METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REGISTERING A MEDICAL IMAGE WITH A GRAPHICAL MODEL

• US 20160081658A1
• Filed: 09/22/2014
• Published: 03/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Perrey, Christian, Gritzky, Arthur
• Granted Patent: US 10,667,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5238 for combining image data of patient, e.g. merging several images from different acquisition modes into one image for image registration algorithms G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10136 3D ultrasound image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration

Abstract

An ultrasound imaging system and method includes accessing a graphical model of a representative patient, accessing a medical image of an anatomical structure, and registering the medical image with the graphical model to generate a composite image. The imaging system and method includes displaying the composite image and simultaneously displaying an unregistered medical image of the anatomical structure with the composite image. The unregistered medical image has at least one of a higher resolution and a larger form factor than the registered medical image.

Claims

1. A method of medical imaging comprising:

accessing a graphical model of a representative patient;

accessing a medical image of an anatomical structure;

registering the medical image with the graphical model to generate a composite image;

displaying the composite image; and

simultaneously displaying an unregistered medical image of the anatomical structure with the composite image, where the unregistered medical image has at least one of a higher resolution and a larger form factor than the registered medical image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the composite image comprises blending the medical image and the graphical model in a region of overlap in the composite image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the composite image comprises replacing the graphical model with the medical image in a region of overlap in the composite image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the medical image comprises acquiring medical image data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein registering the medical image with the graphical model, displaying the composite image, and simultaneously displaying the unregistered medical image are performed in real-time while in the process of acquiring the medical image data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing a second medical image that is different from the medical image, and wherein generating the composite image further comprises registering the second medical image to the graphical model.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising selecting the second medical image on the composite image and updating the unregistered image to correspond with the second medical image.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical model comprises a 2D graphical model.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical model comprises a 3D graphical model.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the medical image comprises a 2D image.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the medical image comprises a volume-rendered image.

12. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:

a probe;

a display device; and

a processor in electronic communication with the probe and the display device, wherein the processor is configured to;

access a graphical model of a representative patient;

access a medical image of an anatomical structure;

register the medical image with the graphical model to generate a composite image;

display the composite image on the display device; and

simultaneously display an unregistered medical image of the anatomical structure on the display device with the composite image,

where the unregistered medical image has at least one of a higher resolution and a larger form factor than the registered medical image.

13. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to generate the composite image by blending the medical image and the graphical model in a region of overlap in the composite image.

14. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 12, further comprising a position sensor attached to the ultrasound probe, and wherein the processor is further configured to use position data from the position sensor to register the medical image with the graphical model.

15. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to automatically generate the composite image, display the composite image, and display the unregistered image in real-time during the process of acquiring ultrasound data with the probe.

16. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to generate the composite image by registering a second medical image to the graphical model, where the second medical image is different from the medical image.

17. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to update the unregistered image to correspond with the second medical image.

18. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 16, wherein the medical image comprises a 2D image and the second medical image comprises a volume-rendered image.

19. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 18, wherein the graphical model comprises a 3D graphical model.

20. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 18, wherein the graphical model comprises a 2D graphical model.