Method and system for registering a medical image with a graphical model

• US 10,667,796 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2014
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Perrey, Christian, Gritzky, Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Ruth S
• Application Number:
  US14/492,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20160081658A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,080 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5238 for combining image data of patient, e.g. merging several images from different acquisition modes into one image for image registration algorithms G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10136 3D ultrasound image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration

Abstract

An ultrasound imaging system and method includes accessing a graphical model of a representative patient, accessing a medical image of an anatomical structure, and registering the medical image with the graphical model to generate a composite image. The imaging system and method includes displaying the composite image and simultaneously displaying an unregistered medical image of the anatomical structure with the composite image. The unregistered medical image has at least one of a higher resolution and a larger form factor than the registered medical image.

Claims

1. A method of medical imaging comprising:

accessing medical image data acquired with a medical imaging system;

accessing a graphical model of a representative patient;

generating a medical image of an anatomical structure based on the medical image data;

registering the medical image with the graphical model to generate a composite image, wherein generating the composite image comprises blending the medical image and the graphical model in a region of overlap in the composite image, wherein both the medical image and the graphical model contribute to the composite image in the region of overlap, and wherein the medical image is registered in an anatomically appropriate location on the graphical model;

displaying the composite image; and

displaying an unregistered medical image of the anatomical structure at the same time as the composite image, where the unregistered medical image is based on the same medical image data as the medical image and where the unregistered medical image is at least one of a larger version of the medical image and a higher resolution version of the medical image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein registering the medical image with the graphical model, displaying the composite image, and displaying the unregistered medical image of the anatomic structure are performed in real-time while in the process of acquiring the medical image data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing a second medical image that is different from the medical image, and wherein generating the composite image further comprises registering the second medical image to the graphical model, where the second medical image is registered in an anatomically appropriate location with respect to the graphical model.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising selecting the second medical image on the composite image and updating the unregistered image to correspond with the second medical image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical model comprises a 2D graphical model.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical model comprises a 3D graphical model.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the medical image comprises a 2D image.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the medical image comprises a volume-rendered image.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively controlling the blending between the graphical model and the medical image in the region of overlap in the composite image.

10. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:

a probe;

a display device; and

a processor in electronic communication with the probe and the display device, wherein the processor is configured to;

control the probe to acquire ultrasound data;

access a graphical model of a representative patient;

generate a medical image of an anatomical structure based on the ultrasound data;

register the medical image with the graphical model to generate a composite image, wherein the processor is configured to generate the composite image by blending the medical image and the graphical model in a region of overlap in the composite image, wherein both the medical image and the graphical model contribute to the composite image in the region of overlap, and wherein the medical image is registered in an anatomically appropriate location on the graphical model;

display the composite image on the display device; and

display an unregistered medical image of the anatomical structure on the display device at the same time as the composite image, where the unregistered medical image is based on the same ultrasound data as the medical image and where the unregistered medical image is at least one of a larger version of the medical image and a higher resolution version of the medical image.

11. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 10, further comprising a position sensor attached to the probe, and wherein the processor is further configured to use position data from the position sensor to register the medical image with the graphical model.

12. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to automatically generate the composite image, display the composite image, and display the unregistered medical image in real-time while acquiring the ultrasound data with the probe.

13. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to generate the composite image by registering a second medical image to the graphical model, where the second medical image is different from the medical image, and where the second medical image is registered to the graphical model in an anatomically appropriate location with respect to the graphical model.

14. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to update the unregistered image to correspond with the second medical image in response to receiving a user input selecting the second medical image in the composite image.

15. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 13, wherein the medical image comprises a 2D image and the second medical image comprises a volume-rendered image.

16. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 15, wherein the graphical model comprises a 3D graphical model.

17. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 15, wherein the graphical model comprises a 2D graphical model.

18. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to receive inputs to selectively control the blending between the graphical model and the medical image in the region of overlap in the composite image.