Patient tracking using a virtual image

• US 20070038058A1
• Filed: 08/11/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accuray Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Accuray Incorporated
• Inventors: Fu, Dongshan, West, Jay
• Granted Patent: US 8,406,851 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/364 Correlation of different images or relation of image positions in respect to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/584 determining position of components of the apparatus or device using images of the phantom
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1058 using ultrasound imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/1061 using an x-ray imaging system having a separate imaging source
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1049 for verifying the position of the patient with respect to the radiation beam
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/1065 Beam adjustment

Abstract

An apparatus and method of tracking a patient using a virtual image.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining a first image of a first imaging modality; and

registering the first image with a second image of a second imaging modality using at least one image atlas, the first and second imaging modalities being of different types.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and second imaging modalities include a pre-operative imaging modality and an intra-operative imaging modality.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the first and second images is an ultrasound (US) image, and the other one of the first and second images is a computed tomography (CT) image.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the first and second images is a magnetic resonance (MR) image.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the first and second images is a positron emission tomography (PET) image.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second images is a three-dimensional (3D) image.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising tracking a patient based on registering the first image with the second image.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one image atlas comprises a first atlas of the first imaging modality and a second atlas of the second imaging modality.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising creating a combined atlas using the first atlas and the second atlas.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein creating the combined atlas comprises:

mapping second imaging modality data from the second atlas to first imaging modality data in the first atlas; and

adding the second imaging modality data to the first atlas based on the mapping to create a combined atlas.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein creating the combined atlas comprises:

mapping first imaging modality data from the first atlas to second imaging modality data in the second atlas; and

adding the first imaging modality data to the second atlas based on the mapping to create a combined atlas.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the combined atlas is created prior to registering the first image with the second image.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein registering the first image with the second image comprises:

performing a deformable registration of the first image with the combined atlas using the first imaging modality data in the combined atlas; and

registering the combined atlas with the second image using the second imaging modality data in the combined atlas.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein:

the combined atlas is created prior to treatment;

the first image is registered with the first atlas prior to the treatment; and

the first atlas is registered with the second image during the treatment.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein registering the first image with the second image comprises:

performing a deformable registration of the first image with the combined atlas using the first imaging modality data in the combined atlas; and

registering the combined atlas with the second image using the second imaging modality data in the combined atlas.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the treatment is radiosurgical treatment.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one image atlas comprises a pre-existing image of an arbitrary patient having substantially normal anatomy in terms of relative position and shape of structure.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one image atlas comprises an averaged image of multiple arbitrary patients.

19. The method of claim 9 wherein the combined atlas is created for different patients.

20. The method of claim 9 wherein the combined atlas is created for each patient.

21. The method of claim 9 wherein the combined atlas is re-created for each treatment delivery.

22. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining an ultrasound (US) image of a patient during treatment delivery; and

performing a deformable registration of the US image with a computerized tomography (CT) image obtained for the patient prior to the treatment delivery.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

determining a position of the patient during the treatment delivery based on the deformable registration.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein each of the US image and the CT image is a three-dimensional (3D) image.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein performing the deformable registration of the US image with the CT image comprises:

performing a deformable registration of the CT image with a combined atlas using CT data on the combined atlas; and

registering the CT atlas with the US image using US data on the combined atlas.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein:

the CT image is registered with the combined atlas prior to the treatment delivery; and

the combined atlas is registered with the US image during the treatment delivery.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein the treatment is radiosurgical treatment.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the combined atlas is a CT atlas having corresponding US data superimposed thereon.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the combined atlas is a US atlas having corresponding CT data superimposed thereon.

30. An apparatus, comprising:

an imaging system to provide a first image of a first imaging modality; and

a patient tracking module comprising processing logic to register the first image with a second image of a second imaging modality using at least one image atlas, the first and second imaging modalities being of different types.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the first and second imaging modalities include a pre-operative imaging modality and an intra-operative imaging modality.

32. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein one of the first and second images is an ultrasound (US) image, and the other one of the first and second images is a computed tomography (CT) image.

33. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the patient tracking module is to track a patient based on registering the first image with the second image.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein at least one image atlas comprises a first atlas of the first imaging modality and a second atlas of the second imaging modality.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 further comprising an atlas handling module to create a combined atlas using the first atlas and the second atlas.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein:

the atlas handling module is to perform a deformable registration of the first image with the combined atlas using first imaging modality data in the combined atlas; and

the patient tracking module is to register the combined atlas with the second image using second imaging modality data in the combined atlas.

37. An apparatus, comprising:

a diagnostic imaging system to provide a pre-operative image of a first imaging modality; and

an atlas handling module comprising processing logic to create a combined atlas for use in registration of the pre-operative image with an intra-operative image of a second imaging modality, the combined atlas having first imaging modality data and corresponding second imaging modality data.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the first and second imaging modalities include a pre-operative imaging modality and an intra-operative imaging modality.

39. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein one of the first and second images is an ultrasound (US) image, and the other one of the first and second images is a computed tomography (CT) image.

40. The apparatus of claim 37 further comprising:

a patient tracking module comprising processing logic to register the pre-operative image with the intra-operative image using the combined atlas and to track a patient based on said registration.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein:

the atlas handling module is to perform a deformable registration of the first image with the combined atlas using first imaging modality data in the combined atlas; and

the patient tracking module is to register the combined atlas with the second image using second imaging modality data in the combined atlas.

42. A machine-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to perform a method comprising:

obtaining a first image of a first imaging modality; and

registering the first image with a second image of a second imaging modality using at least one image atlas, the first and second imaging modalities being of different types.

43. The machine-readable medium of claim 42 wherein the first and second imaging modalities include a pre-operative imaging modality and an intra-operative imaging modality.

44. The machine-readable medium of claim 42 wherein one of the first and second images is an ultrasound (US) image, and the other one of the first and second images is a computed tomography (CT) image.

45. The machine-readable medium of claim 42 wherein:

at least one image atlas comprises a first atlas of the first imaging modality and a second atlas of the second imaging modality; and

the method further comprises creating a combined atlas using the first atlas and the second atlas.

46. The machine-readable medium of claim 45 wherein registering the first image with the second image comprises:

performing a deformable registration of the first image with the combined atlas using the first imaging modality data in the combined atlas; and

registering the combined atlas with the second image using the second imaging modality data in the combined atlas.

47. A machine-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to perform a method comprising:

obtaining an ultrasound (US) image of a patient during treatment delivery; and

performing a deformable registration of the US image with a computerized tomography (CT) image obtained for the patient prior to the treatment delivery.

48. The machine-readable medium of claim 47 wherein performing the deformable registration of the US image with the CT image comprises:

performing a deformable registration of the CT image with a combined atlas using CT data on the combined atlas; and

registering the CT atlas with the US image using US data on the combined atlas.

49. The machine-readable medium of claim 48 wherein:

the CT image is registered with the combined atlas prior to the treatment delivery; and

the combined atlas is registered with the US image during the treatment delivery.

50. The machine-readable medium of claim 47 wherein the treatment is radiosurgical treatment.