Control method and control system

• US 9,760,830 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2012
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthineers AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Becker, Hans-Christoph, Feuerlein, Ute, Scheuering, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Soo
• Application Number:
  US14/368,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20150039553A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,736 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5205 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/54 Control of apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/007 for contrast media
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/005 Specific pre-processing for tomographic reconstruction, e.g. calibration, source positioning, rebinning, scatter correction, retrospective gating
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30168 Image quality inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 for the operation of medical equipment or devices

Abstract

A control method is disclosed for determining a quality indicator of medical technology recording results data from a tomography scan of an examination structure, which scan is supported by a contrast agent, by way of a tomography system. According to an embodiment of the invention, at least one control parameter value is automatically derived from the recording results data in respect of a contrast agent image region during and/or directly after the tomography scan, which value represents a quality of the recording results data in the contrast agent image region. A control system for such a determination is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A control method for determining a quality indicator of medical technology recording results data from a contrast-agent-assisted tomography scan of an examination structure via a tomography system, the method comprising:

automatically deriving, at least one of during and directly after the tomography scan, at least one control parameter value from the recording results data in respect of a contrast agent image region, the at least one control parameter value representing a quality of the recording results data in the contrast agent image region.

2. The control method of claim 1, wherein the at least one control parameter value is derived by at least one of the tomography system and a contrast agent administration system.

3. The control method of claim 1, wherein the at least one control parameter value is derived on the basis of thresholds.

4. The control method of claim 3, wherein a threshold value, on which the derivation is based, comprises at least one of a minimum radiation value of a contrast agent and a minimum absorption value in the region of a significant structure of an examination object.

5. The control method of claim 1, wherein the at least one control parameter value represents a result of an object identification of a significant structure of an examination object.

6. The control method of claim 5, wherein the object identification comprises a segmentation of the significant structure of surrounding structures of the examination object.

7. The control method of claim 1, wherein on the basis of the quality indicator a signal is emitted to a user if the quality of the recording results data is at least one of sufficient, unsatisfactory and questionable.

8. The control method of claim 7, wherein on the basis of the quality indicator a signal is emitted to a user if the quality of the recording results data is at least one of sufficient, unsatisfactory and questionable, related to a previously defined purpose of the tomography scan.

9. A method for control adjustment of a contrast-agent-assisted tomography scan sequence of a medical technology tomography system, the method comprising:

adjusting a number of control values for the tomography scan sequence as a function of a quality indicator at least one of

determined in the control method of claim 1,

a control parameter value derived in the context thereof, and

examination data used to derive the control parameter values.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the number of control values for the tomography scan sequence is adjusted such that a parameter value, to be expected according to at least one of a simulation and preliminary estimation, is altered in a follow-up scan scenario, essentially designed similarly to a scan scenario, as could be established in the context of the control method of claim 1, such that it represents an improved quality of recording results data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the number of adjusted control values comprises at least one contrast agent administration control parameter value, used for control of automatic contrast agent administration in the context of the tomography scan.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein an injection protocol for the automatic contrast agent administration is modified by adjusting the contrast agent administration control parameter value in the injection protocol.

13. A non-transitory computer program product, loadable directly into a processor of a programmable control system, including program code segments to execute the control method of claim 9 when the program product is executed on the control system.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium including program code segments for, when executed on a control device of a radar system, causing the control device of the radar system to implement the method of claim 9.

15. A non-transitory computer program product, loadable directly into a processor of a programmable control system, including program code segments to execute the control method of claim 1 when the program product is executed on the control system.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium including program code segments for, when executed on a control system, causing the control system to implement the method of claim 1.

17. The control method of claim 1, wherein the recording results data is image data which has not yet undergone a full reconstruction.

18. A control system for determining a quality indicator of medical technology recording results data from a contrast-agent-assisted tomography scan of an examination structure using a tomography system, the control system comprising:

memory storing computer-readable instructions; and

one or more processors configured to execute the computer-readable instructions such that the one or more processors are configured to perform operations including,

recording results data; and

deriving, at least one of during and directly after the tomography scan, at least one control parameter value from the recording results data in respect of a contrast agent image region, the at least one control parameter value representing a quality of the recording results data in the contrast agent image region.

19. A tomography system, comprising:

an image recorder; and

the control system of claim 18.

20. A contrast agent administration system, comprising:

instructions configured to control administration of a contrast agent to a patient; and

the control system of claim 18.