CARDIAC CONTOUR PROPAGATION

• US 20100135551A1
• Filed: 04/24/2008
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Breeuwer, Marcel, Hautvast, Guillaume Leopold Theodorus Frederik
• Granted Patent: US 9,684,955 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10072 Tomographic images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10132 Ultrasound image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30048 Heart; Cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/149 involving deformable models, e.g. active contour models

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for analyzing a multidimensional cardiac image set, the multidimensional cardiac image set comprising: a first image set of a heart; and a second image set of a heart, wherein the first image set is segmented resulting into respective first cardiac contours for each image within the first image set; and the second image set is segmented resulting into respective second cardiac contours for each image within the second image set, the method comprising: determining resulting cardiac contours for each image within the first image set and for each image within the second image set from the first cardiac contours and the second cardiac contours.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing a multidimensional cardiac image set, the multidimensional cardiac image set comprising:

a first image set of a heart; and

a second image set of a heart,

wherein

the first image set is segmented resulting into respective first cardiac contours for each image within the first image set; and

the second image set is segmented resulting into respective second cardiac contours for each image within the second image set,

the method comprising;

determining resulting cardiac contours for each image within the first image set and for each image within the second image set from the first cardiac contours and the second cardiac contours.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said first image set of a heart and said second image set of a heart relate to different levels of cardiac stress.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein

the first image set is further segmented resulting into further respective first cardiac contours;

and

the second image set is further segmented resulting into further respective second cardiac contours,

the method comprising;

determining the resulting cardiac contours for each image within the first image set and for each image within the second image set from the first cardiac contours, the second cardiac contours, the further first cardiac contours and the further second cardiac contours.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the further respective first cardiac contour and/or the further respective second cardiac contour is/are specified manually.

5. A method according to claim 1, the method comprising determining the resulting cardiac contours by using fixed weights for the first, second, further first, and further second cardiac contours.

6. A method according to claim 1, the method comprising determining the resulting cardiac contours by using variable weights depending upon a position of an image within the first and second image set for the first, second, further first, and further second cardiac contours.

7. A method according to claim 1, the method comprising determining the resulting cardiac contours by using predefined weights for the first, second, further first, and further second cardiac contours.

8. A method according to claim 1, the method comprising determining the resulting cardiac contours by using adaptive weights depending upon the heart for the first, second, further first, and further second cardiac contours.

9. A method according to claim 1, the method comprising determining the resulting cardiac contours by using a distance between a first image within the first image set and a second image within the second image set.

10. A method according to claim 1, the method comprising determining the resulting cardiac contours by using temporal information from the segmentation and the further segmentation.

11. A computer server comprising a processor for processing the method according to claim 1.

12. A computer client comprising:

input means for enabling a user to invoke the method according to claim 1;

receiving means for receiving resulting cardiac contours of invoking the method according to claim 1;

a display for displaying the resulting cardiac contours within the first and second image set; and

a processor for processing the invocation, the received result and the displaying.

13. A system for analyzing a multidimensional cardiac image set, the multidimensional cardiac image set comprising:

a first image set of a heart; and

a second image set of a heart,

wherein

the first image set is segmented resulting into respective first cardiac contours for each image within the first image set; and

the second image set is segmented resulting into respective second cardiac contours for each image within the second image set,

the system comprising;

determining means for determining resulting cardiac contours for each image within the first image set and for each image within the second image set from the first cardiac contours and the second cardiac contours.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein said first image set of a heart and said second image set of a heart relate to different levels of cardiac stress.

15. A system according to claim 13, wherein

the first image set is further segmented resulting into further respective first cardiac contours;

and

the second image set is further segmented resulting into further respective second cardiac contours,

the determining means of the system are arranged for determining the resulting cardiac contours for each image within the first image set and for each image within the second image set from the first cardiac contours, the second cardiac contours, the further first cardiac contours and the further second cardiac contours.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the system moreover comprises input means for letting a user manually specify the further respective first cardiac contour and/or the further respective second cardiac contour.

17. A medical imaging workstation comprising a system according to claim 13.

18. A computer program product to be loaded by a computer arrangement, comprising instructions for analyzing a multidimensional cardiac image set, the multidimensional cardiac image set comprising a first image set of a heart;

and a second image set of a heart, wherein the first image set is segmented resulting into respective first cardiac contours for each image within the first image set; and

the second image set is segmented resulting into respective second cardiac contours for each image within the second image set, the computer arrangement comprising processing unit and a memory, the computer program product, after being loaded, providing said processing unit with the capability to carry out the following task determining resulting cardiac contours for each image within the first image set and for each image within the second image set from the first cardiac contours and the second cardiac contours.