Method for the presentation of projection images or tomograms from 3D volume data of an examination volume

• US 7,088,848 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2003
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Faber, Roland
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jingge
• Assistant Examiner(s): BHATNAGAR, ANAND P
• Application Number:
  US10/360,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20030156747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 382/128, 382/131, 382/132, 382/154, 128/922, 378/4, 345/426
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/922 including image analysis

Abstract

In a method for the presentation of projection images or tomograms from 3D volume data of an examination volume, particularly from MR or CT volume data, a grayscale image of a prescribable projection or of a prescribable section that is composed of individual pixels is calculated from the 3D volume data. The distance of a voxel or partial volume of the examination volume represented by the pixel from a reference plane is determined for each pixel of the grayscale image, and a chromatic value corresponding to this distance is allocated to each pixel of the grayscale image, the chromatic value is obtained by color coding of the distance, and a projection image or tomogram is presented by overlaying or coloring the grayscale image with the chromatic values allocated to each pixel. The presentation of a projection image with an unambiguous and immediately understandable depth, information is thereby enabled.

Claims

1. A method for presenting a projection image from 3D volume data representing an examination volume, comprising the steps of:

from 3D volume data representing an examination volume, calculating a grayscale image in a computer of a selected projection of said examination volume, said grayscale image comprising a plurality of pixels respectively representing voxels in said examination volume;

in said computer, for each of said pixels calculating a distance of the voxel represented thereby from a reference plane, each distance having a magnitude;

in said computer, color-coding said pixels with respective chromatic values dependent on the magnitude of the distance calculated for that pixel; and

displaying said selected projection on an electronic display as a combination of said grayscale image and said color-coded pixels.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising forming said combination of said grayscale image and said color-coded pixels by generating a color-coded distance image from said chromatic values, and superimposing said color-coded distance image on said grayscale image.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 comprising assigning respective weightings relative to each other to said color-coded distance image and said grayscale image.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising forming said combination of said grayscale image and said color-coded pixels by coloring the pixels comprising said grayscale image.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising employing magnetic resonance volume data as said 3D volume data.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising employing computed tomography volume data as said 3D volume data.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said grayscale image has an image plane, and employing said image plane as said reference plane.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising generating said chromatic values by operating on a color scale with a distance scale via a scalable linear function.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising generating said chromatic values by operating on a color scale with a distance scale via a scalable non-linear function.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 wherein said non-linear function operates on said color scale with a distance scale having a higher distance resolution in a selectable range of said distance scale, compared to a remainder of said distance scale.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of combining said grayscale image with said color-coded pixels comprises overlaying said grayscale image with the respective chromatic values using an alpha blending technique.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising calculating said grayscale image using an MIP technique as a projection method.

13. A method for presenting a tomogram from 3D volume data representing an examination volume, comprising the steps of:

from 3D volume data representing an examination volume, calculating a grayscale image in a computer of a selected section of said examination volume, said grayscale image comprising a plurality of pixels respectively representing partial volumes in said examination volume;

in said computer, for each of said pixels calculating a distance of the partial volume represented thereby from a reference plane, each distance having a magnitude;

in said computer, color-coding said pixels with respective chromatic values dependent on the magnitude of the distance calculated for that pixel; and

displaying said selected section on an electronic display as a combination of said grayscale image and said color-coded pixels.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 comprising forming said combination of said grayscale image and said color-coded pixels by generating a color-coded distance image from said chromatic values, and superimposing said color-coded distance image on said grayscale image.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 comprising assigning respective weightings relative to each other to said color-coded distance image and said grayscale image.

16. A method as claimed in claim 13 comprising forming said combination of said grayscale image and said color-coded pixels by coloring the pixels comprising said grayscale image.

17. A method as claimed in claim 13 comprising employing magnetic resonance volume data as said 3D volume data.

18. A method as claimed in claim 13 comprising employing computed tomography volume data as said 3D volume data.

19. A method as claimed in claim 13 comprising generating said chromatic values by operating on a color scale with a distance scale via a scalable linear function.

20. A method as claimed in claim 13 comprising generating said chromatic values by operating on a color scale with a distance scale via a scalable non-linear function.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein said non-linear function operates on said color scale with a distance scale having a higher distance resolution in a selectable range of said distance scale, compared to a remainder of said distance scale.

22. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein the step of combining said grayscale image with said color-coded pixels comprises overlaying said grayscale image with the respective chromatic values using an alpha blending technique.

23. A method as claimed in claim 13 comprising calculating said grayscale image as a tomogram of said examination volume that is tilted relative to at least one axis of said tomogram.