Methods for measuring curved distances on 3D and MIP images
First Claim
1. A method for determining a length of an object using tomographic images generated in an imaging system, said method comprising:
- identifying an object of interest, the object of interest having a curvature;
determining boundaries of the object of interest;
determining a three-dimensional length of the object of interest;
overlaying a plurality of distance indicators representing predetermined distances along the length of the object of interest on an image of the object of interest; and
displaying the image of the object of interest including the overlaid distance indicators, wherein a distance along a selected portion of the length of the object of interest is indicated by a count of the plurality of distance indicators along the selected portion.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention, in one form, is an imaging system for accurately determining a length of an object of interest (OOI). Particularly and in one embodiment, the OOI has a curvature in a direction non-parallel to a projection plane. Initially, after utilizing MIP images to identify the OOI, boundaries and a center of the OOI are determined for each image. Utilizing the determined boundaries and center, an OOI length is determined. Specifically, the OOI length is determined by determining a distance between each adjacent image and then summing the resulting values. The distance is then displayed on the MIP images by either distance indicators or numerical display.
61 Citations
32 Claims
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1. A method for determining a length of an object using tomographic images generated in an imaging system, said method comprising:
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identifying an object of interest, the object of interest having a curvature;
determining boundaries of the object of interest;
determining a three-dimensional length of the object of interest;
overlaying a plurality of distance indicators representing predetermined distances along the length of the object of interest on an image of the object of interest; and
displaying the image of the object of interest including the overlaid distance indicators, wherein a distance along a selected portion of the length of the object of interest is indicated by a count of the plurality of distance indicators along the selected portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for determining a length of an object using tomographic images generated in an imaging system, said method comprising:
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identifying an object of interest, the object of interest having a curvature;
determining boundaries of the object of interest;
determining a three-dimensional length of the object of interest;
overlaying a plurality of distance indicators representing predetermined distances along the length of the object of interest on an image of the object of interest; and
displaying the image of the object of interest including the overlaid distance indicators, wherein a distance along a selected portion of the length of the object of interest is indicated by a count of the plurality of distance indicators along the selected portion;
wherein determining boundaries of the object of interest comprises generating cross-section data for the object of interest utilizing a first tomographic image. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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15. A method in accordance with claim 14 further comprising determining a total length, T, of the object of interest, wherein the total length is determined in accordance with:
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where; N equals a total number of tomographic images.
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16. A method in accordance with claim 12 wherein determining a three-dimensional length of the object of interest comprises performing a curve fit of the centers of the object of interest.
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17. A computed tomography (CT) system for determining a length of an object using images generated in a tomography system, said tomography system comprising an x-ray source for producing an x-ray beam along a projection plane and a detector array, said tomography system configured to:
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identify an object of interest, the object of interest having a curvature;
determine boundaries of the object of interest;
determine a three-dimensional length of the object of interest;
overlay a plurality of distance indicators representing predetermined distances along the length of the object of interest on an image of the object of interest; and
display the image of the object of interest including the overlaid distance indicators, wherein a distance along a selected portion of the object of interest is indicated by a count of the plurality of distance indicators along the selected portion. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A computed tomography (CT) system for determining a length of an object using images generated in a tomography system, said tomography system comprising an x-ray source for producing an x-ray beam along a projection plane and a detector array, said tomography system configured to:
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identify an object of interest, the object of interest having a curvature;
determine boundaries of the object of interest;
determine a three-dimensional length of the object of interest;
overlay a plurality of distance indicators representing predetermined distances along the length of the object of interest on an image of the object of interest; and
display the imaging of the object of interest including the overlaid distance indicators, wherein a distance along a selected portion of the object of interest is indicated by a count of the plurality of distance indicators along the selected portion;
wherein to determine boundaries of the object of interest, said system configured to generate cross-section data for the object of interest utilizing a first tomographic image. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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31. A system in accordance with claim 30 further configured to determine a total length, T, of the object of interest, wherein said total length is determined in accordance with:
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where; N equals a total number of tomographic images.
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32. A system in accordance with claim 28 wherein to determine a three-dimensional length of the object of interest, said system configured to perform a curve fit of said centers of the object of interest.
Specification