System For The Three-Dimensional Imaging Of A Moving Joint

• US 20080094396A1
• Filed: 09/02/2005
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Sabczynsdi, Joerg, Streekstra, Geert
• Application Number:
  US11/574,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20080094396A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4528 Joints A61B5/4533, A61B5/4538 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/466 adapted to display 3D data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/505 for diagnosis of bone
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/005 Specific pre-processing for tomographic reconstruction, e.g. calibration, source positioning, rebinning, scatter correction, retrospective gating
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 Medical
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2211/412 Dynamic

Abstract

The invention relates to a system and a method for the generation of 3D images of a moving joint (1). A rotational X-ray device (10) generates projections of said joint from different directions while the simultaneous periodic movement of the joint (1) is recorded by a monitoring device (20). The generated X-ray projections are then classified according to the phase of joint movement to which they belong, and 3D images are reconstructed from X-ray projections of each class. Thus a 3D movie of the joint movement can be produced and shown on a monitor. The monitoring device (20) may particularly be realized by an apparatus that allows the forced movement of the joint (1) in synchronization with the generation of X-ray projections.

Claims

1. System for the generation of 3D images of a joint (1, 2) in different phases of its motion, comprising

a) a rotational X-ray device (10) that is adapted to generate a series of projections of the joint (1, 2) from different directions while the joint (1, 2) is moving;

b) a monitoring device (20, 120) that is adapted to provide information on the current motion phase of the joint (1, 2) during its movement;

c) an image processing device (30) for subdividing said series of projections into classes corresponding to different motion phases of the joint (1, 2) and for reconstructing 3D images from the projections of each class.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring device comprises a position measuring system that is adapted to determine the spatial position and/or orientation of at least two markers on different segments of the joint.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring device comprises a goniometer (20) that can be attached to the joint (1).

4. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring device comprises an imaging device (10) for generating images of the joint (1, 2) and an evaluation unit (30) for deriving the motion phase from said images.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the monitoring device comprises an apparatus (120) for forcing an externally prescribed movement on the joint (1, 2).

6. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that the movement of the joint (1, 2) is synchronized with the generation of projections by the X-ray device (10).

7. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a display unit (32) for displaying the reconstructed 3D images, preferably comprising a film sequence.

8. A method for the generation of 3D images of a joint (1, 2) in different phases of its motion, comprising the following steps:

a) moving the joint (1, 2);

b) generating a series of X-ray projections of the joint (1, 2) during its movement from different directions;

c) determination of the current phase of the joint motion during step b);

d) classifying the projections of said series into classes corresponding to different determined phases of the joint motion and reconstructing a 3D image from the projections for each class.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the joint (1, 2) is actively moved in synchronization with the generation of X-ray projections.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the current phase of the joint motion is derived from the X-ray projections.