Aligning apparatus, aligning method, and the program

• US 8,194,946 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2006
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ida, Noriaki, Moriya, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jingge
• Assistant Examiner(s): YENTRAPATI, AVINASH
• Application Number:
  US11/492,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20070036410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,141 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration

Abstract

An aligning method and apparatus for aligning images having different imaged regions with improved alignment accuracy. Aligning the imaged region of each of a plurality of partial images with an overall reference image. Then, two images having an overlapping area are aligned with each other based on the amount of shift when one of the two images is aligned with the overall reference image, and the amount of shift when the other of the two images is aligned with the overall reference image.

Claims

1. An aligning apparatus comprising:

a partial medical image storing means for storing a plurality of partial medical images, each obtained by imaging a predetermined region of a subject;

a reference image storing means for storing an overall reference image representing a normal anatomy of the anatomical structures of the entire subject;

a first aligning means for aligning an anatomical structure in the imaged region of each of the plurality of partial medical images with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overall reference image; and

a second aligning means for aligning two partial medical images of the plurality of partial medical images having an overlapping area in the imaged region such that an anatomical structure in the overlapping area of one of the two partial medical images is aligned with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overlapping area of the other of the two partial medical images after;

the anatomical structure in the overlapping area of one of the two partial medical images is aligned with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overall reference image by the first aligning means; and

the anatomical structure in the overlapping area of the other of the two partial medical images is aligned with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overall reference image by the first aligning means;

wherein the overall reference image has average densities and positions of anatomical structures, obtained by imaging multitude of subjects; and

wherein;

each of the plurality of partial medical images is a tomographic image obtained by tomography;

the overall reference image is a gray image in which anatomical structures obtained from multitudes of tomographic images obtained by tomography are represented in normal densities;

the overall reference image represents the entirety of a human body; and

the first aligning means performs positional alignment of the partial medical images with corresponding portions of the overall reference image, based on data regarding imaged portions attached to the partial medical images,

wherein the overall reference image has recorded therein a plurality of feature points of a human body; and

the first aligning means detects feature points in the partial medical images based on data regarding the imaged portions attached thereto, and employs the feature points within the overall reference image corresponding to the detected feature points to perform positional alignment, and

wherein the feature points represent positional information of distinctive points to represent anatomical structure of the overall image.

2. The aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second aligning means is a means for aligning the anatomical structure in the overlapping area of one of the two partial medical images with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overlapping area of the other of the two partial medical images by obtaining the amount of shift required for aligning the anatomical structures of the two partial medical images based on:

the amount of shift when the anatomical structure in the overlapping area of one of the two partial medical images is aligned with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overall reference image by the first aligning means, and

the amount of shift when the anatomical structure in the overlapping area of the other of the two partial medical images is aligned with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overall reference image by the first aligning means.

3. The aligning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of partial medical images is an image obtained at a different time.

4. The aligning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of partial medical images is an image obtained at a different time.

7. The aligning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first aligning means performs alignment on the feature points representative of anatomical shape using affine transform of at least one of rotation, translation and scaling on the partial medical images.

5. An aligning method comprising:

a partial medical image readout step for reading out a plurality of partial medical images, each obtained by imaging a predetermined region of a subject, and stored in a partial medical image storing means;

an overall reference image readout step for reading out an overall reference image representing a normal anatomy of the anatomical structures of the entire subject stored in a reference image storing means;

a first aligning step for aligning an anatomical structure in the imaged region of each of the plurality of partial medical images with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overall reference image; and

a second aligning step for aligning two partial medical images of the plurality of partial medical images having an overlapping area in the imaged region such that an anatomical structure in the overlapping area of one of the two partial medical images is aligned with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overlapping area of the other of the two partial medical images after;

the anatomical structure in the overlapping area of one of the two partial medical images is aligned with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overall reference image by the first aligning step; and

the anatomical structure in the overlapping area of the other of the two partial medical images is aligned with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overall reference image by the first aligning step;

wherein the overall reference image has average densities and positions of anatomical structures, obtained by imaging multitude of subjects; and

wherein;

each of the plurality of partial medical images is a tomographic image obtained by tomography;

the overall reference image is a gray image in which anatomical structures obtained from multitudes of tomographic images obtained by tomography are represented in normal densities;

the overall reference image represents the entirety of a human body; and

the first aligning step comprises positional alignment of the partial medical images with corresponding portions of the overall reference image, based on data regarding imaged portions attached to the partial medical images,

wherein the overall reference image has recorded therein a plurality of feature points of a human body; and

the first aligning step detects feature points in the partial medical images based on data regarding the imaged portions attached thereto, and employs the feature points within the overall reference image corresponding to the detected feature points to perform positional alignment, and wherein the feature points represent positional information of distinctive points to represent anatomical structure of the overall image.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the first aligning step performs alignment on the feature points representative of anatomical shape using affine transform of at least one of rotation, translation and scaling on the partial medical images.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodied with a program for causing a computer to function as:

a partial medical image readout means for reading out a plurality of partial medical images, each obtained by imaging a predetermined region of a subject, and stored in a partial medical image storing means;

an overall reference image readout means for reading out an overall reference image representing a normal anatomy of the anatomical structures of the entire subject stored in a reference image storing means;

a first aligning means for aligning an anatomical structure in the imaged region of each of the plurality of partial medical images with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overall reference image; and

a second aligning means for aligning two partial medical images of the plurality of partial medical images having an overlapping area in the imaged region such that an anatomical structure in the overlapping area of one of the two partial medical images is aligned with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overlapping area of the other of the two partial medical images after;

the anatomical structure in the overlapping area of one of the two partial medical images is aligned with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overall reference image by the first aligning means; and

the anatomical structure in the overlapping area of the other of the two partial medical images is aligned with the corresponding anatomical structure in the overall reference image by the first aligning means;

wherein the overall reference image has average densities and positions of anatomical structures, obtained by imaging multitude of subjects; and

wherein;

each of the plurality of partial medical images is a tomographic image obtained by tomography;

the overall reference image is a gray image in which anatomical structures obtained from multitudes of tomographic images obtained by tomography are represented in normal densities;

the overall reference image represents the entirety of a human body; and

the first aligning means performs positional alignment of the partial medical images with corresponding portions of the overall reference image, based on data regarding imaged portions attached to the partial medical images,

wherein the overall reference image has recorded therein a plurality of feature points of a human body; and

the first aligning means detects feature points in the partial medical images based on data regarding the imaged portions attached thereto, and employs the feature points within the overall reference image corresponding to the detected feature points to perform positional alignment, and wherein the feature points represent positional information of distinctive points to represent anatomical structure of the overall image.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the first aligning means performs alignment on the feature points representative of anatomical shape using affine transform of at least one of rotation, translation and scaling on the partial medical images.