Method and device for reconstructing a 3D image data set of a moving object

• US 7,315,605 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2006
• Issued: 01/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Lauritsch, Günter, Boese, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMAS, COURTNEY D
• Application Number:
  US11/453,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20060285632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 378 4- 27, 378/901, 382130-132, 382/275, 600/425, 600/427, 600/428
• US Class Current: 378/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5217 extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/005 Specific pre-processing for tomographic reconstruction, e.g. calibration, source positioning, rebinning, scatter correction, retrospective gating
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2211/404 Angiography
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2211/412 Dynamic
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 378/901 Computer tomography program or processor

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and device for reconstructing a 3D image data set of a moving object from a set of projection images, which were recorded at least partially one after the other from different projection directions. The projection images are hereby assigned by ECG gating to a motion phase of the object in each instance and an incomplete 3D image of the object is computed in this motion phase from these few projection images using local tomography. Motion fields are determined from these 3D images and are used during the final 3D image reconstruction for motion correction.

Claims

1. A method for reconstructing a 3D image data set of a moving object from a set of projection images which are recorded at least partially one after the other from different projection directions, comprising:

dividing the set of projection images into a plurality of subsets based on a specific motion phase of the moving object;

reconstructing an incomplete 3D image of the moving object from each projection image of the subsets using a local tomography method, wherein the incomplete 3D image obtained using local tomography contains a segment of an intensity edge in the moving object and the segment is essentially parallel to a projection direction of a projection image belonging to an associated subset;

determining a motion field of the moving object from the incomplete 3D image, the motion field showing a motion of the moving object between two successive motion phases;

generating the 3D image data of the moving object with a motion correction effected by the motion field; and

displaying a 3D image of the moving object based on the generated 3D image data.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the incomplete 3D image is processed by supplementing the intensity edge by an interpolation between existing segments.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the projection images are x-ray images which are recorded by an x-ray tube and an x-ray detector, the x-ray tube and the x-ray detector rotated about the moving object during recording.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a motion status of the object is measured during recording and the projection images are assigned to an individual motion phase of the motion status of the moving object based on the measurement.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein, the moving object is a heart or an organ of a live human or animal body subject to a heartbeat and the motion status of the moving object is measured by an ECG.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the projection images are assigned to a specific motion phase of the heart based on the ECG measurement.

7. A device for reconstructing a 3D image data set of a moving object from a set of projection images which are recorded at least partially one after the other from different projection directions, comprising:

a dividing device for dividing the set of projection images into a plurality of subsets based on a specific motion phase of the moving object;

a first computing module for reconstructing an incomplete 3D image of the moving object from each projection image of the subsets using a local tomography method, wherein the incomplete 3D image obtained using local tomography contains a segment of an intensity edge in the moving object and the segment is essentially parallel to a projection direction of a projection image belonging to an associated subset;

a second computing module for determining a motion field of the moving object from the incomplete 3D image, the motion field showing a motion of the moving object between two successive motion phases; and

a third computing module for generating the 3D image data of the moving object with a motion correction effected by the motion field.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the device is an x-ray device having an x-ray tube and an x-ray detector which are movable about the moving object.

9. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the device is a C-arm system having an x-ray tube and an x-ray detector which are attached to a C-arm and rotate about the moving object.

10. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the moving object is a heart or an organ of a live human or animal body subject to a heartbeat and the motion statue of the moving object is measured by an ECG.

11. The device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first, second, and third computing modules are stored in a single computer.