Automatic or semi-automatic whole body MR scanning system

• US 9,295,406 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2011
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Zuehlsdorff, Sven, Glielmi, Christopher, Bi, Xiaoming
• Primary Examiner(s): Peng, Bo J
• Application Number:
  US13/288,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20120283546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,608 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/12 Healthy persons not otherwise provided for, e.g. subjects of a marketing survey
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2505/00 Evaluating, monitoring or diagnosing in the context of a particular type of medical care
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2576/00 Medical imaging apparatus involving image processing or analysis A61B1/00009, A61B6/52 and A61B8/52 take precedence; image processing per se G06T; details of algorithms for analysing medical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5217 extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A system includes an image data processor for automatically processing data representing multiple patient anatomical images acquired in a single imaging scan. The images are acquired by, identifying multiple different anatomical elements in corresponding multiple different anatomical regions and identifying multiple different potentially pathology indicative features associated with the multiple different anatomical elements in response to first predetermined information associating different potentially pathology indicative features with corresponding different anatomical elements. The image data processor determines multiple different image acquisition methods for use in imaging the multiple different potentially pathology indicative features in response to second predetermined information associating different image acquisition methods with corresponding identified different pathology indicative features. An output processor collates images for output.

Claims

1. An image processing system comprising:

a medical imaging device having a patient support table;

a database comprising;

(i) first lookup information associating descriptions of a plurality of predetermined anatomical elements and a plurality of predetermined potential pathologies, each of the plurality of predetermined anatomical elements being associated with one or more of the plurality of predetermined potential pathologies; and

(ii) second lookup information associating the plurality of predetermined potential pathologies and a plurality of predetermined image acquisition methods, each of the plurality of predetermined potential pathologies being associated with one or more of the plurality of predetermined image acquisition methods;

a repository comprising a template image comprising a plurality of template objects corresponding to a plurality of previously acquired anatomical elements;

an image data processor configured to automatically process data representing a plurality of patient anatomical images acquired from the medical imaging device by;

identifying;

(i) a plurality of different anatomical elements of a patient in a corresponding plurality of different anatomical regions of the patient; and

(ii) a plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features associated with said plurality of different anatomical elements of the patient by detecting a transition in luminance intensity between the portions of the plurality of patient anatomical images depicting the plurality of different anatomical elements of the patient and portions of the template image depicting the plurality of previously acquired anatomical elements; and

assigning one or more of the potential pathologies in the first lookup information to the identified plurality of different anatomical elements of the patient using the association of each of the plurality of predetermined anatomical elements with the one or more predetermined potential pathologies in the first lookup information; and

assigning one or more of the plurality of predetermined image acquisition methods in the second lookup information to the one or more assigned potential pathologies in the first lookup information using the association of each of the plurality of predetermined potential pathologies with the one or more predetermined image acquisition methods in the second lookup information;

an output processor configured to collate one or more images depicting said identified plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features acquired by the medical imaging device using the one or more assigned predetermined image acquisition methods; and

a patient support table controller configured to automatically move the patient support table to isocenter of the medical imaging device to obtain the one or more images depicting said plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features in response to an identified one of said plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said image data processor is further configured to assign one or more of the plurality of predetermined image acquisition methods for imaging a first anatomical region in response to an identified potentially pathological indicative feature of a different second anatomical region.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of patient anatomical images acquired by the medical imaging device is acquired using a single imaging scan comprising a whole body scan.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features comprises incidental findings.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of predetermined image acquisition methods comprises spectroscopy.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of predetermined image acquisition methods comprises magnetic resonance imaging methods indicating use of at least one of:

(a) T1 weighting and (b) T2 weighting.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of predetermined image acquisition methods comprise methods indicating use of at least two of:

(a) a contrast agent, (b) ECG synchronization, (c) respiration synchronization, (d) an auto-alignment process and (e) 2D or 3D imaging.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of predetermined image acquisition methods comprises MR methods indicating at least one of:

(a) temporal requirements, (b) spatial requirements and (c) inversion.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said image data processor is configured to classify one of said plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features in response to identifying at least one of:

(a) vessel stenosis, (b) tissue growth in an organ and (c) low signal in a T2 weighted image of the liver.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said image data processor is configured to classify one of said plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features in response to identifying a difference between a current image and an image of the same anatomical region obtained on an earlier occasion.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said image data processor is configured to classify one of said plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features in response to identifying a difference between an identified parameter of an image and a corresponding parameter of a normal population of patients sharing similar demographic characteristics.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein

said demographic characteristics comprise at least one of age, weight, height, gender, and pregnancy status.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of different anatomical elements of the patient comprises at least two of:

(a) an organ, (b) a vessel, (c) tissue, (d) muscle, (e) bone, (f) fat and (g) fluid.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said image data processor is further configured to identify said plurality of different anatomical elements of the patient and said plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features by:

detecting the transition in luminance intensity of data comprising an edge,

determining a boundary of an item in response to the detected edge, and

matching a shape of the item with a shape of a template object of the template image based on a determined boundary with the template object associated with one or more of the previously acquired anatomical elements or pathological indicative features derived from the repository using scaling, translation and rotation operations to iteratively match a template object with an item.

15. An image processing system comprising:

a medical imaging device having a patient support table;

a database comprising;

(i) first lookup information associating descriptions of a plurality of predetermined anatomical elements and a plurality of predetermined potential pathologies, each of the plurality of predetermined anatomical elements being associated with one or more of the plurality of predetermined potential pathologies; and

(ii) second lookup information having the plurality of predetermined potential pathologies and a plurality of predetermined image acquisition methods, each of the plurality of predetermined potential pathologies being associated with one or more of the plurality of predetermined image acquisition methods;

an image data processor configured to automatically process data representing a plurality of patient anatomical images acquired from the medical imaging device by;

identifying;

(i) a plurality of different anatomical elements of a patient in a corresponding plurality of different anatomical regions of the patient; and

(ii) a plurality of different potentially pathology indicative features associated with said plurality of different anatomical elements using first predetermined information associating different potentially pathology indicative features with corresponding different anatomical elements;

assigning one or more of the potential pathologies in the first lookup information to the identified plurality of different anatomical elements of the patient using the association of each of the plurality of predetermined anatomical elements with the one or more predetermined potential pathologies in the first lookup information; and

assigning one or more of the plurality of predetermined image acquisition methods in the second lookup information to the one or more assigned potential pathologies in the first lookup information using the association of each of the plurality of predetermined potential pathologies with the one or more predetermined image acquisition methods in the second lookup information;

an output processor configured to collate one or more images depicting said identified plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features acquired by the medical imaging device using the one or more assigned predetermined image acquisition methods; and

a patient support table controller configured to automatically move the patient support table to isocenter of the medical imaging device to obtain the one or more images depicting said plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features in response to an identified one of said plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features.

16. A system according to claim 15, further comprising a repository comprising a plurality of template objects corresponding to a plurality of previously acquired anatomical elements of a template image:

wherein the image data processor is further configured to identify the plurality of different anatomical elements of the patient and the plurality of different potentially pathological indicative features associated with said plurality of different anatomical elements by detecting a transition in luminance intensity between portions of the plurality of patient anatomical images acquired by the medical imaging device depicting the acquired plurality of different anatomical elements of the patient and portions of the template image depicting the plurality of previously acquired anatomical elements.