CT imaging

• US 10,922,854 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2018
• Issued: 02/16/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neusoft Medical Systems Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Neusoft Medical Systems Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Li, Shuangxue, Zhang, Liguo
• Primary Examiner(s): Rego, Dominic E
• Application Number:
  US16/168,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20190122400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/488 involving pre-scan acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5205 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/542 involving control of exposure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/545 involving automatic set-up of acquisition parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/563 involving image data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/566 involving communication between diagnostic systems
• 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 11/008 Specific post-processing after tomographic reconstruction, e.g. voxelisation, metal artifact correction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2211/40 Computed tomography
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection

Abstract

Methods, devices and apparatus for CT imaging in a CT system are provided. The CT system includes a CT console, a CT scanner and an image reconstruction computer. In one aspect, a method includes detecting, by the CT console, whether a parameter adjustment instruction is received from a user during a scanning process in which a preview image is generated and displayed to the user. If the parameter adjustment instruction is received, the CT console sends adjusted scan parameters to at least one of the CT scanner or the image reconstruction computer such that the CT scanner and the image reconstruction computer generate a new preview image based on the adjusted scan parameters that are determined according to the preview image. If the parameter adjustment instruction is not received, the CT console displays to the user a CT image generated by the image reconstruction computer after finishing the scanning process.

Claims

1. A method of Computed Tomography (CT) imaging in a CT system that includes a CT console, a CT scanner, and an image reconstruction computer, the method comprising:

detecting, by the CT console, that a parameter adjustment instruction is received from a user during a scanning process in which a preview image is generated by the image reconstruction computer based on scan parameters and displayed to the user, wherein the preview image is generated based on at least a portion of raw data obtained by the CT scanner when the scanning process has not been completed;

sending, by the CT console, adjusted scan parameters to at least one of the CT scanner or the image reconstruction computer, wherein the adjusted scan parameters are determined according to the preview image; and

controlling, by the CT console, the CT scanner and the image reconstruction computer to generate a new preview image based on the adjusted scan parameters when the scanning process is re-executed and has not been completed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scan parameters include exposure parameters and reconstruction parameters,

wherein the CT scanner is configured to obtain the at least a portion of raw data by performing an exposure operation based on the exposure parameters during the scanning process when the scanning process has not been completed, and

wherein the image reconstruction computer is configured to generate the preview image by performing an image reconstruction based on the reconstruction parameters and the at least a portion of raw data obtained by the exposure operation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the adjusted scan parameters include adjusted exposure parameters and the reconstruction parameters without adjustment,

wherein sending the adjusted scan parameters to the at least one of the CT scanner or the image reconstruction computer comprises:

sending the adjusted exposure parameters to the CT scanner, and

wherein controlling the CT scanner and the image reconstruction computer to generate a new preview image based on the adjusted scan parameters comprises;

controlling the CT scanner to stop the exposure operation performed based on the exposure parameters and to perform a new exposure operation based on the adjusted exposure parameters to obtain new raw data; and

controlling the image reconstruction computer to perform a new image reconstruction based on the reconstruction parameters and the new raw data to generate the new preview image.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the adjusted scan parameters include adjusted reconstruction parameters and the exposure parameters without adjustment,

wherein sending the adjusted scan parameters to the at least one of the CT scanner or the image reconstruction computer comprises:

sending the adjusted reconstruction parameters to the image reconstruction computer, and

wherein controlling the CT scanner and the image reconstruction computer to generate a new preview image based on the adjusted scan parameters comprises;

controlling the CT scanner to continue the exposure operation based on the exposure parameters without adjustment; and

controlling the image reconstruction computer to perform a new image reconstruction based on the adjusted reconstruction parameters and the raw data obtained by the exposure operation to generate the new preview image.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

notifying, by the CT console, the image reconstruction computer that the exposure parameters are not adjusted, such that the image reconstruction computer retains the raw data obtained by the exposure operation.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the adjusted scan parameters include adjusted exposure parameters and adjusted reconstruction parameters,

wherein sending the adjusted scan parameters to at least one of the CT scanner or the image reconstruction computer comprises:

sending, by the CT console, the adjusted exposure parameters to the CT scanner and the adjusted reconstruction parameters to the image reconstruction computer;

controlling the CT scanner to stop the exposure operation based on the exposure parameters and to perform a new exposure operation based on the adjusted exposure parameters to obtain new raw data; and

controlling the image reconstruction computer to perform a new image reconstruction based on the adjusted reconstruction parameters and the new raw data to generate the new preview image.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the reconstruction parameters comprise two or more groups of reconstruction parameters with different values, and

wherein the method comprises:

controlling the image reconstruction computer to perform a respective image reconstruction, based on the raw data obtained by the exposure operation during the scanning process and each of the groups of reconstruction parameters, to generate a respective preview image; and

displaying the respective preview images to the user for selection.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusted scan parameters are determined by the user based on the preview image.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the CT console, the adjusted scan parameters based on a result of analyzing the preview image.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein analyzing the preview image comprises at least one of

performing an analysis of artifacts of the preview image, or

performing an analysis of noise levels of the preview image.

11. A device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor having machine-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising;

detecting whether a parameter adjustment instruction is received from a user during a scanning process in which a preview image is generated by an image reconstruction computer based on scan parameters and displayed to the user, wherein the preview image is generated based on at least a portion of raw data obtained by a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner when the scanning process has not been completed;

in response to detecting that the parameter adjustment instruction is received, sending adjusted scan parameters to at least one of the CT scanner or the image reconstruction computer and controlling the CT scanner and the image reconstruction computer to generate a new preview image based on the adjusted scan parameters when the scanning process is re-executed and has not been completed, wherein the adjusted scan parameters are determined according to the preview image; and

in response to detecting that the parameter adjustment instruction is not received, displaying to the user a CT image generated by the image reconstruction computer after the scanning process has been completed.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the scan parameters include exposure parameters and reconstruction parameters,

wherein the CT scanner is configured to obtain the at least a portion of raw data by performing an exposure operation based on the exposure parameters during the scanning process, and

wherein the image reconstruction computer is configured to generate the preview image by performing an image reconstruction based on the reconstruction parameters and the at least a portion of raw data obtained by the exposure operation.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the adjusted scan parameters include adjusted exposure parameters and the reconstruction parameters without adjustment, and

wherein the operations comprise:

sending the adjusted exposure parameters to the CT scanner;

controlling the CT scanner to stop the exposure operation performed based on the exposure parameters and to perform a new exposure operation based on the adjusted exposure parameters to obtain new raw data; and

controlling the image reconstruction computer to perform a new image reconstruction based on the reconstruction parameters and the new raw data to generate the new preview image.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the adjusted scan parameters include adjusted reconstruction parameters and the exposure parameters without adjustment, and

wherein the operations comprise:

sending the adjusted reconstruction parameters to the image reconstruction computer;

controlling the CT scanner to continue the exposure operation based on the exposure parameters; and

controlling the image reconstruction computer to perform a new image reconstruction based on the adjusted reconstruction parameters and the raw data obtained by the exposure operation to generate the new preview image.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise:

notifying the image reconstruction computer that the exposure parameters are not adjusted this time, such that the image reconstruction computer retains the raw data obtained through the exposure operation.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the adjusted scan parameters include adjusted exposure parameters and adjusted reconstruction parameters, and

wherein the operations comprise:

sending the adjusted exposure parameters to the CT scanner and the adjusted reconstruction parameters to the image reconstruction computer;

controlling the CT scanner to stop the exposure operation based on the exposure parameters and obtain new raw data by performing a new exposure operation based on the adjusted exposure parameters; and

controlling the image reconstruction computer to generate the new preview image by performing a new image reconstruction based on the adjusted reconstruction parameters and the new raw data.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein the reconstruction parameters comprise two or more groups of reconstruction parameters with different values, and

wherein the operations comprise:

controlling the image reconstruction computer to perform a respective image reconstruction based on the raw data obtained by the exposure operation during the scanning process and each of the groups of reconstruction parameters to generate a respective preview image for selecting by the user.

18. The device of claim 11, wherein the adjusted scan parameters are determined by the user based on the preview image.

19. The device of claim 11, wherein the operations comprise:

determining the adjusted scan parameters based on a result of analyzing the preview image.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein analyzing the preview image comprises at least one of:

performing an analysis of artifacts of the preview image, or

performing an analysis of noise levels of the preview image.