume including a chest or abdomen volume, said average thickness being in the range of 1-3 cm, and said standard x-ray view plane being an anterior-posterior (PA) view or a lateral view.