System and Method For Bronchoscopic Navigational Assistance

• US 20070167714A1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Corporate Research Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Kiraly, Atilla, Novak, Carol
• Application Number:
  US11/566,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20070167714A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/0005 combining images e.g. side-by-side, superimposed or tiled
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/2676 Bronchoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5235 combining images from the same or different ionising radiation imaging techniques, e.g. PET and CT
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30021 Catheter; Guide wire
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30061 Lung
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/75 involving models

Abstract

A computer-based method for bronchoscopic navigational assistance, including: receiving first image data of a patient'"'"'s lungs, the first image data acquired before a bronchoscopy is performed; receiving second image data of a portion of one of the patient'"'"'s lungs that includes a bronchoscope, the second image data acquired during the bronchoscopy; and performing image registration between the first image data and the second image data to determine a global location and orientation of the bronchoscope within the patient'"'"'s lung during the bronchoscopy.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for bronchoscopic navigational assistance, comprising:

receiving first image data of a patient'"'"'s lungs, the first image data acquired before a bronchoscopy is performed;

receiving second image data of a portion of one of the patient'"'"'s lungs that includes a bronchoscope, the second image data acquired during the bronchoscopy; and

performing image registration between the first image data and the second image data to determine a global location and orientation of the bronchoscope within the patient'"'"'s lung during the bronchoscopy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image data and the second image data are acquired by using a three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first image data is a computed tomography (CT) volume.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second image data includes a tip of the bronchoscope.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second image data includes a location of a potential or actual pathology.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the bronchoscope by segmenting the bronchoscope in the second image data during the bronchoscopy.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an airway tree and a location of a potential or actual pathology from the first image data before the bronchoscopy is performed.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

superimposing the airway tree and the location of a potential or actual pathology from the first image data onto the second image data during the bronchoscopy.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

performing a virtual bronchoscopy on the second image data after superimposing the airway tree and the location of a potential or actual pathology from the first image data onto the second image data.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

subtracting the bronchoscope from the second image data by segmenting the bronchoscope in the second image data during the bronchoscopy; and

performing a virtual bronchoscopy on the second image data after superimposing the location of a potential or actual pathology from the first image data onto the second image data.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

fusing the first image data with the second image data.

12. A method for real-time bronchoscopic navigational assistance, comprising:

receiving image data of a patient'"'"'s lungs, the image data acquired before a bronchoscopy is performed;

tracking a current global location and orientation of a bronchoscope in one of the patient'"'"'s lungs by using an optical model and a physical model of the bronchoscope and real-time video of the bronchoscope during the bronchoscopy; and

automatically updating the global location and orientation of the bronchoscope in relation to the image data during the bronchoscopy.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the image data is acquired by using a three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

identifying an airway tree and a location of a potential or actual pathology from the image data before the bronchoscopy is performed.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

constraining a search space for a subsequent global location and orientation of the bronchoscope by using the current global location and orientation of the bronchoscope during the bronchoscopy.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

constraining a search space for a subsequent global location and orientation of the bronchoscope by using a pre-selected path to the location of a potential or actual pathology during the bronchoscopy.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

constraining a search space for a subsequent global location and orientation of the bronchoscope by using a segmentation of the airway tree during the bronchoscopy.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

constraining a search space for a subsequent global location and orientation of the bronchoscope by using a depth sensor.

19. A system for bronchoscopic navigational assistance, comprising:

a memory device for storing a program;

a processor in communication with the memory device, the processor operative with the program to;

receive first image data of a patient'"'"'s lungs, the first image data acquired before a bronchoscopy is performed;

receive second image data of a portion of one of the patient'"'"'s lungs that includes a bronchoscope, the second image data acquired during the bronchoscopy; and

perform image registration between the first image data and the second image data to determine a global location and orientation of the bronchoscope within the patient'"'"'s lung during the bronchoscopy.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first image data and the second image data are received from a three-dimensional (3D) imaging device.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further operative with the program to:

display the global location and orientation of the bronchoscope within the patient'"'"'s lung.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the global location and orientation of the bronchoscope within the patient'"'"'s lung is displayed on a computer or television monitor.

23. A system for real-time bronchoscopic navigational assistance, comprising:

a memory device for storing a program;

a processor in communication with the memory device, the processor operative with the program to;

receive image data of a patient'"'"'s lungs, the image data acquired before a bronchoscopy is performed;

track a current global location and orientation of a bronchoscope in one of the patient'"'"'s lungs by using an optical model and a physical model of the bronchoscope and real-time video of the bronchoscope during the bronchoscopy; and

automatically update the global location and orientation of the bronchoscope in relation to the image data during the bronchoscopy.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the image data is received from a three-dimensional (3D) imaging device.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the processor is further operative with the program to:

display the automatically updated global location and orientation of the bronchoscope within the patient'"'"'s lung.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the global location and orientation of the bronchoscope within the patient'"'"'s lung is displayed on a computer or television monitor.

27. A computer-based method for endoscopic navigational assistance, comprising:

receiving first image data of region of interest inside a patient, the first image data acquired before an endoscopy is performed;

receiving second image data of a portion of the region of interest that includes an endoscope, the second image data acquired during the endoscopy; and

performing image registration between the first image data and the second image data to determine a global location and orientation of the endoscope within the region of interest during the endoscopy.

28. A method for real-time endoscopic navigational assistance, comprising:

receiving image data of a region of interest inside a patient, the image data acquired before an endoscopy is performed;

tracking a current global location and orientation of an endoscope in a portion of the region of interest by using an optical model and a physical model of the endoscope and real-time video of the endoscope during the endoscopy; and

automatically updating the global location and orientation of the endoscope in relation to the image data during the endoscopy.