SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTOURING A TARGET AREA

• US 20100053208A1
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accuray Incorporated
• Original Assignee: TomoTherapy Incorporated (Accuray Incorporated)
• Inventors: Menningen, Kevin S., Gering, David T., Ruchala, Kenneth J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,803,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/06 Diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1074 Details of the control system, e.g. user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/103 Treatment planning systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1042 with spatial modulation of the radiation beam within the treatment head
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20036 Morphological image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20104 Interactive definition of region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 Medical
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/12 Edge-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/155 involving morphological operators
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Abstract

A two-dimensional contouring tool that allows a user to maintain a minimum distance away (in 3D) from other structures. The contouring tool allows the user to rapidly define a series of contours that conform to the shape of one or more existing contours (or targets) with user-specified margin limits between the new contour and the existing contours (or targets).

Claims

1. A method of contouring an image, the method comprising:

acquiring an image of a patient;

identifying a perimeter to be maintained from a first structure in the image;

applying a contour on the image at least partially around a second structure; and

limiting the contour of the second structure in substantially real-time to not infringe the perimeter of the first structure.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the image is three-dimensional.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein applying the contour includes simultaneously generating a constrained contour.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein applying the contour on the image includes avoiding certain pre-defined structures in the image.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the contour is applied to the image based on a protocol.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the second structure is autosegmented based on the applied contour.

7. A method of contouring an image, the method comprising:

displaying an image having a plurality of views of a patient on a computer screen;

identifying a perimeter to be maintained from a first structure in the image;

applying a contour at least partially around a second structure in one of the views of the image in a first maneuver with a computer peripheral;

applying the contour to a second one of the views of the image with a second consecutive maneuver of the computer peripheral; and

translating the contour onto the second one of the views of the image while limiting the contour to the second structure to not infringe the perimeter of the first structure.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the computer peripheral is one of a mouse, a touchscreen, and a stylus.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the image includes a transverse view, a coronal view, and a sagittal view, and wherein the plurality of images are autoganged to align the images with an anchor point.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein limiting the contour of the second structure to not infringe the perimeter of the first structure occurs in substantially real-time.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein additional images of the patient are displayed, and further comprising applying an anchor point on one of the images and dragging the anchor point with the computer peripheral onto a second image to apply the contour to the second structure in the second image.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein adjustment of the contour in one of the images automatically adjusts the contour in the second image.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein the image is three-dimensional.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein applying the contour includes simultaneously generating a constrained contour.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein applying the contour on the image includes avoiding certain pre-defined structures in the image.

16. The method of claim 7 wherein the contour is applied to the image based on a protocol.

17. The method of claim 7 wherein the second structure is autosegmented based on the applied contour.

18. A method of contouring an image, the method comprising:

generating a treatment plan for a patient, the treatment plan including a first image;

identifying a perimeter to be maintained from a first structure in the first image;

applying a contour at least partially around a second structure in the first image;

acquiring a second image of the patient while in substantially a treatment position; and

applying a constraint defined for the first structure from the first image to the second image when contouring the second structure in the second image.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising selecting a shape for the contour, applying an anchor point on the first image, and storing the shape and the anchor point.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein contouring the second structure in the second image includes retrieving the stored shape and the anchor point and applying the stored shape and the anchor point to the second structure.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the second image includes deformation to the second structure and wherein the contour of the second structure in the second image automatically adjusts for the deformation.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising automatically applying a contour to the first structure in the second image.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the contour is applied to the first image based on a protocol and wherein contouring the second image includes using the protocol.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein the constraint is the perimeter of the first structure.

25. The method of claim 18 further comprising comparing the first image and the second image to identify differences in the first structure, and wherein the perimeter of the first structure is modified to accommodate the differences, and wherein the constraint is the modified perimeter of the first structure

26. The method of claim 18 wherein the first image and the second image are three-dimensional.

27. The method of claim 18 wherein applying the contour includes simultaneously generating a constrained contour.

28. The method of claim 18 wherein applying the contour on the first image and the second image includes avoiding certain pre-defined structures in the images.

29. The method of claim 18 wherein the second structure is autosegmented based on the applied contour.

30. A method of contouring an image, the method comprising:

acquiring an image of a patient;

applying a first contour at least partially around a first structure in the image;

applying a second contour at least partially around a second structure in the image;

modifying the first contour; and

updating the second contour based on the modified first contour.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising

identifying a first perimeter to be maintained from the first structure in the image;

and

identifying a second perimeter to be maintained from the second structure in the image;

wherein applying the first contour at least partially around the first structure includes limiting the first contour to not infringe the perimeter of the second structure; and

wherein applying the second contour at least partially around the second structure includes limiting the second contour to not infringe the perimeter of the first structure.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein all previous constraints from previous treatments are applied to the images while the first contour and the second contour are applied.

33. The method of claim 30 further comprising adjusting one of the first contour and the second contour.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein one of the first contour and the second contour automatically adjust when the other one of the first contour and the second contour are adjusted.