Method and apparatus for real-time 3D image rendering on a picture archival and communications system (PACS) workstation

• US 6,718,192 B1
• Filed: 11/24/1999
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Owen, Frank J., Samara, Yaseen, Kurzynski, David W., Angst, Greg J., DʼSouza, Neil D., Knoplioch, Jerome, Stoval, William M.
• Primary Examiner(s): MANTIS MERCADER, ELENI M
• Application Number:
  US09/449,712
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 600/408, 600/410, 600/411, 600/425, 600/427, 600/436, 600/437, 345/660-665, 128/916, 128/920, 128/923, 128/922, 128/925, 128/924, 382/128, 382/131, 382/132, 382/154, 382/284, 382/285, 705/1-4, 707/1-10, 707/102, 709/213-221, 709/223, 709/227, 709/236, 709/312, 340/286.07, 700/108, 367/7, 367/11, 736/20--30
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2179 Interfaces allowing access to a plurality of users, e.g. connection to electronic image libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2187 with image input from a plurality of different locations or from a non-central location, e.g. from one or more users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32507 a plurality of input devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32523 a plurality of output devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0079 Medical imaging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0089 Image display device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/92 Computer assisted medical diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/922 including image analysis

Abstract

An image management system (10), such as a PACS system is disclosed. The PACS system includes a PACS server (20) coupled to a communications network (22) and a plurality of PACS workstations (40) also coupled to a communications network (22). Each PACS workstation (40) is configured to receive two dimensional image information and provide incremental volume rendering on the PACS workstation (40) while the two dimensional image information is being received.

Claims

1. An image management system comprising:

a picture archival and communications system (PACS) server having a plurality of inputs and outputs, the inputs configured to receive image information signals and the outputs configured to provide image output signals, the PACS server configured to store information representative of a plurality of two dimensional image slices, and the output signals representative of the stored two dimensional image slices;

at least two imaging devices having outputs coupled to at least one of the inputs of the PACS server, and configured to provide an image signal; and

a PACS workstation having an input coupled to at least one of the outputs of the PACS server, and configured to receive output signals from the PACS server representative of selected two dimensional image slices stored by the PACS server, the PACS workstation configured to construct three dimensional image renderings while the output signals are being received by the PACS workstation.

2. The image management system of claim 1 wherein the three dimensional image renderings comprise a partial three dimensional rendering which is configured to be manipulated while the output signals are being received by the PACS workstation.

3. The image management system of claim 1 wherein the imaging device includes a computed tomography (CT) device.

4. The image management system of claim 3 wherein the imaging device includes a magnetic resonance (MR) device.

5. The image management system of claim 1 wherein the imaging device is a medical imaging device.

6. The image management system of claim 1 wherein the PACS workstation includes a display.

7. The image management system of claim 6 wherein the PACS workstation is configured to provide the partial three dimensional rendering on the display while the two dimensional image slices are being received.

8. The image management system of claim 7 wherein the display of the partial three dimensional rendering is configured to be manipulated with respect to the display.

9. A method of producing a rendering of a three dimensional object from a plurality of two dimensional image information files, comprising iteratively:

receiving, by a picture archival and communications system (PACS) server, a plurality of two dimensional image information files from at least one of a plurality of imaging devices;

storing the plurality of two dimensional image information files on the PACS server;

communicating a selected two dimensional image information file to a PACS workstation;

receiving the selected two dimensional image information file by the PACS workstation; and

building a portion of the rendering of the three dimensional object based on the selected two dimensional information file and two dimensional information files previously received by the PACS workstation while the selected two dimensional image information on files are being received by the PACS workstation.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one of the imaging devices is a magnetic resonance (MR) device.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein at least one of the imaging devices is a computed tomography (CT) device.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein receiving the plurality of two dimensional image information files from at least one of the plurality of imaging devices further comprises receiving two dimensional image information files from medical imaging devices.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the communicating step is carried out over an ethernet connection.

14. A medical imaging system, comprising:

at least one medical scanner;

a picture archival and communications system (PACS) server coupled to the medical scanner and configured to receive and store signals representative of two dimensional image slices from the medical scanner;

at least two PACS workstations configured to receive selected signals representative of two dimensional image slices and configured to construct a three dimensional rendering from the signals representative of the two dimensional image slices substantially while the two dimensional image slices are being received,

wherein the three dimensional image renderings comprise a partial three dimensional rendering which is configured to be manipulated while at least one of the PACS workstations is receiving two dimensional image slices.

15. The medical imaging system of claim 14 wherein at least one of the medical scanners is an ultrasound imaging device.

16. The medical imaging system of claim 14 wherein at least one of the medical scanners is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device.

17. The medical imaging system of claim 14 wherein at least one of the medical scanners is a computed tomography (CT) imaging device.

18. The medical imaging system of claim 14 wherein the PACS workstation includes a display.

19. The medical imaging system of claim 18 wherein the PACS workstation is configured to provide the partial three dimensional rendering on the display while the two dimensional image slices are being received.

20. The medical imaging system of claim 19 wherein the partial three dimensional rendering is configured to be manipulated with respect to the display.