Displaying A Tracheobronchial Tree

• US 20080071160A1
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Lorenz, Cristian, Wiemker, Rafael, Renisch, Steffen, Blaffert, Thomas, Buelow, Thomas, Wischmann, Hans-Aloys
• Application Number:
  US11/570,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20080071160A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10072 Tomographic images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30028 Colon; Small intestine
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30061 Lung
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 of area, perimeter, diameter or volume

Abstract

The invention relates to automatically segmenting and displaying the tracheobronchial tree (400) and displaying clinical values (404) related to the segmented tracheobronchial tree (400).

Claims

1. Method of displaying a tracheobronchial tree comprising automatically segmenting the tracheobronchial tree from a three-dimensional image set of a body;

automatically determining a quantitative measurement based upon the tracheobronchial tree;

displaying the quantitative measurement in addition to the displayed tracheobronchial tree.

2. Method according to claim 1, comprising:

extracting centerlines of trachea, bronchi, and/or smaller airways based upon the tracheobronchial tree;

determining branching points of the tracheobronchial tree based upon the extracted centerlines.

3. Method according to claim 2, comprising determining for at least one centerline point at least one of

a bronchial lumen,

a lumen diameter,

an inner radius from the centerline point to an inner bronchial wall,

an inner diameter based upon the inner radius,

an outer radius from the centerline point to an outer bronchial wall,

an outer diameter based upon the outer radius,

an artery radius of an accompanying artery,

an artery diameter based upon the artery radius,

wherein the centerline point comprises a point on a centerline of the extracted centerlines.

4. Method according to claim 3, comprising determining for the at least one centerline point at least one of

a first difference between the outer radius and the inner radius as a function of the lumen diameter,

a second difference between the inner bronchial diameter and the artery diameter as a function of the lumen diameter

5. Method according to claim 1, comprising displaying an indicator indicating a position in the tracheobronchial tree corresponding to the quantitative measurement

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein the indicator indicates an anomaly within the tracheobronchial tree.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein an image acquisition device designed to reconstruct a volumetric image set acquires the three-dimensional image set.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the trachcobronical tree is displayed partially.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein a user can manipulate the automatic segmentation and/or the displayed tracheobronchial tree.

18. A computer program product designed to perform the method according to claim 1.

19. An information carrier comprising the computer program product according to claim 18.

10. System for displaying a tracheobronchial tree comprising segmentation means for automatically segmenting the tracheobronchial tree from a three-dimensional image set of a body.

11. System according to claim 10, comprising;

determining means D for automatically determining a quantitative measurement based upon the tracheobronchial tree;

displaying means for displaying the quantitative measurement.

12. System according to claim 10, comprising;

extracting means for extracting centerlines of trachea, bronchi, and/or smaller airways based upon the tracheobronchial tree; and

the determining means further is arranged to determine branching points of the tracheobronchial tree based upon the extracted centerlines.

13. System according to claim 12, wherein the determining means further is arranged to determine for at least one centerline point at least one of

a bronchial lumen,

a lumen diameter,

an inner radius from the centerline point to an inner bronchial wall,

an inner diameter based upon the inner radius,

an outer radius from the centerline point to an outer bronchial wall,

an outer diameter based upon the outer radius,

an artery radius of an accompanying artery,

an artery diameter based upon the artery radius,

wherein the centerline point comprises a point on a centerline of the extracted centerlines.

14. System according to claim 13, wherein the determining means further is arranged to determine for at least one branching point at least one of

a first difference between the outer radius and the inner radius as a function of the lumen diameter,

a second difference between the inner bronchial diameter and the artery diameter as a function of the lumen diameter.

15. System according to claim 11, wherein the display means further is arranged to display an indicator indicating a correspondence between the tracheobronchial tree and the quantitative measurement.

16. An image acquisition device comprising the System according to claim 11.

17. An image workstation comprising the System according to claim 11.