HEAD MODELING FOR A THERAPEUTIC OR DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE

• US 20150227680A1
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neuronetics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Neuronetics, Inc.
• Inventors: Pillutla, Ravi, Ghiron, Kenneth Marc, Riehl, Mark Edward, Mainkar, Neeraj
• Granted Patent: US 9,792,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/44 Morphing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders

Abstract

A model of a human subject'"'"'s head may be generated to assist in a therapeutic and/or diagnostic procedure. A treatment and/or diagnostic system may generate a fitted head model using a predetermined head model and a plurality of points. The plurality of points may include facial feature information and may be determined using a sensor, which may include an IR sensor. One or more anatomical landmarks may be determined and registered in association with the fitted head model using the facial feature information, for example, without the use of additional image information, such as an MRI image. The fitted head model may include visual aids, for example, anatomical landmarks, reference points, marking of the human subject'"'"'s MT location, and/or marking of the human subject'"'"'s treatment location. The visual aids may assist a technician to perform the therapeutic and/or diagnostic procedure of the human subject. The fitted head model may be stored.

Claims

1. A method for creating a digital three-dimensional reconstruction of a human subject'"'"'s head, the method comprising:

determining a plurality of points associated with the human subject'"'"'s head using a sensor, wherein a subset of the plurality of points comprise facial feature information;

generating a fitted head model using a predetermined head model and the plurality of points;

determining a location of one or more anatomical landmarks on the fitted head model using the facial feature information; and

determining a target location on the fitted head model based on the one or more anatomical landmarks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an infrared sensor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the facial feature information comprises information relating to a location of one or more facial features of the human subject, and wherein a facial feature comprises a nose, an eye, an ear, or a mouth of the human subject.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the predetermined head model or the fitted head model comprises an electroencephalogram 10-20 coordinate grid.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fitted head model has a smooth surface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of points are devoid of information relating to the human subject'"'"'s hair such that the fitted head model is devoid of information relating to the human subject'"'"'s hair.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that one or more points of the plurality of points are associated with the human subject'"'"'s hair, and wherein the fitted head model is generated without the use of the one or more points associated with the human subject'"'"'s hair.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein an anatomical landmark comprises a nasion, an inion, a lateral canthus, an external auditory meatus, or a preauricular point of the human subject.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the target location comprises a treatment location or a reference point that is used to determine the treatment location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the target location on the fitted head model is performed without the use of additional image information.

11. A system for creating a digital three-dimensional reconstruction of a human subject'"'"'s head, the system comprising:

a sensor; and

a processor configured to;

determine a plurality of points associated with the human subject'"'"'s head using the sensor, wherein a subset of the plurality of points comprise facial feature information;

generate a fitted head model using a predetermined head model and the plurality of points;

determine a location of one or more anatomical landmarks on the fitted head model using the facial feature information; and

determine a target location on the fitted head model based on the one or more anatomical landmarks.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor comprises an infrared sensor.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the facial feature information comprises information relating to a location of one or more facial features of the human subject, and wherein a facial feature comprises a nose, an eye, an ear, or a mouth of the human subject.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to determine the plurality of points using the sensor and without the use of an indicator tool.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor configured to generate the fitted head model using the predetermined head model and the plurality of points comprises the processor configured to morph the predetermined head model to the plurality of points to generate the fitted head model.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein one or more of the predetermined head model or the fitted head model comprises an electroencephalogram 10-20 coordinate grid.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the fitted head model has a smooth surface.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that one or more points of the plurality of points are associated with rippling of the human subject'"'"'s skin, loss of a facial feature, or asymmetric lump, and wherein the processor is configured to generate the fitted head model without the use of the one or more points associated with the rippling of the human subject'"'"'s skin, loss of a facial feature, or asymmetric lump.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of points are devoid of information relating to the human subject'"'"'s hair such that the fitted head model is devoid of information relating to the human subject'"'"'s hair.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that one or more points of the plurality of points are associated with the human subject'"'"'s hair, and wherein the processor is configured to generate the fitted head model without the use of the one or more points associated with the human subject'"'"'s hair.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein an anatomical landmark comprises a nasion, an inion, a lateral canthus, an external auditory meatus, or a preauricular point of the human subject.

22. The system of claim 11, wherein the target location comprises a treatment location or a reference point that is used to determine the treatment location.

23. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to determine the target location on the fitted head model without the use of additional image information.

24. The system of claim 11, further comprising a display device, wherein the processor is further configured to display the fitted head model and the target location on the display device to assist in a therapeutic or diagnostic procedure.

25. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to perform transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) using the fitted head model and the target location.