METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GUIDING TOWARDS TARGETS DURING MOTION

• US 20080186378A1
• Filed: 11/13/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Game Technology
• Original Assignee: International Game Technology
• Inventors: Suri, Jasjit S., Kumar, Dinesh, SHEN, FEIMO
• Application Number:
  US11/938,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20080186378A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/65
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0841 for locating instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5238 for combining image data of patient, e.g. merging several images from different acquisition modes into one image for image registration algorithms G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10072 Tomographic images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10136 3D ultrasound image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30081 Prostate
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2004 Aligning objects, relative positioning of parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/174 involving the use of two or more images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/38 Registration of image sequences

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for three-dimensional (3D) imaging and continuously updating organ shape and internal points for guiding targets during motion. It is suitable for image-guided surgery or operations as the speed of this guidance is achieved in real-time.

Claims

1. A method for use in correcting image target coordinates in an image guided medial application, comprising:

obtaining a first 3-D prostate image at a first time, the first 3-D prostate image having at least one target location therein;

obtaining a second 3-D prostate image at a second time, wherein said first and second 3-D prostate images are models of a common prostate;

performing a rigid transformation to rotate and translate the first 3-D prostate image to a substantially common frame of reference as the second 3-D prostate image;

selecting corresponding first and second 2-D image slices from said first and second 3-D images, respectively, as aligned in said substantially common frame of reference, wherein the first 2-D image slice includes at least one target location; and

elastically transforming a first boundary of the first 2-D image slice to match a second boundary of the second 2-D image slice, wherein the at least one target location in said first 2-D image slice is translated onto the second 2-D image slice to define an updated target location in said second 3-D prostate image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a display output of said second 3-D prostate image including said updated target location, wherein said updated target location may be utilized for guiding a biopsy needle to a location in the prostate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein performing a rigid transformation further comprises:

obtaining a current 2-D image slice from said second image;

matching said current 2-D image slice to a best match plane in a search volume of said first 3-D image; and

computing a transform that describes the spatial movement from the best match plane to the current 2-D image slice.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

using said transform to rigidly rotate said first 3-D image.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

segmenting said current 2-D image slice to identify a boundary; and

segmenting a plurality of 2-D image slices from said first 3-D image to identify boundaries thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

segmenting said corresponding first and second 2-D image slices to generate said boundaries.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein elastically transforming comprises:

warping the segmented boundary of the first 2-D image slice and first area enclosed by the first boundary to fit the segmented boundary of the second 2-D image slice and second area enclosed but the second boundary.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

interpolating the updated target location within the second 2-D image slice based on the boundary shape change of the first boundary.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying said updated target location on a display image of said second 3-D image.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of target locations having different 3-D locations in said first 3-D image are updated into said second 3-D image.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining said images comprises obtaining ultrasound images.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the rigid transformation further comprises employing a rigid transformation algorithm.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein elastically transforming further comprises employing an elastic transformation algorithm.

14. A method for use in correcting image target coordinates in an image guided medial application, comprising:

receiving first 3-D image information of an internal object of interest, wherein said first 3-D image information includes a target location within the boundary of the first 3-D image;

receiving second 3-D image information of the internal object of interest;

translating the first 3-D image into a substantially common frame of reference with the second 3-D image; and

after translating, elastically deforming at least a portion of a first boundary of the first 3-D image to match a corresponding second boundary of the second 3-D image, wherein the at least one target location in said first 3-D image is translated into the second 3-D image.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein elastically deforming comprises:

selecting a first image plane in said first 3-D image, wherein the first image plane includes said target location; and

selecting a corresponding second image plane in the second 3-D image; and

warping a boundary of the first image plane to match a boundary of the second image plane.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a position of said target location in said second plane is interpolated based on a transform used to warp said boundary of said first image.

17. A computerized method for correcting image target coordinates during an image guided medial application, comprising:

receiving into computer memory first 3-D image of an internal object of interest, wherein said first 3-D image information includes a target location within the boundary of the first 3-D image;

receiving into computer memory a second 3-D image information of the internal object of interest;

applying a rigid translation algorithm to the translate the first 3-D image into a substantially common frame of reference with the second 3-D image; and

applying an elastic transformation algorithm for elastically deforming at least a portion of a first boundary of the first 3-D image to match a corresponding second boundary of the second 3-D image, wherein the at least one target location in said first 3-D image is translated into the second 3-D image.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving 3-D image information comprises receiving ultrasound image information.