SYSTEM, METHOD AND COMPUTER-ACCESSIBLE MEDIUM FOR PROVIDING A PANORAMIC CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CBCT)

• US 20150213633A1
• Filed: 04/06/2012
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Trustees Of Columbia University In The City Of New York (Columbia University)
• Original Assignee: Trustees Of Columbia University In The City Of New York (Columbia University)
• Inventors: Chang, Jenghwa, Chao, K.S. Clifford, Zhou, Lili
• Application Number:
  US14/110,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20150213633A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4085 Cone-beams
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4233 using matrix detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5205 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5241 combining overlapping images of the same imaging modality, e.g. by stitching
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/582 Calibration
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/583 using calibration phantoms
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1061 using an x-ray imaging system having a separate imaging source
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1049 for verifying the position of the patient with respect to the radiation beam
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1065 Beam adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/401 image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/419 computed tomograph
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/612 biological material
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/046 using tomography, e.g. computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/005 Specific pre-processing for tomographic reconstruction, e.g. calibration, source positioning, rebinning, scatter correction, retrospective gating
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/008 Specific post-processing after tomographic reconstruction, e.g. voxelisation, metal artifact correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10081 Computed x-ray tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2211/432 Truncation

Abstract

Exemplary devices, procedures and computer-readable mediums for providing a projection image associated with at least one target. The projection image can be formed from a plurality of locations of a source arrangement. At each source location, a plurality of panoramic projection images associated with a target can be acquired. At least two of the panoramic projection images can be obtained at view angles which are different from one another. These panoramic projection images can be stitched together or otherwise combined. A resulting image can then be generated using a computed tomography procedure based on the stitched or combined projection images that are generated at the plurality of location.

Claims

1. A method for providing at least one particular projection image associated with at least one target, comprising:

at a plurality of locations of at least one source arrangement;

acquiring a plurality of panoramic projection images associated with at least one target, at least two of the panoramic projection images being obtained at view angles which are different from one another;

stitching or combining the panoramic projection images together; and

generating the at least one particular projection image using a computed tomography procedure based on the stitched or combined projection images that are generated at the plurality of location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the acquisition of the panoramic projection images comprises:

scanning the at least one target with the at least one source arrangement that is aimed at different view angles with a field size comparable to a size of an imaging arrangement which performs the acquisition, and

repositioning the stitched projection images according to the different view angles.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the source arrangement is aimed at the different view angles by at least one of physically rotating the source arrangement or implementing different collimator settings.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the imaging arrangement is configured to be positioned in any location along a path of a beam generated by the at least one source arrangement.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the stitching or combining of the panoramic projection images includes:

for each of the view angles, interpolating certain ones of the panoramic projection images of neighboring gantry angles to generate further ones of the panoramic projection images at the neighboring gantry angles,

directly stitching or combining of the further ones of the panoramic projection images of the neighboring gantry angle according to a position of the imaging arrangement, and

automatically stitching or combining the further ones of the panoramic projection images of the neighboring gantry angles together.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the computed tomography is performed by at least one of:

projecting the stitched or combine projection images into at least one plane that is perpendicular to a central axis of the at least one source arrangement; and

reconstructing tomographic images from the stitched or combined projection images without an additional projection to the at least one plane.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computed tomography at least one of:

a. includes a reconstruction volume that is proportional to a number of panoramic views of the at least one target; and

b. is achieved with the projection images obtained from an approximate half gantry rotation of the at least one source arrangement.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the approximate half gantry rotation is one half of (180 degrees plus a cone angle of the at least one source arrangement).

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computed tomography procedure is a panoramic cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) procedure.

10. A non-transitory computer-accessible medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for providing at least one particular projection image associated with at least one target, when the executable instruction are executed by a processing arrangement, configure the processing arrangement to perform a procedure comprising:

at a plurality of locations of at least one source arrangement;

acquiring a plurality of panoramic projection images associated with at least one target, at least two of the panoramic projection images being obtained at view angles which are different from one another;

stitching or combining the panoramic projection images together; and

generating the at least one particular projection image using a computed tomography procedure based on the stitched or combined projection images that are generated at the plurality of location.

11. The computer-accessible medium of claim 10, wherein the acquisition of the panoramic projection images comprises:

scanning the at least one target with the at least one source arrangement that is aimed at different view angles with a field size comparable to a size of an imaging arrangement which performs the acquisition, and

repositioning the stitched projection images according to the different view angles.

12. The computer-accessible medium of claim 11, wherein the source arrangement is aimed at the different view angles by at least one of physically rotating the source arrangement or implementing different collimator settings.

13. The computer-accessible medium of claim 11, wherein the imaging arrangement is configured to be positioned in any location along a path of a beam generated by the at least one source arrangement.

14. The computer-accessible medium of claim 10, wherein the stitching or combining of the panoramic projection images includes:

for each of the view angles, interpolating certain ones of the panoramic projection images of neighboring gantry angles to generate further ones of the panoramic projection images at the neighboring gantry angles,

directly stitching or combining of the further ones of the panoramic projection images of the neighboring gantry angle according to a position of the imaging arrangement, and

automatically stitching or combining the further ones of the panoramic projection images of the neighboring gantry angles together.

15. The computer-accessible medium of claim 10, wherein the computed tomography is performed by at least one of:

projecting the stitched or combine projection images into at least one plane that is perpendicular to a central axis of the at least one source arrangement; and

reconstructing tomographic images from the stitched or combined projection images without an additional projection to the at least one plane.

16. The computer-accessible medium of claim 10, wherein the computed tomography at least one of:

a. includes a reconstruction volume that is proportional to a number of panoramic views of the at least one target; and

b. is achieved with the projection images obtained from an approximate half gantry rotation of the at least one source arrangement.

17. The computer-accessible medium of claim 16, wherein the approximate half gantry rotation is one half of (180 degrees plus a cone angle of the at least one source arrangement).

18. The computer-accessible medium according to claim 10, wherein the computed tomography procedure is a panoramic cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) procedure.

19. A system for providing at least one particular projection image associated with at least one target, comprising:

a processing arrangement configured to perform a procedure comprising;

at a plurality of locations of at least one source arrangement;

acquiring a plurality of panoramic projection images associated with at least one target, at least two of the panoramic projection images being obtained at view angles which are different from one another;

stitching or combining the panoramic projection images together; and

generating the at least one particular projection image using a computed tomography procedure based on the stitched or combined projection images that are generated at the plurality of location.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the acquisition of the panoramic projection images comprises:

scanning the at least one target with the at least one source arrangement that is aimed at different view angles with a field size comparable to a size of an imaging arrangement which performs the acquisition, and

repositioning the stitched projection images according to the different view angles.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the source arrangement is aimed at the different view angles by at least one of physically rotating the source arrangement or implementing different collimator settings.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the imaging arrangement is configured to be positioned in any location along a path of a beam generated by the at least one source arrangement.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the stitching or combining of the panoramic projection images includes:

for each of the view angles, interpolating certain ones of the panoramic projection images of neighboring gantry angles to generate further ones of the panoramic projection images at the neighboring gantry angles,

directly stitching or combining of the further ones of the panoramic projection images of the neighboring gantry angle according to a position of the imaging arrangement, and

automatically stitching or combining the further ones of the panoramic projection images of the neighboring gantry angles together.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the computed tomography is performed by at least one of:

projecting the stitched or combine projection images into at least one plane that is perpendicular to a central axis of the at least one source arrangement; and

reconstructing tomographic images from the stitched or combined projection images without an additional projection to the at least one plane.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the computed tomography at least one of:

a. includes a reconstruction volume that is proportional to a number of panoramic views of the at least one target; and

b. is achieved with the projection images obtained from an approximate half gantry rotation of the at least one source arrangement.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the approximate half gantry rotation is one half of (180 degrees plus a cone angle of the at least one source arrangement).

27. The system according to claim 19, wherein the computed tomography procedure is a panoramic cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) procedure.