AUTOMATIC ENHANCEMENT OF AN IMAGE STREAM OF A MOVING ORGAN

• US 20100172556A1
• Filed: 12/31/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sync-Rx, Ltd. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Sync-Rx, Ltd. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Tolkowsky, David, Steinberg, Alexander, Klaiman, Eldad, COHEN, Ran
• Granted Patent: US 9,855,384 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3207 Atherectomy devices working by cutting or abrading; Similar devices specially adapted for non-vascular obstructions A61B17/32037 takes precedence; endoscopic cutting instruments A61B17/320016
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00252 for by-pass connections, i.e. connections from heart chamber to blood vessel or from blood vessel to blood vessel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00694 with means correcting for movement of or for synchronisation with the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00703 correcting for movement of heart, e.g. ECG-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22044 with a pointed tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22094 for crossing total occlusions, i.e. piercing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3735 Optical coherence tomography [OCT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3762 using computed tomography systems [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3782 transmitter or receiver in catheter or minimal invasive instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/02 specially adapted for a particular organ or body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0036 including treatment, e.g., using an implantable medical device, ablating, ventilating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02007 Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4836 Diagnosis combined with treatment in closed-loop systems or methods A61B5/0036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7289 Retrospective gating, i.e. associating measured signals or images with a physiological event after the actual measurement or image acquisition, e.g. by simultaneously recording an additional physiological signal during the measurement or image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/503 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5217 extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0883 : for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0891 : for diagnosis of blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/543 : involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 : Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 : Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2210/12 : Blood circulatory system
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 : for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are described for imaging a portion of a body of a subject that undergoes motion. A plurality of image frames of the portion are acquired. A stream of image frames is generated in which a vicinity of a given feature of the image frames is enhanced, by (a) automatically identifying the given feature in each of the image frames, (b) aligning the given feature in two or more of the image frames, (c) averaging sets of two or more of the aligned frames to generate a plurality of averaged image frames, and (d) displaying as a stream of image frames the plurality of averaged image frames. Other embodiments are also described.

Claims

1. A method for imaging a portion of a body of a subject that undergoes motion, the method comprising:

acquiring a plurality of image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body; and

generating a stream of image frames in which a vicinity of a given feature of the image frames is enhanced, by;

automatically identifying the given feature in each of the image frames,

aligning the given feature in two or more image frames of the plurality of image frames,

averaging sets of two or more of the aligned frames to generate a plurality of averaged image frames, and

displaying as a stream of image frames the plurality of averaged image frames.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein generating the stream of image frames in which the vicinity of the given feature of the image frames is enhanced comprises reducing visibility of regions of the image stream that are distant from the given feature.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein automatically identifying the given feature comprises automatically identifying at least a portion of a tool that is disposed in the portion of the subject'"'"'s body.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein acquiring the plurality of image frames comprises acquiring the plurality of image frames in cine mode.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein acquiring the plurality of image frames comprises acquiring the plurality of image frames in fluoro mode.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein generating the stream of image frames in which the vicinity of the given feature of the image frames is enhanced, comprises generating the stream of image frames in real time.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein generating the stream of image frames in which the vicinity of the given feature of the image frames is enhanced, comprises generating the stream of image frames in near real time.

8. The method according to claim 1,

wherein acquiring the plurality of image frames comprises acquiring, sequentially, first and second image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body, and

wherein generating the stream of image frames in which the vicinity of the given feature of the image frames is enhanced comprises:

generating a first moving average image frame using frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body acquired prior to the acquisition of the first and second image frames;

aligning the given feature in the first image frame with the given feature in the first moving-average image frame;

when the given feature is aligned in the first image frame and the first moving-average image frame, averaging the first image frame and the first moving-average image frame to generate a second moving-average image frame;

aligning the given feature in the second moving-average image frame and the second image frame;

when the given feature is aligned in the second moving-average image frame and the second image frame, averaging the second image frame with the second moving-average image frame to generate a third moving-average image frame; and

displaying, in an image stream, the first, second, and third moving-average image frames.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein automatically identifying the given feature comprises automatically identifying an anatomical structure of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body.

10. The method according to claim 9,

wherein generating the stream of image frames comprises generating a stream of image frames in which the anatomical structure has a given visibility level, and

wherein acquiring the plurality of image frames comprises acquiring the plurality of image frames using a concentration of a contrast agent that is lower than a concentration of the contrast agent that would be required to generate a non-enhanced image stream of the anatomical structure in which the anatomical structure has the given visibility level.

11. Apparatus for use with a portion of a body of a subject that undergoes motion, the apparatus comprising:

an image-acquisition device configured to acquire a plurality of image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body;

a display; and

at least one processor configured to generate a stream of image frames in which a vicinity of a given feature of the image frames is enhanced, the processor comprising;

image-receiving functionality configured to receive the plurality of image frames into the processor,

feature-identifying functionality configured to automatically identify the given feature in each of the image frames,

image-alignment functionality configured to align the given feature in two or more image frames of the plurality of image frames, and

image-averaging functionality configured to average sets of two or more of the aligned frames to generate a plurality of averaged image frames; and

display-driving functionality configured to drive the display to display, as a stream of image frames, the plurality of averaged image frames.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to reduce visibility of regions of the image stream that are distant from the given feature by generating the stream of image frames in which the vicinity of the given feature of the image frames is enhanced.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the feature-identifying functionality is configured to automatically identify the given feature by identifying at least a portion of a tool that is disposed in the portion of the subject'"'"'s body.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the image-acquisition device is configured to acquire the plurality of image frames in cine mode.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the image-acquisition device is configured to acquire the plurality of image frames in fluoro mode.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to generate the stream of image frames in which the vicinity of the given feature of the image frames is enhanced in real time.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to generate the stream of image frames in which the vicinity of the given feature of the image frames is enhanced in near real time.

18. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein:

the image-acquisition device is configured to acquire, sequentially, first and second image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body;

the processor is configured to generate a first moving average image frame using frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body acquired prior to the acquisition of the first and second frames;

the image-alignment functionality is configured to align the given feature in the first image frame with the given feature in the first moving-average image frame;

the image-averaging functionality is configured, when the given feature is aligned in the first image frame and the first moving-average image frame, to average the first image frame and the first moving-average image frame to generate a second moving-average image frame;

the image-alignment functionality is configured to align the given feature in the second moving-average image frame and the second image frame;

the image-averaging functionality is configured, when the given feature is aligned in the second moving-average image frame and the second image frame, to average the second image frame with the second moving-average image frame to generate a third moving-average image frame; and

the display-driving functionality is configured to drive the display to display, in an image stream, the first, second, and third moving-average image frames.

19. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the feature-identifying functionality is configured to automatically identify the given feature by identifying an anatomical structure of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19,

further comprising contrast agent having a concentration, the contrast agent being configured to facilitate the acquisition of the image frames by the image-acquisition device,

wherein the processor is configured to generate a stream of image frames in which the anatomical structure has a given visibility level, and

wherein the concentration of the contrast agent is lower than a concentration of the contrast agent that would be required to generate a non-enhanced image stream of the anatomical structure in which the anatomical structure has the given visibility level.

21. A method for use with a portion of a subject'"'"'s body that assumes a plurality of different shapes, during respective phases of a motion cycle of the portion, the method comprising:

acquiring a plurality of image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body during the respective phases of the motion cycle of the portion;

designating at least one of the image frames as a baseline image frame, a shape of the portion in the baseline image frame being designated as a baseline shape of the portion;

identifying a non-baseline image frame of the plurality of image frames, by identifying an image frame in which the portion is not shaped in the baseline shape; and

deforming the shape of the portion in the non-baseline image frame, such that the shape of the portion becomes more similar to the baseline shape of the portion than when the portion in the non-baseline image frame is not deformed; and

subsequently to deforming the shape of the portion in the non-baseline image frame, displaying the baseline image frame and the non-baseline image frame in an image stream.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the portion of the subject'"'"'s body includes a blood vessel of the subject, and wherein designating at least one of the image frames as a baseline image frame comprises designating an image frame of the blood vessel during a given phase of the subject'"'"'s cardiac cycle as the baseline image frame.

23. Apparatus for use with a portion of a subject'"'"'s body that assumes a plurality of different shapes, during respective phases of a motion cycle of the portion, the apparatus comprising:

an image-acquisition device configured to acquire a plurality of image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body during the respective phases of the motion cycle of the portion;

a display; and

at least one processor, comprising;

image-receiving functionality configured to receive the image frames into the processor,

baseline-designation functionality configured to designate at least one of the image frames as a baseline image frame, a shape of the portion in the baseline image frame being designated as a baseline shape of the portion;

non-baseline identification functionality configured to identify a non-baseline image frame of the plurality of image frames, by identifying an image frame in which the portion is not shaped in the baseline shape; and

shape-deformation functionality configured to deform the shape of the portion in the non-baseline image frame, such that the shape of the portion becomes more similar to the baseline shape of the portion than when the portion in the non-baseline image frame is not deformed; and

display-driving functionality configured, subsequently to the deforming of the shape of the portion in the non-baseline image frame, to drive the display to display the baseline image frame and the non-baseline image frame in an image stream.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the portion of the subject'"'"'s body includes a blood vessel of the subject, and wherein the baseline-designation functionality is configured to designate as the baseline image frame an image frame of the blood vessel during a given phase of the subject'"'"'s cardiac cycle.

25. A method for imaging a portion of a body of a subject that moves as a result of cardiac cyclic activity of the subject and that also undergoes additional motion that is at least partially a result of a respiratory cycle of the subject, the method comprising:

identifying a given phase of the cardiac cyclic activity;

generating a stabilized set of image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body

by outputting a set of image frames corresponding to image frames of the portion acquired during the given phase, and

by image tracking at least the set of image frames to reduce imaged motion of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body associated with the additional motion; and

displaying the tracked set of image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body.