Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.v.

Philips Intellectual Property & Standards Gmbh

Jürgen Weese

Helko Lehmann

Gundolf Kiefer

Marc Busch

Jorg Bredno

Irina Waechter-Stehle

Michael Kaus

Kai Eck

Sabine Mollus

Alexandra Groth

Steven Lobregt

Michael J Petrillo

Reinhard Kneser

Georg Rose

Henning Braess

Angela Da Silva

Peter Roesch

Barbara Martin-Leung

The present invention relates to an ultrasound imaging system comprising:

3D ultrasound imaging system

It is described a method for medical image comparison purposes, comprising the step of generating a first global image or mask with increased similarity to a second global image, wherein the first global image comprises at least partially a composition of different pre-captured images of a patient; wherein the pre-captured images are captured at different times.

Spatial-temporal warping of different pre-captured medical images

The present invention relates to the determination of the specific orientation of an object. In order to provide enhanced positioning information of an object to a user, a medical imaging system and a method for operating of a medical imaging system are proposed wherein 2D image data () of an object is acquired () with an imaging system, wherein the object is provided with at least three markers visible in the 2D image; and wherein () the markers are detected in the 2D image; and wherein the spatial positioning and rotation angle () of the object in relation to the system geometry is identified () on behalf of the markers; and wherein an object-indicator () is displayed () indicating the spatial positioning and rotation angle of the object.

Determining the specific orientation of an object

The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for the reconstruction of time-dependent cross-sectional images and may be applied for example in perfusion imaging in the vessel system () of a patient. According to the method, projections pare generated from a number M of different directions dand at different times t. Moreover, the time-dependent intensity function I(x,t) of the reconstructed volume is approximated by a predetermined model function I*((x),t), wherein the unknown parameter vector(x) is estimated for each voxel x. This estimation may be done using the update functions of known reconstruction algorithms like ART for at least N projections pin each iteration step.

Apparatus and method for the processing of perfusion images

Methods for displaying a vessel with the aid of intravascular ultrasound images and current location and cycle information provided by detectors and sensors. A sequence of intravascular ultrasound images are stored and indexed-by location and by heartbeat and breathing phase. During a subsequent medical intervention, ultrasound images that correspond to the current phase and location of an object of interest such as a catheter can be selected and displayed on a monitor in real time along with an x-ray image of the vessel, the display showing the geometric position of the ultrasound images with reference to the x-ray image.

Methods for ultrasound visualization of a vessel with location and cycle information

The present invention relates to the field of digital imaging, in particular to the field of estimating geometrical properties of an anatomical object. According to the present invention, geometrical properties are automatically measured and geometrical properties which have a definition based on sub-parts of the object are derived. To do this, additional geometrical information is integrated into a surface model. Geometrical properties are included into the surface model by identifying and labelling sub-parts of the surface model and fitting geometric primitives to these sub-parts. This advantageously allows to identify these sub-parts on an unseen object surface and to automatically extract relevant geometric properties.

Automated measurement of objects using deformable models

Sampling frequency of a ray casting for generating a projection image is varied in dependence of information derived from a 3D volume data during rendering. Furthermore, an interpolation is performed for skipped pixels for which no ray casting was performed in the projection image, based on this information.

Adaptive image interpolation for volume rendering

Medical imaging modalities generate increasingly more and very large three-dimensional data sets. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a three-dimensional data set of an object of interest is interactively visualized with a varying sampling rate in an image. Advantageously, a focus area may be moved by a user interactively during rendering, wherein the sampling rate of a particular part of the image is defined by its relative position to the focus area. Advantageously, this may allow for an improvement of an overall rendering performance.

Image visualization

High frequency signals cannot be reconstructed properly from sampled data if the sampling frequency lies below the Nyquist rate. The invention addresses this problem by choosing few additional sample points along a trajectory intersecting the region comprising the high frequency signals, such as an edge. Intermediate rendering data is used to determine the additional sample points. Therefore, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, 4 adaptively chosen sample points per pixel may provide a visual quality comparable to 16 times super-sampling, but at a much lower computational cost.

Adaptive sampling along edges for surface rendering

In real-time three-dimensional imaging the choice of the visualization method and orientation is crucial for intervention success. The key question is what to ignore and what to show in real-time applications, where user control is not appropriate. An intervention (caused by a user) to an object of interest is visualized without the requirement of an interactive input by the user. Parameters for a visualization procedure are automatically chosen during data acquisition which may allow for an efficient tracking of the actual orientation and relative position of the structure with respect to the object of interest.

Data set visualization

method A first image of a moving object is acquired by of a first imaging method, e.g by PET or SPECT imaging. The first image contains artifacts caused by object motion. From two further images acquired by a second imaging method, e.g. C.T. or M.R., and representing the object in respective states of motion, a motion model is formed. The information contents of either the first image or a combination image, formed from the first image and the two further images, and the motion model is enhanced.

Motion artifact correction of tomographical images

The invention relates to a device for adjusting imaging parameters of an X-ray apparatus (), whereby a user pre-defines on a preliminary image an image region of interest (ROI) and a value of the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) desired for this image region. Based on the current contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), new imaging parameters (I, V, L, f, Q) are then calculated for a generator-control module () to control the X-ray apparatus () during an image. By means of the method, the X-ray dose may be reduced to a minimum, while at the same time the desired visibility of a region of interest is ensured.

Device and method for adjusting imaging parameters of an X-ray apparatus

Deformable models are used for the segmentation of structures in 3D images. The basic principle of such methods consists of the adaptation of flexible meshes to the image. However, the simultaneous segmentation of multiple or composed objects often causes problems in that spatial relationships between the objects are violated, or that meshes are intersecting each other. According to the present invention, a priori knowledge about spatial relationships between objects is introduced into the shaped model. This allows to maintain spatial relationships between the objects and to avoid intersecting meshes.

Simultaneous segmentation of multiple or composed objects by mesh adaptation

The invention relates to a method and a unit for automatically adjusting a collimator (). In this connection, a region () of interest inside the body is determined in an application-specific way from an analysis of first X-ray pictures, and the collimator () is then adjusted thereon. The region () of interest can, in particular, be chosen to be large enough for the irradiation field to cover all those positions of an organ () of interest that occur as a result of heartbeat and/or respiration. Preferably, a movement estimate' is undertaken during a current examination in order to be able to readjust the collimator () if necessary. If the region of interest cannot be localized, the collimator () is opened to a standard adjustment.

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Aachen, Germany

Jürgen Weese