Adjusting acquisition protocols for dynamic medical imaging using dynamic models

• US 8,705,819 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Carlsen, Ingwer Curt, Bystrov, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kiknadze, Irakli
• Application Number:
  US12/665,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20100183206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,133 Days
• Field of Search: 382/128, 382/131, 378/8
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/488 involving pre-scan acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10076 4D tomography; Time-sequential 3D tomography
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/149 involving deformable models, e.g. active contour models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/215 Motion-based segmentation

Abstract

The invention relates to automatically adjusting an acquisition protocol for dynamic medical imaging, such as dynamic CT, MRI or PET imaging. The protocols are adjusted based on anatomic and dynamic models (10, 12, 14) which are individualized or fitted to each patient based on a scout scan (6, 8). The adjustment can compensate for changes in the patient due to patient motion (e.g. breathing or heartbeat) or flow of contrast or tracing agent during the sequence. This ensures that changes in the reconstructed images are indicative of pathological changes in the patient and not caused by patient motion or changes in scanning parameters or timing. The dynamic model can be a motion model (12) used to predict the motion of anatomic/physiologic features, typically organs, during scanning, or a haemodynamic model (14) used to predict flow of the contrast agent allowing for precise timing of the scanning sequence.

Claims

1. A method for dynamic medical imaging of a body volume, the method comprising acts of:

fitting organ positions and sizes of an anatomic model of the body volume to a reconstructed image of the body volume;

imaging the body volume using acquisition protocol initially comprising a preliminary acquisition protocol; and

during the imaging,

adjusting the acquisition protocol to compensate for temporal variations in one or more anatomic and/or physiologic features in the anatomic model.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acts of acquiring a scout scan of the body volume and generating the reconstructed image.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of retrieving a previously stored reconstructed image of the body volume

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act of presenting the adjusted acquisition protocol to an operator for approval and/or further adjustment.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising an act of further adjusting the adjusted acquisition protocol during imaging based on feedback from analysis of previously acquired images.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising an act of storing the acquired images in a repository for later retrieval as initially provided reconstructed image for fitting of the anatomical model.

7. A non transitory computer readable medium including a computer program product which when executed on a computer performs a method for dynamic medical imaging of a body volume, the method comprising acts of:

providing a reconstructed image of the body volume, an anatomic model of the body volume, and a dynamic model for temporal variations in one or more features in the anatomic model;

fitting the anatomical model to the body volume to the reconstructed image of the body volume;

imaging the body volume using an acquisition protocol initially comprising a preliminary acquisition protocol; and

during the imaging,

adjusting the acquisition protocol to compensate for temporal variations in one or more anatomic and/or physiologic features in the anatomic model.

8. A non-transitory computer program product which when executed on a computer performs a method of updating a medical imaging apparatus, the method comprising acts of:

adjusting a preliminary acquisition protocol for dynamic medical imaging of a body volume;

installing software applications that are based on data representing dynamic model for temporal variations in one or more feature, in an anatomic model;

imaging the body volume using an acquisition protocol initially comprising a preliminary acquisition protocol; and

during the imaging,

adjusting the acquisition protocol to compensate for the temporal variations in said one or more anatomical and/or physiologic features in the anatomic model.

9. A medical imaging apparatus comprising:

a unit configured to

perform a scout scan of a body volume to be used to form a reconstructed image of the body volume;

retrieve an anatomic model of the body volume and a dynamic model for temporal variations in one or more feature in the anatomic model; and

a processor configured to

fit the anatomic model of the body volume to the reconstructed image,

image the body volume using an acquisition protocol initially comprising a preliminary acquisition protocol; and

during the imaging

adjust the acquisition protocol to compensate for the temporal variations in said one or more features.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a repository for holding acquisition protocols and means for retrieving the preliminary acquisition protocol from the repository and for storing an adjusted acquisition protocol for a patient in the repository.