METHOD FOR ACQUIRING 3-DIMENSIONAL IMAGES OF CORONARY VESSELS, PARTICULARLY OF CORONARY VEINS

• US 20100189337A1
• Filed: 07/08/2008
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Grass, Michael, Schaefer, Dirk, Jandt, Uwe
• Application Number:
  US12/668,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20100189337A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/006 Inverse problem, transformation from projection-space into object-space, e.g. transform methods, back-projection, algebraic methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/08 involving all processing steps from image acquisition to 3D model generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10112 Digital tomosynthesis [DTS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10116 X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20044 Skeletonization; Medial axis transform
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30101 Blood vessel; Artery; Vein; Vascular
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2211/404 Angiography
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2211/412 Dynamic
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/564 from contours
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/596 from three or more stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for acquiring 3-dimensional images of coronary vessels (11), particularly of coronary veins, is proposed. 2-dimensional X-ray images (13) are acquired within a same phase of a cardiac motion. Then, a 3-dimensional centerline model (15) is generated based on these 2-dimensional images. From 2-dimensional projections of the centerline model into respective projection planes, the local diameters (w) of the vessels in the projection plane can be derived. Having the diameters, a 3-dimensional hull model of the vessel system can be generated and, optionally, 4-dimensional information about the vessel movement can be derived.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring 3-dimensional images of coronary vessels, the coronary vessels (11) moving in a cyclic motion, the method comprising:

acquiring a plurality of 2-dimensional X-ray images (13) of an acquisition region comprising the coronary vessels, wherein at least three 2-dimensional X-ray images are acquired in a substantially same phase of the cyclic motion under different projection angles;

generating at least one 3-dimensional centerline model (15) of the vessels from the at least three 2-dimensional X-ray images acquired in the substantially same phase of the cyclic motion under different projection angles;

generating 2-dimensional fits of the at least one 3-dimensional centerline model onto the corresponding 2-dimensional X-ray images acquired in the substantially same phase of the cyclic motion;

deriving local vessel diameters (w) from the 2-dimensional fits with respect to the different projection angles;

generating a 3-dimensional hull model of the vessels based on the derived local vessel diameters.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

fitting a 2-dimensional projection of the 3-dimensional hull model acquired for the substantially same phase of the cyclic motion to 2-dimensional X-ray images of other phases of the cyclic motion.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising

determining local shifting data indicating a time-dependent shift in the location of a vessel segment based on a difference between the 2-dimensional projection of the 3-dimensional hull acquired for the substantially same phase of the cyclic motion at a first point in time and the 2-dimensional projection of the 3-dimensional hull fitted to a 2-dimensional X-ray image of another phase of the cyclic motion at a second point in time.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

filtering the acquired 2-dimensional X-ray images prior to generating the at least one 3-dimensional centerline model using a vessel enhancement filter;

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising

at least one of downsampling and high-pass-filtering of the acquired 2-dimensional X-ray images prior to generating the at least one 3-dimensional centerline model.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the 2-dimensional X-ray images are acquired under projection angles of between 110°

and 180°

.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the 2-dimensional X-ray images are acquired using a C-arm system.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of cross-sectional and longitudinal regularization of the generated 3-dimensional hull.

9. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the acquisition of the 2-dimensional X-ray images is gated based on an electrocardiogram signal

10. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the coronary vessels are coronary veins.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising

injecting contrast agent into the coronary veins before acquiring the 2-dimensional X-ray images.

12. Apparatus for acquiring 3-dimensional images of coronary vessels, the coronary vessels moving in a cyclic motion, the apparatus being adapted to perform the method according to claim 1.

13. Apparatus according to claim 12, including

a C-arm system (1) comprising an X-ray source (3) for emitting X-rays and an X-ray detector (5) for acquiring 2-dimensional X-ray images;

a control unit (9) for controlling at least one of the X-ray source and the X-ray detector;

a computing unit (11) for computing 3-dimensional images of coronary vessels based on the acquired 2-dimensional X-ray images provided by the X-ray detector.

14. Computer program element adapted to perform the method according claim 1 when executed on a computer.

15. Computer readable medium with a computer program element according to claim 14.