PROCESSING OF INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY IMAGES BY ECG ANALYSIS

• US 20130190612A1
• Filed: 01/24/2013
• Published: 07/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Vaillant, Regis, Cazalas, Maxime
• Granted Patent: US 10,709,403 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4208 characterised by using a particular type of detector
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/461 Displaying means of special interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/485 involving fluorescence X-ray imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/486 involving generating temporal series of image data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5288 involving retrospective matching to a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/54 Control of apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/548 Remote control of the apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/09 Guide wires

Abstract

A method of processing images for interventional imaging, wherein a region of interest is visualized, is provided. The method comprises acquiring a series of 2D images of the region of interest in a patient during at least one respiratory phase, acquiring an electrocardiographic signal which is synchronized with the acquisition of the series of 2D images, processing the electrocardiographic signal to estimate at least one deformation phase of the region of interest induced by the patient'"'"'s respiratory movement, and registering the different successive 2D images in relation to the estimated deformation phase.

Claims

1. A method of processing images for interventional imaging, wherein a region of interest is visualized, the method comprising:

acquiring a series of 2D images of the region of interest in a patient during at least one respiratory phase;

acquiring an electrocardiographic signal which is synchronized with the acquisition of the series of 2D images;

processing the electrocardiographic signal to estimate at least one deformation phase of the region of interest induced by the patient'"'"'s respiratory movement; and

registering the different successive 2D images in relation to the estimated deformation phase.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein processing the electrocardiographic signal comprises detecting an envelope of the electrocardiographic signal in order to derive the patient'"'"'s respiratory movement.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the series of 2D images are acquired at the rate of the patient'"'"'s cardiac cycle.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring a plurality of 2D images of the region of interest, wherein the patient'"'"'s respiratory movement is blocked; and

utilizing each of the plurality of 2D images to form a mask of the region of interest.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

reconstructing a 3D image of the patient from the plurality of 2D images of the region of interest; and

utilizing the reconstructed 3D image to form a 3D mask of the region of interest.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising superimposing a registered image over the mask of the region of interest.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising:

selecting a 2D image from among the series of 2D images, wherein the selected 2D image is a reference 2D image corresponding to the region of interest in the 3D mask; and

utilizing the selected 2D image to estimate the deformation phase of the region of interest induced by the patient'"'"'s respiratory movement.

8. A medical imaging system comprising:

an acquisition unit configured to acquire a series of 2D images of a region of interest in a patient during at least one respiratory phase, and to acquire an electrocardiographic signal which is synchronized with the acquisition of the 2D images; and

a computing unit configured to process the electrocardiographic signal to estimate at least one deformation phase of the region of interest induced by the patient'"'"'s respiratory movement, and to register the different successive 2D images in relation to the estimated deformation phase.