Operating method for an imaging system for the time-resolved mapping of an iteratively moving examination object

• US 8,855,391 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2009
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Boese, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rosario, Dennis
• Application Number:
  US12/381,856
• Publication Number:
  US 20090252378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,030 Days
• Field of Search: 382/128, 382/131
• US Class Current: 382/131
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/364 Correlation of different images or relation of image positions in respect to the body
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/507 for determination of haemodynamic parameters, e.g. perfusion CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5264 due to motion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal

Abstract

The invention relates to an operating method for an imaging system for the time-resolved mapping of an iteratively moving examination object. First recordings of the object are generated by the imaging system from various angles while simultaneously recording a phase signal. Multiple static 3D-image data sets corresponding to a sequence of defined phases are reconstructed from the first recordings. Three-dimensional motion fields are calculated from the 3D-image data sets, by which two 3D-image data sets are mapped onto one another. Second recordings of the object are generated by the imaging system from various angles while simultaneously recording a phase signal. 3D-image data sets from the second recordings in a previously determined reference phase of the phase signal using the motion fields is generated which is a sequence of motion-compensated 3D-image data sets.

Claims

1. An operating method for an imaging system for time-resolved mapping of an examination object moving periodically with various phases, comprising:

generating a first set of projection recordings of the examination object by the imaging system at a first set of different angles using ECG gating;

synchronously injecting a contrast agent at a start of the recording of the first set of projection recordings;

simultaneously recording a first phase signal indicating a first set of phases of the periodically moving examination object at time of recording the first set of the projection recordings;

reconstructing a first set of static three-dimensional image data sets in the first set of phases from the first set of the projection recordings;

calculating three-dimensional motion fields corresponding to defined reference phases from the first set of the three-dimensional image data sets by which two of the first set of the three-dimensional image data sets are mapped onto one another;

generating a second set of projection recordings of the examination object by the imaging system at a second set of different angles without using ECG gating during said generating the second set of projection recordings;

simultaneously recording a second phase signal indicating a second set of phases of the periodically moving examination object at time of recording the second set of the projection recordings;

injecting a contrast-agent bolus synchronized at a start of the recording of the second set of the project recordings after the contrast agent injected at the start of the recording of the first set of projection recordings presents homogeneously;

generating a sequence of motion-compensated three-dimensional image data sets in the defined reference phases by reconstructing a second set of three-dimensional image data sets from the second set of the projection recordings using the three-dimensional motion fields,

wherein the three-dimensional motion fields indicate a temporal motion of the periodically moving examination object, and

wherein the second set of projection recordings are recorded from phases that do not correspond to the defined reference phases of the first set of the projection and the three-dimensional motion fields, and

wherein the second set of projection recordings are converted into the first set of projection recordings for the defined reference phases to calculate the sequence of motion-compensated three-dimensional image data sets using the three-dimensional motion fields, and

dynamically tracking an inflow of the contrast-agent bolus injected at the start of the recording of the second set of projection recordings over time on the sequence of motion-compensated three-dimensional image data sets.

2. The operating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first set of the static three-dimensional image data sets are reconstructed by recordings of multiple rotational passes of the imaging system that is time-correlated with the first phase signal and runs over an angular range of greater than 180°

.

3. The operating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first set and the second set of the three-dimensional image data sets are reconstructed by filtered back projection.

4. The operating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motion fields are calculated by an elastic image registration of two consecutive three-dimensional image data sets from the first set of the three-dimensional image data sets.

5. The operating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first set and the second set of the projection recordings are executed one after another during a single contrast-agent injection.

6. The operating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the imaging system is a medical X-ray system.

7. The operating method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the medical X-ray system is a C-arm angiography system.

8. The operating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the examination object is a heart of a live body.

9. The operating method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first set and the second set of phases are cardiac phases of the heart and the first and the second phase signal is an ECG signal of the heart.

10. The operating method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a temporal dynamic of the contrast agent bolus is calculated from the motion-compensated three-dimensional image data sets.

11. The operating method as claimed in claim 10, wherein a tissue perfusion is calculated from the temporal dynamic of the contrast-agent bolus.

12. A non-transitory data medium having a computer program executable in a computer for an imaging system for time-resolved mapping of an examination object moving periodically with various phases, comprising:

a computer program subroutine that;

reads;

a first set and a second set of projection recordings of the examination object generated by the imaging system at various angles, wherein the first set of projection recordings is generated using ECG gating and the second set of projection recordings is generated without using ECG gating during said generating the second set of projection recordings, and

a first phase signal and a second phase signal indicating a first set and a second set of phases of the periodically moving examination object at time of recording the first set and the second set of the projection recordings;

reconstructs a first set of static three-dimensional image data sets in the first set of phases from the first set of the projection recordings;

calculates three-dimensional motion fields corresponding to defined reference phases from the first set of the three-dimensional image data sets by which two of the first set of the three-dimensional image data sets are mapped onto one another; and

generates a sequence of motion-compensated three-dimensional image data sets in the defined reference phases by reconstructing a second set of three-dimensional image data sets from the second set of the projection recordings using the three-dimensional motion fields, wherein the three-dimensional motion fields indicate a temporal motion of the periodically moving examination object, and wherein the second set of projection recordings are recorded from phases that do not correspond to the first set of the projection and the defined reference phases of the three-dimensional motion fields, and wherein the second set of projection recordings are converted into the first set of projection recordings for the defined reference phases to calculate the sequence of motion-compensated three-dimensional image data sets using the three-dimensional motion fields, wherein a contrast agent is synchronously injected at a start of the recording of the first set of projection recordings, wherein a contrast-agent bolus is synchronously injected at a start of the recording of the second set of the project recordings after the contrast agent injected at the start of the recording of the first set of projection recordings presents homogeneously, and

dynamically tracks an inflow of the contrast-agent bolus injected at the start of the recording of the second set of projection recordings over time on the sequence of motion-compensated three-dimensional image data sets.

13. An imaging system for a time-resolved mapping of an periodically moving examination object, comprising:

a radiator;

a detector arranged opposite with the radiator that generates a first and a second set of projection recordings of the examination object at various angles, wherein the first set of projection recordings is generated using ECG gating and the second set of projection recordings is generated without using ECG gating during said generating the second set of projection recordings;

a phase-detection unit that records a first phase signal and a second phase signal indicating a first set and a second set of phases of the periodically moving examination object at time of recording the first set and the second set of the projection recordings; and

a control and evaluation system that;

reconstructs a first set of static three-dimensional image data sets in the first set of phases from the first set of the projection recordings;

calculates three-dimensional motion fields corresponding to defined reference phases from the first set of the three-dimensional image data sets by which two of the first set of the three-dimensional image data sets are mapped onto one another; and

generates a sequence of motion-compensated three-dimensional image data sets in the defined reference phases by reconstructing a second set of three-dimensional image data sets from the second set of the projection recordings using the three-dimensional motion fields, wherein the three-dimensional motion fields indicate a temporal motion of the periodically moving examination object, and wherein the second set of projection recordings are recorded from phases that do not correspond to the first set of the projection and the defined reference phases of the three-dimensional motion fields, and wherein the second set of projection recordings are converted into the first set of projection recordings for the defined reference phases to calculate the sequence of motion-compensated three-dimensional image data sets using the three-dimensional motion fields, wherein a contrast agent is synchronously injected at a start of the recording of the first set of projection recordings, wherein a contrast-agent bolus is synchronously injected at a start of the recording of the second set of the project recordings after the contrast agent injected at the start of the recording of the first set of projection recordings presents homogeneously, and

dynamically tracks an inflow of the contrast-agent bolus injected at the start of the recording of the second set of projection recordings over time on the sequence of motion-compensated three-dimensional image data sets.