Operating method for a swiveling polyplanar imaging system for time-resolved imaging of an object being examined

• US 7,899,151 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Rahn, Norbert, Boese, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Glick; Edward J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Taningco; Alexander H
• Application Number:
  US12/383,422
• Publication Number:
  US 20090252287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• Field of Search: 378/4, 378/8, 378/9, 378/17, 378/197
• US Class Current: 378/17
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/503 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography

Abstract

An operating method for a polyplanar imaging system for time-resolved imaging of an object is provided. First and second data records are recorded at a fan angle β from different angular positions by a first and second imaging planes arranged at an offset angle γ relative to each other and swiveled through an angle of at least φ=180°+β. A third data record is created by selecting projection images from the first data record beginning from a starting angle α and from the second data record so that the third data record covers an angular range of at least φ. Three-dimensional images are reconstructed based on the third data record. The starting angle α is varied for continuously creating the third data record until α has attained its final value. The contrast of projection images in the third data record or of three-dimensional images is evaluated.

Claims

1. An operating method for a swiveling polyplanar imaging system for time-resolved imaging of an object, the swiveling polyplanar imaging system comprising a first and a second imaging planes arranged at an offset angle γ

relative to each other and record at a fan angle β

, the method comprising;

recording a first set of projection images of the object by the first imaging plane from a first set of different angular positions, the first imaging plane being swiveled through at least an angle of φ

=180°

+β

;

generating a first data record from the first set of projection images;

recording a second set of projection images of the object by the second imaging plane from a second set of different angular positions, the second imaging plane being swiveled through at least the angle of φ

=180°

+β

;

generating a second data record from the second set of projection images;

storing the first data record and the second data record;

creating a third data record by selecting the projection images from the first data record beginning from a starting angle α and

the projection images from the second data record so that projection images in the third data record covers at least the angular range of φ

;

varying the starting angle α

from an initial value to a final value α

_max;

continuously repeating the creating of the third data record and the varying of the starting angle α

until the starting angle α

has attained the final value α

_max; and

evaluating a contrast of the projection images in the third data record,

wherein three-dimensional images are reconstructed based on the third data record and a contrast of the three-dimensional images is evaluated, and

wherein the contrast of the projection images in the third data record and the contrast of the three-dimensional images are evaluated by maximizing an overall grayscale value of the projection images in the third data record and an overall grayscale value of the three-dimensional image.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the offset angle γ

is between 80°

to 100°

.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the initial value of the starting angle α

is 0° and

the final value α

_max of the starting angle α

equals to the offset angle γ

.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the starting angle α

is varied in a step of 0.1°

to 2.0°

range.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the third data record is created by selecting the projection images from the first data record that cover an angular range from the starting angle α

to α

+(180°

+β

)/2 and the projection images from the second data record that cover an angular range from α

+(180°

+β

)/2 to α

+(180°

+β

).

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the third data record is created by selecting the projection images from the first data record that cover an angular range from the starting angle α

to α

+θ

+β and

the projection images from the second data record that cover an angular range of α

+θ

+β

to α

+180°

+β

with the θ

in a range of 30°

≦

θ

≦

150°

.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the evaluation is performed with the varying of the starting angle α

.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the overall grayscale value of the projection images in the third data record is a summation of grayscale values of pixels of the projection images in the third data record, and

wherein the overall grayscale value of the three-dimensional images is a summation of grayscale values of voxels of the three-dimensional images.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the grayscale values of the pixels of the projection images in the third data record and the voxels of the three-dimensional images are located within a range defined by a user or determined automatically.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overall grayscale value of the projection images in the third data record is a summation of grayscale values of pixels of each first and last projection images among the projection images in the third data record.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overall grayscale value of the projection images in the third data record is a summation of grayscale values of pixels of randomly sampled quantity of the projection images in the third data record.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein an additional first set and an additional second set of projection images are recorded with an administering of a contrast agent and are subtracted from the corresponding first set and the second set of the projection images to generate digital subtraction angiography images that are evaluated.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the imaging system is an x-ray system.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a contrast agent is injected synchronized with start of the recording.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein a temporal dynamics of the contrast agent is calculated by the evaluation.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein a tissue perfusion or a dynamic vascular representation is calculated from the temporal dynamics of the contrast agent.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer program executable for a control and evaluation system of a swiveling polyplanar imaging system for time-resolved imaging of an object, the swiveling polyplanar imaging system comprising a first and a second imaging planes arranged at an offset angle γ

relative to each other and record at a fan angle β

, the computer program comprising;

a computer subroutine that;

generates a first data record from a first set of project images of the object recorded by the first imaging plane from a first set of different angular positions, the first imaging plane being swiveled through at least an angle of φ

=180°

+β

;

generates a second data record from a second set of project images of the object recorded by the second imaging plane from a second set of different angular positions, the second imaging plane being swiveled through at least the angle of φ

=180°

+β

;

creates a third data record by selecting projection images from the first data record and project images from the second data record beginning from a starting angle α

so that projection images in the third data record covers at least the angular range of φ

;

continuously repeats the creating of the third data record by varying the starting angle α

until the starting angle α

has attained a final value α

_max; and

evaluates a contrast of the projection images in the third data record,

wherein three-dimensional images are reconstructed based on the third data record and a contrast of the three-dimensional images is evaluated, and

wherein the contrast of the projection images in the third data record and the contrast of the three-dimensional images are evaluated by maximizing an overall grayscale value of the projection images in the third data record and an overall grayscale value of the three-dimensional image.

18. A swiveling polyplanar imaging system for time-resolved imaging of an object, comprising:

a first imaging plane that records at a fan angle β

a first set of projection images of the object from a first set of different angular positions, the first imaging plane being swiveled through at least an angle of φ

=180°

+β

;

a second imaging plane arranged at an offset angle γ

relative with the first imaging plane that records at the fan angle β

a second set of projection images of the object from a second set of different angular positions, the second imaging plane being swiveled through at least the angle of φ

=180°

+β

; and

a control and evaluation system that;

generates a first data record from the first set of the projection images,

generates a second data record from the second set of the projection images,

creates a third data record by selecting the projection images from the first data record and the projection images from the second data record beginning from a starting angle α

so that projection images in the third data record covers the angular range of φ

,

continuously repeats the creating of the third data record by varying the starting angle α

until the starting angle α

has attained a final value α

_max, and

evaluates a contrast of the projection images in the third data record,

wherein three-dimensional images are reconstructed based on the third data record and a contrast of the three-dimensional images is evaluated, and

wherein the contrast of the projection images in the third data record and the contrast of the three-dimensional images are evaluated by maximizing an overall grayscale value of the projection images in the third data record and an overall grayscale value of the three-dimensional image.