Multi-dimensional image reconstruction

• US 20070194241A1
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spectrum Dynamics Medical Ltd
• Original Assignee: Spectrum Dynamics LLC
• Inventors: Rousso, Benny, Nagler, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,292 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/369
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4057 by using radiation sources located in the interior of the body A61B6/037 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4258 for detecting non x-ray radiation, e.g. gamma radiation A61B6/037 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/486 involving generating temporal series of image data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5217 extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5241 combining overlapping images of the same imaging modality, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/39 Markers, e.g. radio-opaque or breast lesions markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/161 Applications in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting apparatus for radiation diagnosis A61B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 1/166 involving relative movement between detector and subject scanners in general without using scintigraphy G01T1/2964
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

Apparatus for radiation based imaging of a non-homogenous target area having distinguishable regions therein, comprises: an imaging unit configured to obtain radiation intensity data from a target region in the spatial dimensions and at least one other dimension, and an image four-dimension analysis unit analyzes the intensity data in the spatial dimension and said at least one other dimension in order to map the distinguishable regions. The system typically detects rates of change over time in signals from radiopharmaceuticals and uses the rates of change to identify the tissues. In a preferred embodiment, two or more radiopharmaceuticals are used, the results of one being used as a constraint on the other.

Claims

1. Apparatus for radiation based imaging and analysis of a non-homogenous target area having distinguishable regions therein, the apparatus comprising:

an imaging unit configured to obtain radiation emission data from said target region in the spatial dimensions and at least one other dimension, and

an image multi-dimensional analysis unit associated with said imaging unit for analyzing said obtained emission data in said spatial dimensions and said at least one other dimension in order to discern patterns across said dimensions.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data of said spatial images and said at least one other dimension is obtained in a single imaging session.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising using said discerning in order to map respective distinguishable regions.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said obtaining said data of said spatial dimensions comprises obtaining three dimensional data by tomography.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said discerning said patterns comprises discerning tissue properties.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said discerning said patterns comprises discerning tissue properties according to a library of patterns.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said tissue properties discerned comprise properties distinguishing between different types of tissue.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said tissue properties discerned comprise properties distinguishing between different tissue states.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said tissue properties discerned comprise properties distinguishing between active and nonactive tissue.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said tissue properties discerned comprise properties distinguishing between healthy and diseased tissue.

11. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said tissue properties discerned comprise properties allowing classification of disease severity.

12. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said tissue properties discerned comprise physiological properties associated with marker kinetics.

13. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said tissue properties discerned comprise properties associated with rate of change of marker intensities.

14. Apparatus for radiation based imaging of a non-homogenous target area having distinguishable regions therein, the apparatus comprising:

an imaging unit configured to obtain radiation emission data from said target region in the spatial dimensions and a time dimension, and

an image multi-dimensional analysis unit associated with said imaging unit for analyzing said obtained emission data in said spatial dimensions and said time dimension in order to discern at least one property from a time profile of a marker in said distinguishable regions of said target area.

15. Apparatus for radiation based imaging and analysis of a target area, the apparatus comprising:

an imaging unit configured to obtain radiation emission data from said target region in the spatial dimensions and at least one other dimension, and

an image multi-dimensional analysis unit associated with said imaging unit for analyzing said obtained emission data in said spatial dimensions and said at least one other dimension in order to discern patterns within a respective target region.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said target area comprises at least two distinguishable regions and wherein said obtained emission data is from said distinguishable regions, and said analysis is to discern patterns with a respective one of said regions.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said analysis comprises obtaining kinetics data of a radiopharmaceutical in a respective region.

18. Apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said analysis comprises obtaining kinetics of a combination of radiopharmaceuticals in said respective region.

19. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said analysis is of a plurality of radiopharmaceuticals of which at least one is analyzed for its kinetic properties.

20. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said obtained emission data comprises emission data of an isotope associated with said respective regions over a plurality of time points.

21. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said obtained emission data comprises emission data of a plurality of isotopes associated with said respective regions.

22. Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said emission data of said plurality of isotopes comprises data obtained during at least one member of the group comprising of an uptake state of said isotopes, a lowering state of said isotopes, and a saturation state of said isotopes.

23. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said analysis further comprises comparing between respective regions.

24. Apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said comparing comprises further improving reconstruction by emphasizing features of interest.

25. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein respective regions are imaged at least twice, at least two tissue types being identified in each region, and comprising at least one member of the group comprising:

a) one tissue type being added between said images, thereby to emphasize said tissue type, and

b) one tissue type being subtracted between said images thereby to de-emphasize said tissue type,

thereby to produce a new image that emphasizes said added tissue type or de-emphasizes said subtracted tissue type.

26. Apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said comparing comprises at least one member of the group consisting of:

comparing ratio between regions, comparing ratio between isotopes, comparing by ratio between time points, comparing absolute difference between regions, comparing absolute difference between isotopes, comparing absolute difference between time points, and comparing using statistical tools.

27. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said emission data comprises data from at least two radiopharmaceuticals, said at least two radiopharmaceuticals forming a cocktail, and wherein said analysis comprises a multi-dimensional reconstruction including treating emission data from respectively different pharmaceuticals as having different dimensions.

28. Apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising using said analysis for a three dimensional reconstruction.

29. Apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising using said analysis for a 3 dimensional reconstruction with a time dimension.

30. A method of radiation based imaging, comprising:

acquiring data;

reconstructing an image from said data;

automatically detecting at least one region, in said image; and

automatic controlling at least one of said acquiring and said reconstructing to generate an improved image, based on said detecting.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said reconstructing to generate an improved image is based on the use of spatial dimensions.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein said reconstructing to generate an improved image is based on the use of spatial dimensions in order to map the tissues.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein said reconstructing to generate an improved image is based on the use of a radioactive emission energy window.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein said reconstructing to generate an improved image is based on the use of radioactive emission energy window in order to map the tissues.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein said reconstructing to generate an improved image is based on the use of a radioactive emission time profile.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein said reconstructing to generate an improved image is based on the use of radioactive emission time profile in order to map the tissues.

37. A method for improved tomographic reconstruction of radiation intensities, comprising:

initially reconstructing at least one distinguishable region from said radiation intensities

extracting parameters associated with different properties of said reconstructed distinguishable region;

classifying said at least one reconstructed distinguishable region by the extracted parameters associated therewith;

iteratively using the classification of said extracted parameters to improve delimitation of said classified reconstructed distinguishable region, thereby to improve reconstruction thereof.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising identifying one or more geometrical properties of at least one reconstructed distinguishable region, thereby to provide classification thereof.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising using said one or more geometrical properties to further improve reconstruction thereof.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said geometrical properties are members of the group consisting of:

location, size, spatial dimensions, anatomy, and boundaries.

41. The method of claim 37, wherein said distinguishable region is at least one of the group consisting of:

an organ, a portion of an organ, a tumor, a blood pool, the heart, the brain, a portion of the brain, a portion of the heart, and the liver.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein said improving comprising using geometrical constraints applied to said reconstructing.

43. The method of claim 37, wherein said improvement comprises applying constraints to said reconstruction, said constraints being derived from the classification.

44. The method of claim 37, wherein at least one of said distinguishable regions is a blood pool, wherein said classifying identifies said blood pool and said reconstructing is improved based on a knowledge of a spatial distribution of said blood pool.

45. A method of optimization of therapy of the human or animal body, comprising:

identifying a target region for said therapy;

applying to a patient at least one radioactive marker;

obtaining radiation emission data from said target region in the spatial dimensions and at least one other dimension, and

analyzing said obtained emission data in spatial dimensions and at at least one other dimension in order to discern patterns across said dimensions, thereby to characterize said target region, and

optimizing said therapy based on said characterization.

46. Apparatus for multi-dimensional image reconstruction based on data acquired from an imaging unit for obtaining radiation intensity data from a target region in the spatial dimensions and at least one other dimension, the apparatus comprising:

an image four-dimension analysis unit configured to analyze said obtained intensity data in said spatial dimension and said at least one other dimension in order to map at least one distinguishable region in terms of a property, said property being that of at least one member of the group comprising a tissue, a disease, a disease stage and a physiological process.

47. Apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said analysis unit is configured to infer said property through at least one member of the group comprising a kinetic property of a marker, and a kinetic property of a group of markers.

48. Apparatus according to claim 46, wherein said property is a type or a pattern of a given tissue.