Methods and apparatus for defining regions of interest

• US 6,445,762 B1
• Filed: 11/26/2001
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Knoplioch, Jerome Francois, Markvicka, James Donald, Moris, Gilles R.
• Primary Examiner(s): BRUCE, DAVID VERNON
• Application Number:
  US09/683,135
• Time in Patent Office: 281 Days
• Field of Search: 378/4, 378/8, 378/901, 382/131, 382/128, 382/173
• US Class Current: 378/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/469 for selecting a region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/506 for diagnosis of nerves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 378/901 Computer tomography program or processor

Abstract

A method for interactively creating a region of interest of a reconstructed image includes defining a thickness value, defining a polygon, and defining a 3D projection geometry. The method also includes defining a vector perpendicular to a line of sight which is defined by the 3D projection geometry, swiping the vector along the polygon to create a surface of interest, and displaying three dimensionally a plurality of points wherein a distance from the points to the created surface along the line of sight is approximately the defined thickness value or less.

Claims

1. A method for interactively creating a region of interest of a reconstructed image comprising:

defining a thickness value;

defining a polygon;

defining a 3D projection geometry;

defining a vector perpendicular to a line of sight which is defined by the 3D projection geometry;

swiping the vector along the polygon to create a surface of interest; and

displaying three dimensionally a plurality of points wherein a distance from the points to the created surface along the line of sight is approximately the defined thickness value or less.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein displaying three dimensionally a plurality of points comprises displaying three dimensionally a plurality of points wherein the distance from the points to the created surface along the line of sight is the defined thickness value or less.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein defining a polygon comprises automatically generating a polygon utilizing a centerline tracking algorithm.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein defining a vector comprises defining a vector perpendicular to a linear regression determined major axis of the polygon.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein defining a thickness value comprises defining a variable thickness such that the thickness at least partially varies along a length of the polygon.

6. A method for interactively creating a region of interest of a reconstructed image comprising:

defining a thickness value;

defining a polygon;

defining a 3D projection geometry;

defining a vector perpendicular to a line of sight which is defined by the 3D projection geometry;

swiping the vector along the polygon to define a surface;

swiping the surface along the line of sight to create a volume of interest;

intersecting the volume of interest with a three dimension data set; and

three dimensionally displaying the intersection.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein defining a polygon comprises automatically generating a polygon utilizing a centerline tracking algorithm.

8. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein defining a vector comprises defining a vector perpendicular to a linear regression determined major axis of the polygon.

9. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein defining a thickness value comprises defining a variable thickness such that the thickness at least partially varies along a length of the polygon.

10. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein defining a 3D projection geometry comprises defining a reference plane parallel to a screen displaying the image.

11. A method in accordance claim 10 wherein swiping the surface along the line of sight to create a volume of interest comprises:

generating, for each point on a screen displaying the image, a plurality of coordinates of segments, wherein the segments for a particular point are formed by intersecting the line of sight at that particular point with the defined volume to define a surface along the line of sight, wherein the surface is constrained by the defined thickness; and

storing the coordinates in a plurality of pairs of buffers, wherein each point has a corresponding pair of buffers.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein three dimensionally displaying the intersection comprises three dimensionally displaying a plurality of points for which the distance from each particular point to the reference plane is within the bounds of that particular point'"'"'s corresponding pair of buffers.

13. A method in accordance claim 10 wherein swiping the surface along the line of sight to create a volume of interest comprises:

generating, for each point on a screen displaying the image, a plurality of coordinates for a segment, wherein the segment for a particular point is the closest segment to a camera and wherein the segment is formed by intersecting the line of sight at that particular point with the defined volume to define a surface along the line of sight, wherein the surface is constrained by the defined thickness; and

storing the coordinates in a plurality of pairs of buffers, wherein each point has a corresponding pair of buffers.

14. A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein three dimensionally displaying the intersection comprises three dimensionally displaying a plurality of points for which the distance from each particular point to the reference plane is within the bounds of that particular point'"'"'s corresponding pair of buffers.

15. A scanning system comprising:

a radiation source;

a radiation detector positioned to receive radiation emitted from said source; and

a processor operationally coupled to said detector, said processor configured to;

receive a thickness value;

define a polygon;

receive a 3D projection geometry definition;

define a vector perpendicular to a line of sight which is defined by the 3D projection geometry;

swipe the vector along the polygon to create a surface of interest; and

display three dimensionally a plurality of points wherein a distance from the points to the created surface along the line of sight is approximately the defined thickness value or less.

16. A system in accordance-with claim 15 wherein said processor is further configured to generate a polygon utilizing a centerline tracking algorithm.

17. A system in accordance with claim 15 wherein said processor is further configured to define a vector perpendicular to a linear regression determined major axis of the polygon.

18. A system in accordance with claim 15 wherein said detector comprises a computed tomography (CT) detector.

19. A system in accordance with claim 15 wherein said detector comprises a magnetic resonance (MR) detector.

20. A system in accordance with claim 15 wherein said detector comprises an x-ray (XR) detector.

21. A scanning system comprising:

a radiation source;

a radiation detector positioned to receive radiation emitted from said source; and

a processor operationally coupled to said detector, said processor configured to;

receive a thickness value;

define a polygon;

define a 3D projection geometry;

define a vector perpendicular to a line of sight which is defined by the 3D projection geometry;

swipe the vector along the polygon to define a surface;

swipe the surface along the line of sight to create a volume of interest;

intersect the volume of interest with a three dimension data set; and

display three dimensionally the intersection.

22. A system in accordance with claim 21 wherein said processor is further configured to generate a polygon utilizing a centerline tracking algorithm.

23. A system in accordance with claim 22 wherein said processor is further configured to define a vector perpendicular to a linear regression determined major axis of the polygon.

24. A system in accordance with claim 21 wherein said detector comprises a computed tomography (CT) detector.

25. A system in accordance with claim 22 wherein said detector comprises a magnetic resonance (MR) detector.

26. A system in accordance with claim 23 wherein said detector comprises an x-ray (XR) detector.

27. A system in accordance with claim 21 wherein to display three dimensionally the intersection, said processor is further configured to display a plurality of points for which the distance from each particular point to a reference plane is within the bounds of that particular point'"'"'s corresponding pair of buffers.

28. A system in accordance with claim 21 wherein said processor is further configured to generate, for each point on a screen displaying the image, a plurality of coordinates for a segment, wherein the segment for a particular point is the closest segment to a camera and wherein the segment is formed by intersecting the line of sight at that particular point with the created volume to define a surface along the line of sight, wherein the surface is constrained by the defined thickness;

and

storing the coordinates in a plurality of pair of buffers, wherein each point has a corresponding pair of buffers.