Methods and systems for navigating image series

• US 9,081,876 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2013
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Agfa Healthcare Corporation (Agfa-Gevaert N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Agfa Healthcare Corporation (Agfa-Gevaert N.V.)
• Inventors: Boccanfuso, Giovan Giuseppe, Bernard, Marc Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): Fitzpatrick, Atiba O
• Application Number:
  US13/948,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20150030218A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Abstract

A method and system are provided for navigating an image series that includes at least one image. The method and system involve receiving an input corresponding to a reference location; operating at least one processor for determining a target position in the image series based on the reference location, the at least one processor being configured to receive initial series data corresponding to an initial location in the image series and a separation distance corresponding to a distance between two sequential images in the image series; determine a target distance for the image series, the target distance corresponding to a distance from the reference location to the initial location; and determine the target position based on the separation distance and the target distance.

Claims

1. A method for navigating an image series, the image series including at least one image, the method comprising:

receiving an input corresponding to a reference location;

operating at least one processor for determining a target position in the image series based on the reference location, the at least one processor being configured to;

receive initial series data corresponding to an initial location in the image series and a separation distance corresponding to a distance between two sequential images in the image series;

determine a target distance for the image series, wherein determining the target distance for the image series comprises;

generating a series vector for the image series based on the initial series data, the series vector being normal to the initial location; and

generating an active projection from the reference location to the series vector, the target distance corresponding to a distance between the active projection and the initial location; and

determine the target position based on the separation distance and the target distance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference location corresponds to a location within the image series.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the reference location corresponds to an active image in an active image series, the active image series including at least one image and being associated with the image series; and

operating the at least one processor to determine the target position further comprises identifying a target image in the image series based on the determined target position.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein operating the at least one processor to determine the target position further comprises:

estimating a number of intermediary images located between the initial location and the target position; and

identifying the target image based on the estimated number of intermediary images, the target image being an image in the image series located from the initial location by the estimated number of intermediary images.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein estimating a number of intermediary images further comprises dividing the target distance by the separation distance.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the reference location corresponds to an active image in an active image series, the active image series including at least one image;

the image series is associated with the active image series;

the initial location corresponds to an initial image in the image series; and

generating the active projection comprises initializing the active projection at a substantially central portion of the active image.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial series data further comprises data associated with at least two locations in the image series and the at least two locations corresponds to two sequential images in the image series.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the target position based on the separation distance and the target distance comprises:

receiving target data associated with the target position;

modifying the initial series data based on the target data;

updating the target distance and the separation distance based on the modified initial series data; and

determining if the target position corresponds to the location in the image series that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location based on an updated target distance and an updated separation distance, wherein;

the target position corresponds to the location that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location if the updated target distance is less than half the updated separation distance and

the target image does not correspond to the location that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location if the updated target distance is greater than half the updated separation distance.

6. A method for navigating an image series, the image series including at least one image, the method comprising:

receiving an input corresponding to a reference location;

operating at least one processor for determining a target position in the image series based on the reference location, the at least one processor being configured to;

receive initial series data corresponding to an initial location in the image series and a separation distance corresponding to a distance between two sequential images in the image series;

determine a target distance for the image series, the target distance corresponding to a distance from the reference location to the initial location; and

determine the target position based on the separation distance and the target distance, wherein determining the target position comprises;

receiving target data associated with the target position;

modifying the initial series data based on the target data;

updating the target distance and the separation distance based on the modified initial series data; and

determining if the target position corresponds to the location in the image series that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location based on an updated target distance and an updated separation distance, wherein

the target position corresponds to the location that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location if the updated target distance is less than half the updated separation distance and

the target image does not correspond to the location that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location if the updated target distance is greater than half the updated separation distance.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprises:

in response to determining the target position does not correspond to the location that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location, determining a second target position based on the updated target distance.

10. A system for navigating an image series, the image series including at least one image, the system comprising at least one processor configured to:

receive an input corresponding to a reference location;

receive initial series data corresponding to an initial location in the image series and a separation distance corresponding to a distance between two sequential images in the image series;

determine a target distance for the image series, wherein determining the target distance for the image series comprises;

generating a series vector for the image series based on the initial series data, the series vector being normal to the initial location; and

generating an active projection from the reference location to the series vector, the target distance corresponding to a distance between the active projection and the initial location; and

determine a target position in the image series based on the separation distance and the target distance.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the reference location corresponds to a location within the image series.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the reference location corresponds to an active image in an active image series, the active image series including at least one image and being associated with the image series; and

operating the at least one processor to determine the target position further comprises identifying a target image in the image series based on the determined target position.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein operating the at least one processor to determine the target position further comprises:

estimating a number of intermediary images located between the initial location and the target position; and

identifying the target image based on the estimated number of intermediary images, the target image being an image in the image series located from the initial location by the estimated number of intermediary images.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein operating the at least one processor to determine the target position further comprises:

receiving target data associated with the target position;

modifying the initial series data based on the target data;

updating the target distance and the separation distance based on the modified initial series data; and

determining if the target position corresponds to the location in the image series that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location based on an updated target distance and an updated separation distance, wherein;

the target position corresponds to the location that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location if the updated target distance is less than half the updated separation distance and

the target image does not correspond to the location that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location if the updated target distance is greater than half the updated separation distance.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein verifying the target position further comprises:

in response to determining the target position does not correspond to the location that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location, determining a second target position based on the updated target distance.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the reference location corresponds to an active image in an active image series, the active image series including at least one image;

the image series is associated with the active image series;

the initial location corresponds to an initial image in the image series; and

generating the active projection comprises initializing the active projection at a substantially central portion of the active image.

20. The system of claim 10, wherein the initial series data further comprises data associated with at least two locations in the image series and the at least two locations corresponds to two sequential images in the image series.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable on at least one processor for implementing a method for navigating an image series, the image series including at least one image, the method comprising:

receiving an input corresponding to a reference location;

receiving initial series data corresponding to an initial location in the image series and a separation distance corresponding to a distance between two sequential images in the image series;

determining a target distance for the image series wherein determining the target distance for the image series comprises;

generating a series vector for the image series based on the initial series data, the series vector being normal to the initial location; and

generating an active projection from the reference location to the series vector, the target distance corresponding to a distance between the active projection and the initial location; and

determining a target position in the image series based on the separation distance and the target distance.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein:

the reference location corresponds to an active image in an active image series, the active image series including at least one image and being associated with the image series; and

operating the at least one processor to determine the target position further comprises;

estimating a number of intermediary images located between the initial location and the target position; and

identifying a target image based on the estimated number of intermediary images, the target image being an image in the image series located from the initial location by the estimated number of intermediary images.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein operating the at least one processor to determine the target position further comprises:

receiving target data associated with the target position;

modifying the initial series data based on the target data;

updating the target distance and the separation distance based on the modified initial series data; and

determining if the target position corresponds to the location in the image series that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location based on an updated target distance and an updated separation distance, wherein;

the target position corresponds to the location that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location if the updated target distance is less than half the updated separation distance and

the target image does not correspond to the location that is in closest spatial proximity to the reference location if the updated target distance is greater than half the updated separation distance.