THREE-DIMENSIONLAL VIRTUAL LIVER SURGERY PLANNING SYSTEM

• US 20150063668A1
• Filed: 03/04/2013
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Industrial Cooperation Foundation Chonbuk National University, Postech Academy-Industry Foundation
• Original Assignee: Industrial Cooperation Foundation Chonbuk National University, Postech Academy-Industry Foundation
• Inventors: You, Heecheon, Yang, Xiaopeng, Choi, Younggeun, Lee, Wonsup, Cho, Baik Hwan, Yu, Hee Chui
• Application Number:
  US14/381,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20150063668A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/131
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/10 Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/04 involving 3D image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10081 Computed x-ray tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30056 Liver; Hepatic
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30101 Blood vessel; Artery; Vein; Vascular
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/136 involving thresholding
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/149 involving deformable models, e.g. active contour models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/187 involving region growing; involving region merging; involving connected component labelling

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system including: a digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) receiving module which receives an abdomen computer tomography (CT) volume data set from a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) server; a DICOM loading and noise removing module which loads the received abdomen CT volume data set and remove noises; a standard liver volume estimation module which estimates a standard liver volume (SLV) from the denoised abdomen CT volume data set; a liver extraction module which extracts a three-dimensional liver region; a vessel extraction module which extracts a three-dimensional vessel region including a portal vein, a hepatic artery, a hepatic vein, and an inferior vena cava (IVC); a tumor extraction module which extracts a three-dimensional tumor region; a liver segmentation module which divides the extracted three-dimensional liver region into several segments using landmarks which are selected by a user or a segmentation sphere; and a liver surgery planning module which makes a three-dimensional liver surgery plan using a resection surface, a liver segments, or the segmentation sphere.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system, comprising:

a digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) receiving module which receives an abdomen computer tomography (CT) volume data set from a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) server;

a DICOM loading and noise removing module which loads the received abdomen CT volume data set and remove noises;

a standard liver volume estimation module which estimates a standard liver volume (SLV) from the denoised abdomen CT volume data set;

a liver extraction module which is connected to the standard liver volume estimation module to extract a three-dimensional liver region;

a vessel extraction module which is connected to the liver extraction module to extract a three-dimensional vessel region including a portal vein, a hepatic artery, a hepatic vein, and an inferior vena cava (IVC);

a tumor extraction module which is connected to the vessel extraction module to extract a three-dimensional tumor region;

a liver segmentation module which divides the extracted three-dimensional liver region into a several segments using landmarks which are selected by a user or a segmentation sphere; and

a liver surgery planning module which is connected to the liver segmentation module to make a three-dimensional liver surgery plan using a resection surface, liver segments, or the segmentation sphere.

2. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 1, further comprising

a procedure-based user-friendly interface which is connected to the modules.

3. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 1, further comprising

a liver extraction correction module which interacts with the liver extraction module and edits the extracted three-dimensional liver region.

4. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 1, further comprising

a vessel extraction correcting module which interacts with the vessel extraction module and edits the extracted three-dimensional vessel region.

5. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 1, further comprising

a tumor extraction correction module which interacts with the tumor extraction module and edits the extracted three-dimensional tumor region.

6. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 1, further comprising

a liver segmentation correction module which interacts with the liver segmentation module and edits the divided liver segments.

7. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 1, wherein

the liver extraction module performs a semi-automatic hybrid liver extraction method.

8. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 7, wherein

the semi-automatic hybrid liver extraction method includes:

deriving an initial liver region by applying a fast-marching level set method using multiple seed points selected from a plurality of CT slices by a user;

improving the derived initial liver region by a threshold-based level set method; and

correcting the extracted liver region using a scalable circle in a two-dimensional point of view or using a scalable ball in a three-dimensional point of view.

9. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 8, wherein,

in the correcting,

the three-dimensional point of view is selected using a combined three-dimensional point of view resetting button in which buttons at a front side, a rear side, a left side, a right side, an upper side, and a lower side are combined.

10. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 1, wherein

the vessel extraction module extracts three-dimensional regions of the portal vein, the hepatic artery, and the hepatic vein using a region growing method which uses a threshold interval and a seed point.

11. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 10, wherein

the region growing method includes:

loading a CT volume overlaid with the extracted liver region;

editing the liver region using the segmentation sphere so as to include a vessel to be extracted;

masking the CT volume with the edited liver region;

inputting multiple seed points selected by the user to a plurality of CT slices;

searching an initial threshold interval in accordance with an intensity distribution of a data set of the masked CT volume;

creating several additional threshold intervals by adjusting a lower threshold and an upper threshold of the initial threshold interval; and

extracting multiple vasculatures based on the initial threshold interval and additional threshold intervals to provide the vasculatures together with the volume information in the three-dimensional point of view.

12. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 11, wherein

the region growing method further includes editing the extracted vessel using a circle or a segmentation sphere in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional point of view by a user.

13. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 1, wherein

the liver segmentation module is configured to:

form a segment 1;

divide the liver into a left lobe and a right lobe;

divide the right lobe into an anterior sector and a posterior sector;

divide the left lobe into a medial sector (segment

     4) and a lateral sector;

divide the posterior sector into a segment 6 and a segment 7;

divide the anterior sector into a segment 5 and a segment 8; and

divide the lateral sector into a segment 2 and a segment 3.

14. The three-dimensional virtual liver surgery planning system of claim 1, wherein

real-time calculated volume values of the extracted liver, vessels, tumors, and liver segments are represented.