Systems, methods, and devices for removing prospective motion correction from medical imaging scans

• US 10,004,462 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KinetiCor, Inc., Queen's Medical Center, University of Hawai'i
• Original Assignee: KinetiCor, Inc., Queen's Medical Center, University of Hawai'i
• Inventors: Ernst, Thomas Michael, Zahneisen, Benjamin Anton, Yu, Jeffrey N.
• Primary Examiner(s): KISH, JAMES M
• Application Number:
  US14/666,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20150265220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 600410-423, 600425
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2065 Tracking using image or pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0475 Special features of memory means, e.g. removable memory cards
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0487 Special user inputs or interfaces
• 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 2576/026 for the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/721 using a separate sensor to detect motion or using motion information derived from signals other than the physiological signal to be measured
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5205 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/527 using data from a motion artifact sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10081 Computed x-ray tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10088 Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30016 Brain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/292 Multi-camera tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Abstract

The disclosure herein provides methods, systems, and devices for removing prospective motion correction from medical imaging scans. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method for removing motion correction from biomedical imaging scan data comprises tracking, by a computer system, motion of an object being scanned; generating, by the computer system, motion tracking data; adjusting, by the computer system, a biomedical imaging scanner, using the motion tracking data, to compensate in real time for object motion, such that raw image data generated by the scanner can be reconstructed into motion-corrected images; inverting, by the computer system, the motion tracking data; and applying, by the computer system, the inverted motion tracking data to the raw image data to generate de-corrected image data representative of what the scanner would produce had the scanner not compensated for motion, wherein the de-corrected image data can be reconstructed into de-corrected images, wherein the computer system comprises an electronic memory and a computer processor.

Claims

1. A system for generating motion de-corrected images in conjunction with a biomedical imaging scan, the system comprising:

a biomedical image scanner;

one or more detectors configured to capture motion data for an object being scanned by the biomedical image scanner;

one or more computer readable storage devices configured to store a plurality of computer executable instructions; and

one or more hardware computer processors in communication with the one or more computer readable storage devices and configured to execute the plurality of computer executable instructions causing the system to;

use the one or more detectors to capture motion data for the object while scanning the object with the biomedical image scanner;

generate motion tracking data from the motion data, the motion tracking data indicating a position of the object being scanned by the biomedical image scanner;

adjust the biomedical image scanner using the motion tracking data to compensate in real time for object motions while scanning the object to generate raw image data, such that the raw image data generated by the biomedical image scanner can be reconstructed directly into motion-corrected images;

reconstruct motion-corrected images directly from the raw image data; and

generate, based on the raw image data and the motion tracking data, de-corrected image data representative of what the scanner would produce had the scanner not compensated for motion; and

reconstruct de-corrected images based on the de-corrected image data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the de-corrected images are generated by inverting the motion tracking data and applying the inverted motion tracking data to the raw image data to generate de-corrected image data.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware computer processors executing the plurality of computer executable instructions further causes the system to:

transmit the motion-corrected images and the de-corrected images to an electronic display for simultaneous display to a user.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the system further comprises an electronic display device, wherein the motion-corrected images and the de-corrected images are configured to be displayed on the electronic display device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the motion de-corrected images are generated using a regridding process to remove the effects of compensating for motions of the object being scanned.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the motion de-corrected images are generated using a SENSE algorithm to de-correct the raw image data using the motion tracking data.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a marker configured to be coupled to the object during scanning, wherein the one or more detectors track the motion of the marker to generate motion tracking data.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the motion tracking data is generated by at least one of comparing the position of the object being scanned to a baseline position, and comparing a motion of the object in comparison to a previous position of the object.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more detectors are at least partially embedded in a wall of the biomedical imaging scanner.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the biomedical imaging scanner comprises a wall positioned between an MRI magnet and a bore for positioning therein of the object, the wall comprising a first side proximal to the bore and a second side distal to the bore, wherein the one or more detectors are positioned in a cavity adjacent the second side of the wall.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanner is one of an MRI or a CT scanning system.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the motion tracking data is generated based at least in part on tracking one or more anatomical landmarks.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the motion tracking data comprises one or more quaternion rotation matrices representing the position of the object being scanned.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the de-corrected image data is generated by inverting the one or more quaternion rotation matrices and applying the inverted one or more quaternion rotation matrices to the raw image data.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware computer processors executing the plurality of computer executable instructions further causes the system to generate composite data, wherein the composite data comprises one or more slices of the motion corrected images and one or more slices of the de-corrected images.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more hardware computer processors executing the plurality of computer executable instructions further causes the system to generate header information for each slice of the composite data, wherein the header information indicates whether each slice of the composite data corresponds to motion corrected images or de-corrected images.

17. A computer comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the medium comprises instructions executable by the processor, the instructions comprising:

tracking motion of an object while scanning the object with a biomedical imaging scanner;

generating motion tracking data indicating a position of the object while being scanned;

adjusting the biomedical imaging scanner with the motion tracking data to compensate in real time for object motion while scanning the object to generate raw image data, such that raw image data generated by the scanner can be reconstructed directly into motion-corrected images;

reconstructing motion-corrected images directly from the raw image data;

inverting the motion tracking data to generate inverted motion tracking data; and

applying the inverted motion tracking data to the raw image data to generate de-corrected image data representative of what the scanner would produce had the scanner not compensated for motion

reconstructing de-corrected images from the de-corrected image data.

18. The computer of claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise:

transmitting the motion-corrected images and the de-corrected images to an electronic display for simultaneous display to a user.

19. The computer of claim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise:

transmitting data enabling display, simultaneously with the motion-corrected and de-corrected images, of a pictorial representation of the motion tracking data.

20. The computer of claim 17, wherein the step of tracking motion comprises tracking motion of a marker coupled to the object.

21. The computer of claim 17, wherein generating the motion tracking data comprises at least one of comparing the position of the object being scanned to a baseline position, and comparing a motion of the object in comparison to a previous position of the object.

22. The computer of claim 17, wherein compensating in real time for object motion further comprises updating geometric parameters of the scanner based on an updated position of the object being scanned.

23. The computer of claim 17, wherein the biomedical imaging scanner scans the object and generates raw image data using a process comprising:

exciting nuclei within the object being scanned;

applying a magnetic field gradient across the object being scanned; and

receiving, at a receiver coil of the biomedical imaging scanner, radiofrequency signals indicating one or more features of the object being scanned.

24. The computer of claim 17, wherein the motion tracking data is generated based at least in part on tracking one or more anatomical landmarks.

25. The computer of claim 17, wherein the motion tracking data comprises one or more quaternion rotation matrices representing the position of the object being scanned.

26. The computer of claim 17, wherein the inverted motion tracking data comprises one or more inverted quaternion rotation matrices, wherein the quaternion rotation matrices represent the position of the object being scanned.

27. The computer of claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise generating composite data, wherein the composite data comprises one or more slices of the motion corrected images and one or more slices of the de-corrected images.

28. The computer of claim 27, wherein the instructions further comprise generating header information for each slice of the composite data, wherein the header information indicates whether each slice of the composite data corresponds to motion corrected images or de-corrected images.