Apparatus and methods for reducing visibility of a periphery of an image stream

• US 9,008,367 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2013
• Issued: 04/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sync-Rx, Ltd. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Sync-Rx, Ltd. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Tolkowsky, David, Cohen, Ran, Steinberg, Alexander, Philipp, Sagiv, Klaiman, Eldad
• Primary Examiner(s): AZARIAN, SEYED H
• Application Number:
  US14/143,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20140112539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/103, 382128-134, 382/155, 382/162, 382/168, 382/173, 382/181, 382189-192, 382/232, 382254-258, 382/274, 382/291, 382/305, 382/312, 600/424, 600/513, 600/407, 600/481, 600/425, 378/4, 378/21, 378/26, 378/95
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12036 partial occlusion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1204 temporary occlusion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/12136 Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/02 by cooling, e.g. cryogenic techniques devices for cooling specific reflex points of the body within cell-life limits A61H39/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/24 with a catheter A61B18/26, A61B18/28 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00252 for by-pass connections, i.e. connections from heart chamber to blood vessel or from blood vessel to blood vessel
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00694 with means correcting for movement of or for synchronisation with the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00703 correcting for movement of heart, e.g. ECG-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/1205 Introduction devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22044 with a pointed tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22094 for crossing total occlusions, i.e. piercing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/254 being adapted depending on the stage of the surgical procedure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/365 augmented reality, i.e. correlating a live optical image with another image
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/10 Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0044 for the heart
• 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 5/7289 : Retrospective gating, i.e. associating measured signals or images with a physiological event after the actual measurement or image acquisition, e.g. by simultaneously recording an additional physiological signal during the measurement or image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 : Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/469 : for selecting a region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 : involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/501 : for diagnosis of the head, e.g. neuroimaging or craniography
• 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 6/5217 : extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5247 : combining images from an ionising-radiation diagnostic technique and a non-ionising radiation diagnostic technique, e.g. X-ray and ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 : involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0883 : for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0891 : for diagnosis of blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/543 : involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 : Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 : Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10121 : Fluoroscopy
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30048 : Heart; Cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30101 : Blood vessel; Artery; Vein; Vascular
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/00 : Image enhancement or restoration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 : Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0014 : using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/13 : Edge detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 : using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 : of area, perimeter, diameter or volume
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/034 : of medical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 : Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

Apparatus and methods are described for imaging a portion of a body of a subject that undergoes a motion cycle, including acquiring a plurality of image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body. A given feature is identified in at least some of the image frames. At least some image frames are image tracked with respect to the feature, and the image frames that have been image tracked with respect to the given feature are displayed as a stream of image frames. Visibility of a periphery of the displayed stream of image frames is at least partially reduced. Other applications are also described.

Claims

1. A method for imaging a portion of a body of a subject that undergoes motion, the method comprising:

using an image-acquisition device, acquiring a plurality of image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body;

using at least one processor, identifying a feature in at least some of the image frames;

using the processor, image tracking the at least some image frames with respect to the feature, by aligning the at least some image frames with respect to the feature;

displaying on a display, as a stream of image frames, the image frames that have been image tracked with respect to the feature; and

using the processor, at least partially reducing visibility of a periphery of the displayed stream of image frames.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein identifying the feature comprises identifying an anatomical feature of the subject.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein reducing the visibility of the periphery of the displayed stream of image frames comprises applying a mask to the displayed stream of image frames.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein displaying the stream of image frames comprises skipping at least one image frame in which the feature was not identified.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein displaying the stream of image frames comprises blending into each other image frames that are adjacent to the skipped image frame.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein identifying the feature comprises identifying a radiopaque marker.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein identifying the radiopaque marker comprises identifying the radiopaque marker even in an image frame in which the radiopaque marker is partially hidden by contrast agent.

8. Apparatus for use with a portion of a body of a subject that undergoes motion, the apparatus comprising:

an image-acquisition device configured to acquire a plurality of image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body;

a display; and

at least one processor configured to;

identify a feature in at least some of the image frames,

image track at least some of the image frames with respect to the given feature, by aligning the at least some image frames with respect to the feature,

drive the display to display, as a stream of image frames, the image frames that have been image tracked with respect to the feature, and

to at least partially reduce visibility of a periphery of the displayed stream of image frames.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to identify the feature by identifying an anatomical feature of the subject.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to at least partially reduce the visibility of the periphery of the displayed stream of image frames, by applying a mask to the displayed stream of image frames.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to display the stream of image frames by skipping at least one image frame in which the feature was not identified.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to display the stream of image frames by blending into each other image frames that are adjacent to the skipped image frame.

13. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to identify the feature by identifying a radiopaque marker.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to identify the radiopaque marker even in an image frame in which the radiopaque marker is partially hidden by contrast agent.

15. A method for imaging a portion of a body of a subject that undergoes motion, the method comprising:

using an image-acquisition device, acquiring a plurality of image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body;

using at least one computer processor, identifying a feature in at least some of the image frames;

using the processor, image tracking the at least some image frames with respect to the feature, by aligning the at least some image frames with respect to the feature;

displaying on a display at least one image frame, based upon the image frames that have been image tracked with respect to the feature; and

using the processor, at least partially reducing visibility of a periphery of the displayed image frame.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein reducing the visibility of the periphery of the displayed image frame comprises applying a mask to the displayed image frame.

17. Apparatus for use with a portion of a body of a subject that undergoes motion, the apparatus comprising:

an image-acquisition device configured to acquire a plurality of image frames of the portion of the subject'"'"'s body;

a display; and

at least one computer processor configured to;

identify a feature in at least some of the image frames,

image track at least some of the image frames with respect to the feature, by aligning the at least some image frames with respect to the feature,

drive the display to display at least one image frame, based upon the image frames that have been image tracked with respect to the feature, and

to at least partially reduce visibility of a periphery of the displayed image frame.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the processor is configured to at least partially reduce the visibility of the periphery of the displayed image frame, by applying a mask to the displayed image frame.