ULTRASOUND 3D SCANNING GUIDANCE AND RECONSTRUCTION METHOD AND DEVICE, AND ULTRASOUND SYSTEM

• US 20110130662A1
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shen, Liang, Chen, Huiren
• Application Number:
  US12/956,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20110130662A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10136 3D ultrasound image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/14 Transformations for image registration, e.g. adjusting or mapping for alignment of images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/33 using feature-based methods

Abstract

An ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction method includes a scanning step for performing a multi-point scanning on an organ to obtain a plurality of 3D images, each 3D image containing corresponding feature information, and a reconstructing step for reconstructing a 3D image of the whole organ from these 3D images.

Claims

1. An ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction method, comprising:

performing a multi-point scan of an organ to obtain a plurality of first 3D images, each first 3D image containing corresponding feature information; and

reconstructing a second 3D image of the whole organ from the plurality of first 3D images.

2. The ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction method of claim 1, wherein the feature information is one or more of the following:

a feature blood vessel and a tissue modality.

3. The ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction method of claim 2, wherein reconstructing further comprises:

extracting the feature information of two adjacent first 3D images of the plurality of first 3D images;

transforming the coordinates of a point in a first 3D image of the two adjacent first 3D images into coordinates under the coordinate system of a second 3D image of the two adjacent first 3D images, the transformation using the feature information; and

repeating the above steps until all of the plurality of first 3D images are under a single coordinate system.

4. The ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction method of claim 3, wherein transforming comprises:

finding four common feature points in the two adjacent first 3D images, the feature points being points in space containing feature information;

for each feature point W, listing the following three equations respectively;

x′

_w=R₁₁*x_w+R₁₂*y_w+R₁₃*z_w+t_x

y′

_w=R₂₁*x_w+R₂₂*y_w+R₂₃*z_w+t_y

z′

_w=R₃₁*x_w+R₃₂*y_w+R₃₃*z_w+t_z

wherein (x_w,y_w,z_w) is the coordinates of feature point w under the coordinate system of the first 3D image of the two adjacent first 3D images, and (x′

_w,y′

_w,z′

_w) is the coordinates of said feature point w under the coordinate system of the second 3D image of the two adjacent first 3D images;

obtaining the values of a plurality of unknown parameters R₁₁, R₁₂, R₁₃, R₂₁, R₂₂, R₂₃, R₃₁, R₃₂, R₃₃, t_x, t_y and t_z from the listed equations;

substituting the resulting plurality of unknown parameters into the following equation and performing coordinate system transformation according to the following equation;

5. The ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction method of claim 4, wherein further comprising verifying whether the mosaicing error of the second 3D image of the whole organ resulting from mosaicing is within an acceptable range.

6. The ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction method of claim 5, wherein verifying further comprises:

selecting L common feature points in a 3D image m and a 3D image n;

calculating the mosaicing error according to the following equation;

19. The ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction method of claim 1, wherein performing a multi-point scan comprises simultaneously scanning the organ at a plurality of positions.

7. An ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction device, comprising:

a scanning unit, configured to perform a multi-point scan of an organ to obtain a plurality of first 3D images, each first 3D image containing corresponding feature information; and

a reconstructing unit, configured to reconstruct a second 3D image of the whole organ from the plurality of first 3D images.

8. The ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction device of claim 7, wherein the feature information is one or more of the following:

a feature blood vessel and a tissue modality.

9. The ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction device of claim 8, wherein said reconstructing unit further comprises:

an extracting unit, configured to extract the feature information of two adjacent 3D images of the plurality of first 3D images;

a coordinate system transformation unit, configured to use the feature information, to transform the coordinates of a point in a first 3D image of the two adjacent first 3D images into coordinates under the coordinate system of a second 3D image of the two adjacent first 3D images.

10. The ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction device of claim 9, wherein said coordinate system transformation unit further comprises:

a unit configured to determine four common feature points in the two adjacent first 3D images, the feature points being points in space containing feature information;

a unit configured to list the following three equations respectively for each feature point W;

x′

_w=R₁₁*x_w+R₁₂*y_w+R₁₃*z_w+t_x

y′

_w=R₂₁*x_w+R₂₂*y_w+R₂₃*z_w+t_y

z′

_w=R₃₁*x_w+R₃₂*y_w+R₃₃*z_w+t_z

wherein (x_w,y_w,z_w) is the coordinates of feature point w under the coordinate system of one 3D image, and (x′

_w,y′

_w,z′

_w) is the coordinates of the feature point w under the coordinate system of the other 3D image;

a unit configured to calculate the values of a plurality of unknown parameters R₁₁, R₁₂, R₁₃, R₂₁, R₂₂, R₂₃, R₃₁, R₃₂, R₃₃, t_x, t_y and t_z from the listed equations; and

a unit configured to substitute the resulting plurality of unknown parameters into the following equation and performing coordinate system transformation according to the following equation;

11. The ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction device of claim 10, further comprising:

a verifying unit, configured to verify whether a mosaicing error of the second 3D image of the whole organ resulting from mosaicing is within an acceptable range.

12. The ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction device of claim 11, wherein said verifying unit further comprises:

a unit configured to select L common feature points in a 3D image m and a 3D image n;

a unit configured to calculate the mosaicing error according to the following equation;

20. The ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction device of claim 7, wherein said scanning unit is configured to simultaneously scan the organ at a plurality of positions.

13. An ultrasound system, comprising;

an ultrasound 3D scanning guidance and reconstruction device, comprising;

a scanning unit, configured to perform a multi-point scan of an organ to obtain a plurality of first 3D images, each first 3D image containing corresponding feature information; and

a reconstructing unit, configured to reconstruct a second 3D image of the whole organ from the plurality of first 3D images.

14. The ultrasound system of claim 13, wherein the feature information is one or more of the following:

a feature blood vessel and a tissue modality.

15. The ultrasound system of claim 14, wherein said reconstructing unit further comprises:

an extracting unit, configured to extract the feature information of two adjacent 3D images of the plurality of first 3D images;

a coordinate system transformation unit, configured to use the feature information, to transform the coordinates of a point in a first 3D image of the two adjacent first 3D images into coordinates under the coordinate system of a second 3D image of the two adjacent first 3D images.

16. The ultrasound system of claim 15, wherein said coordinate system transformation unit further comprises:

a unit configured to determine four common feature points in the two adjacent first 3D images, the feature points being points in space containing feature information;

a unit configured to list the following three equations respectively for each feature point W;

x′

_w=R₁₁*x_w+R₁₂*y_w+R₁₃*z_w+t_x

y′

_w=R₂₁*x_w+R₂₂*y_w+R₂₃*z_w+t_y

z′

_w=R₃₁*x_w+R₃₂*y_w+R₃₃*z_w+t_z

wherein (x_w,y_w,z_w) is the coordinates of feature point w under the coordinate system of one 3D image, and (x′

_w,y′

_w,z′

_w) is the coordinates of the feature point w under the coordinate system of the other 3D image;

a unit configured to calculate the values of a plurality of unknown parameters R₁₁, R₁₂, R₁₃, R₂₁, R₂₂, R₂₃, R₃₁, R₃₂, R₃₃, t_x, t_y and t_z from the listed equations; and

a unit configured to substitute the resulting plurality of unknown parameters into the following equation and performing coordinate system transformation according to the following equation;

17. The ultrasound system of claim 16, further comprising:

a verifying unit, configured to verify whether a mosaicing error of the second 3D image of the whole organ resulting from mosaicing is within an acceptable range.

18. The ultrasound system of claim 17, wherein said verifying unit further comprises:

a unit configured to select L common feature points in a 3D image m and a 3D image n;

a unit configured to calculate the mosaicing error according to the following equation;