Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.v.

Philips Intellectual Property & Standards Gmbh

Cristian Lorenz

Tobias Klinder

Jens Von Berg

Rafael Wiemker

Thomas Buelow

Thomas Blaffert

Sven Kabus

Steffen Renisch

Michael Grass

Nicole Schadewaldt

Hans Barschdorf

Alexander Schmidt-Richberg

Irina Waechter-Stehle

Martin Bergtholdt

Astrid Ruth Franz

Thomas Koehler

Daniel Bystrov

David N Roundhill

Michael Harald Kuhn

Bernhard Johannes Brendel

Jens Wiegert

Sebastian Peter Michael Dries

Peter Prinsen

Heike Ruppertshofen

Roland Proksa

Juergen Weese

Jochen Peters

Holger Schmitt

Julien Senegas

Eberhard Sebastian Hansis

Thomas Netsch

Xiyun Song

Joerg Sabczynski

Hannes Nickisch

Frank Bergner

Peter Bornert

Rolf Dieter Bippus

Dirk Schäfer

Hans-Aloys Wischmann

Laurence Rouet

Ingwer Curt Carlsen

Benoit Jean-Dominique Bertrand Maurice Mory

Torbjorn Vik

Dominik Benjamin Kutra

Cybèle Ciofolo-Veit

Caroline Denise Francoise Raynaud

Roland Johannes Opfer

Bernd Hofmann

Matthias Lenga

Olivier Ecabert

Alasdair Dow

Emmanuel Mocé Serge Attia

Thierry Lefevre

Jens Berg

Eliza Teodora Orasanu

Bjoern Eiben

David John Hawkes

John Harold Hipwell

Vasileios Vavourakis

Raghed Hanna

Robin M B Wolz

Robin Mitja Benjamin Wolz

Heiner Gunnar Konrad Lund

Alexander Stork

Hauke Schramm

An ultrasound imaging system includes a processor circuit in communication with an ultrasound transducer configured to receive three-dimensional ultrasound data of an anatomy, and generate a target image corresponding to a target image plane of the anatomy, and a plurality of adjacent images corresponding to image planes adjacent to the target image plane along a simulated motion path. The processor circuit is further configured to display the target image, receive a user input representative of a direction of motion along the simulated motion path, and display an adjacent image of the plurality of adjacent images corresponding to the direction of motion. Accordingly, the user can observe the target image in its spatial context by scanning through the target image and one or more adjacent images on the display as if the ultrasound transducer were being scanned along the simulated motion path.

Contextual multiplanar reconstruction of three-dimensional ultrasound imaging data and associated devices, systems, and methods

The invention provides a method for guiding the acquisition of an ultrasound image. A 3D ultrasound image is acquired by an ultrasound probe at a first position and an anatomical structure is identified within the 3D ultrasound image. A target imaging plane is estimated based on the identified anatomical structure and it is determined whether the target imaging plane is present within the 3D ultrasound image. If the target imaging plane is present, a displacement between a central plane of the 3D ultrasound image and the target plane is determined. If the displacement is below a predetermined threshold, the target imaging plane is extracted and if the displacement is above the predetermined threshold, an instruction to acquire a 3D ultrasound image with the ultrasound probe at a second position, different from the first position, is generated based on the displacement. The invention further provides a method for estimating a target imaging plane. A central plane of a 3D ultrasound image is obtained, wherein the central plane contains at least part of an anatomical structure and abounding box is generated around the anatomical structure. The bounding box is divided into a grid having a plurality of grid points and, for each grid point; an offset is estimated between the central plane and the target imaging plane. Finally, coordinates of the target imaging plane are estimated based on the offset for each grid point of the bounding box.

Systems and methods for guiding the acquisition of an ultrasound image

An apparatus including a memory (), a display (), and a processor (). The memory is configured to store a protocol definition module (). The processor is configured to execute the protocol definition module, which causes the processor to display, via the display, an interactive graphical tool () that includes a digital representation of an anatomical model with an interactively generated scan field of view superimposed thereover to create a standard scan protocol for execution by an imaging system, wherein the scan field of view identifies anatomy of the subject to scan for the scan protocol.

Apparatus configured to create a scan protocol with an interactive tool and/or evaluate adherence to the protocol

The invention provides a method for making anatomical measurements using a captured ultrasound image representative of the anatomical region of interest. The method comprises receiving () data representative of a set of points selected by a user within the image and interpreting from the points a particular anatomical measurement type which the user is intending to perform. In particular, the points are processed to identify () a pattern or other geometrical characteristic of the points, and the location () of at least one of the points within the image is also identified. These two characteristics are used to identify from the set of points which measurement the operator is performing. Once the measurement is identified, an appropriate measurement template () is selected and applied in order to derive () from the set of points an anatomical measurement.

Device and method for obtaining anatomical measurements from an ultrasound image

A system for generating ultrasound data in respect of an anatomical body being scanned makes use of a predetermined scan protocol, which specifies a sequence of types of ultrasound scan of structures of interest. These types may for example be different imaging modalities (static, dynamic, 2D, 3D etc.) which are most appropriate for viewing different structures within the anatomical body. From received ultrasound images, a model is used to identify the structures of interest within the ultrasound images. The best images for creating the types of scan of the protocol are then identified and a sequence is compiled of those best images. In this way, a sequence is created which combines different types of scan, in a structured way according to a predetermined protocol. This makes the analysis of the sequence most intuitive for a user, and simplifies comparison between different sequences.

Ultrasound imaging system and method

The invention provides for a medical imaging system () comprising: a memory () for storing machine executable instructions (), a display () for rendering a user interface (), and a processor (). Execution of the machine executable instructions causes the processor to receive () three dimensional medical image data () descriptive of a region of interest () of a subject (). The region of interest comprises a spine (). Execution of the machine executable instructions further causes the processor to receive () a set of spinal coordinate systems () each descriptive of a location and an orientation of spinal vertebrae in the three dimensional medical image data. The set of spinal coordinate systems further comprises a set of spine centerline positions () each positioned on a spine centerline (). Execution of the machine executable instructions further causes the processor to receive () a mapping () between the set of spinal coordinate systems and a simplified coordinate system. The simplified coordinate system comprises a spinal height () descriptive of a position along the spine centerline. The simplified coordinate system further comprises a rotational orientation relative to a local vertebrae orientation. The simplified coordinate system further comprises an offset from the spine centerline. Execution of the machine executable instructions further cause the processor to repeatedly receive () a simplified coordinate () of the simplified coordinate system from the user interface. Execution of the machine executable instructions further cause the processor to repeatedly calculate () a spinal image rendering (). Calculating the spinal image rendering comprises using the mapping to transform the simplified coordinate into the set of spinal coordinate systems to determine an image location in the three dimensional medical image data. Execution of the machine executable instructions further cause the processor to repeatedly render () the spinal image rendering on the display.

Simplified navigation of spinal medical imaging data

The present invention provides an improved ultrasound imaging system arranged to evaluate a set of acquired 3D image data in order to provide a compounded 3D image of a fetus irrespective of its position and movement. This is achieved by providing an ultrasound imaging system comprising: an ultrasound probe having an ultrasound transducer array operable to acquire at different look directions a plurality of three dimensional (3D) ultrasound image frames of a volumetric region comprising a fetus; a compound image memory for storing the acquired plurality of the 3D ultrasound image frames and an articulated fetal model with a common fetal structure; an ultrasound image processor responsive to the plurality of 3D ultrasound image frames, said processor comprising a fetal segmentation unit arranged to segment each 3D image frame based on the articulated fetal model thereby providing a plurality of spatially related 3D images of the volumetric region; and an image quality analyzer coupled to the segmentation unit and arranged to determine, based on the articulated fetal model, an overall confidence value of the plurality of the 3D images, said image quality analyzer is further arranged to compare the overall confidence value with an image compounding threshold.

3D image compounding for ultrasound fetal imaging

An ultrasound image processing apparatus () is disclosed for obtaining a biometric measurement of an anatomical feature of interest from a 3D ultrasound image. The apparatus comprises a display apparatus () communicatively coupled to a processor arrangement () adapted to render a volumetric ultrasound image () from the 3-D ultrasound image and control the display apparatus to display said rendered image; receive a plurality of user inputs () highlighting the anatomical feature of interest, each input corresponding to a pixel of the displayed volumetric ultrasound image; estimate a depth of each of said pixels in the volumetric ultrasound image (); define a 3-D path () in the volumetric ultrasound image based on the received user inputs along said estimated depths; perform a processing operation based on the defined 3-D path; and control the display apparatus to display the processing operation result, wherein the processing operation based on the defined 3-D path comprises at least one of a measurement of a length of the 3-D path (); a reorientation of the rendered volumetric ultrasound image (); and a generation of a 2-D image slice () of the 3-D ultrasound image based on the defined 3-D path. Also disclosed are an ultrasound imaging system including such an ultrasound image processing apparatus, a computer-implemented method and a computer program product for implementing this method on a computer.

Volume rendered ultrasound imaging

The present invention relates to an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus (), in particular for analyzing a fetus (). An ultrasound data interface () is configured to receive 3D (three dimensional) ultrasound data from an object (). The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus further comprises a measurement unit () for measuring anatomical structures of the object based on the segmentation data and a calculation unit () configured to calculate at least one biometric parameter based on the 3D ultrasound data.

Ultrasound diagnosis apparatus

A system () for segmenting a coronary artery vessel tree () of a patient heart in a three dimensional (3D) cardiac image () includes a coronary volume definition unit () and a coronary artery segmentation unit (). The coronary volume definition unit () sets a spatial boundary () from internal and external surfaces of heart tissues in the 3D cardiac image based on a fitted heart model (). The coronary artery segmentation unit () segments the coronary artery vessel tree () in the 3D cardiac image using a segmentation algorithm with a search space limited by the spatial boundary set from the internal and external surfaces of the heart tissues.

Heart model guided coronary artery segmentation

A method for processing image data includes obtaining a first set of 3D volumetric image data. The 3D volumetric image data includes a volume of voxels. Each voxel has an intensity. The method further includes obtaining a local voxel noise estimate for each of the voxels of the volume. The method further includes processing the volume of voxels based at least on the intensity of the voxels and the local voxel noise estimates of the voxels. An image data processor () includes a computer processor that at least one of: generate a 2D direct volume rendering from first 3D volumetric image data based on voxel intensity and individual local voxel noise estimates of the first 3D volumetric image data, or registers second 3D volumetric image data and first 3D volumetric image data based at least one individual local voxel noise estimates of second and first 3D volumetric image data sets.

Image data processing

An imaging method for identifying abnormal tissue in the lung is provided, comprising the recording of slice images of the lung by means of X-ray radiation, recording of blood vessels, differentiation of blood vessels and abnormal tissue, segmentation of the abnormal tissue and display of the segmented abnormal tissue on an output device. In addition, a computer tomograph for identifying abnormal tissue in the lung is provided, having a radiation source for recording slice images of the lung and blood vessels by means of X-ray radiation, a computer unit for differentiating the blood vessels from the abnormal tissue and for segmenting the abnormal tissue, as well as an output device for displaying the segmented abnormal tissue. Furthermore, a computer program is provided for controlling a computer tomograph for an identification of abnormal tissue in the lung by means of a radiation source, designed to record slice images of the lung and blood vessels by means of X-ray radiation, to differentiate the blood vessels from abnormal tissue, to segment the abnormal tissue and to control an output device for displaying the abnormal tissue.

Identifying abnormal tissue in images of computed tomography

The present invention relates to device and method for correction of a medical breast image. To provide for an improved correction, said device comprises a medical image input () for obtaining a medical breast image of subject's breast potentially showing artificial deformations of the breast, a scan image input () for obtaining a scan image of the same subject's breast showing the breast in a predetermined position of the subject and comprising surface information of the breast, a simulation unit () for generating a simulated medical breast image from the obtained medical breast image, said simulated medical breast image showing the breast in the same predetermined position of the subject as the scan image and representing the breast surface by a surface mesh, wherein said simulation unit () is configured to generate said simulated medical breast image based on a volumetric biomechanical model, and wherein material parameters of the biomechanical model are varied for aligning the biomechanical model with the breast surface extracted from the scan image, and a correction unit () for determining corrections for correcting the simulated medical breast image for said artificial deformations by use of the scan image by applying a surface matching between said surface mesh and said scan image and for applying the determined corrections to the obtained medical breast image to obtain a corrected medical breast image.

Device, imaging system and method for correction of a medical breast image

A model-based segmentation system includes a plurality of clusters (), each cluster being formed to represent an orientation of a target to be segmented. One or more models () are associated with each cluster. The one or more models include an aspect associated with the orientation of the cluster, for example, the appearance of the target to be segmented. A comparison unit (), configured in memory storage media, is configured to compare an ultra-sound image to the clusters to determine a closest matching orientation and is configured to select the one or more models based upon the cluster with the closest matching orientation. A model adaptation module () is configured to adapt the one or more models to the ultrasound image.

Acquisition-orientation-dependent features for model-based segmentation of ultrasound images

An image registration apparatus () includes an image quality driven image registration determiner () that determines an image quality driven image registration for a set of images to register based on a non-rigid registration (), which includes an optimization of an image similarity term and a regularization term, and a registration steering factor, and a registration component () that registers the set of images using the image quality driven image registration. A method determining an image quality driven image registration for a set of images to register based on a non-rigid registration, which includes an optimization of an image similarity term and a regularization term, and a registration steering factor, and registering the set of images using the fidelity driven image registration, generating a set of registered images.

Image quality driven non-rigid image registration

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Hamburg, Germany

Cristian Lorenz