Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Markmetall Ezm Metallbearbeitung Und Service Gmbh

Kai Eck

Norbert Jung

Sabine Mollus

Alexandra Groth

Johannes Albert Luijendijk

Jorg Bredno

Geert Gijsbers

Christoph Herrmann

Nicolaas Lambert

Juergen Weese

Joerg Bredno

Torsten Solf

Rainer Pietig

Christoph Loef

Peter Maria Johannes Rongen

Matthias Simon

Rainer Kiewitt

Andreas Brauers

Gerd Lanfermann

Guenter Zeitler

Victor Martinus Gerardus Van Acht

Carolina Ribbing

Herman Stegehuis

Hans-Aloys Wischmann

Lothar Spies

Helko Lehmann

Hendrik Jan Meulenbrugge

Ralf Schmidt

Georg Schmitz

Georg Rose

Oliver Muelhens

Olaf Wischhusen

Gundolf Kiefer

Paul Antoon Cyriel Desmedt

Astrid Lewalter

Matthieu Frederic Bal

Krishna Subramanyan

Joachim Domke

Barbara Martin-Leung

Xavier L M A Aubert

Hasan Celik

Jörg Bredno

Kurt Stadlthanner

Matthieu Bal

A bed exit warning system is used in monitoring a user on a bed that include one or more sensors for measuring one or more physiological characteristics of the user and for producing corresponding signals indicative of the one more physiological characteristics. A processor is configured to monitor the corresponding signals and to determine the likelihood that the user is about to get out of the bed from changes in the one or more physiological characteristics.

Bed exit warning system

There is therefore provided a user feedback engine, comprising a message generation module for generating messages for a user; a queue management module for managing a queue of the generated messages; wherein each message includes respective values for a plurality of parameters including a priority, a period of validity and a non-repeat time; and wherein the queue management module manages the messages in the queue in accordance with the respective values.

User feedback engine

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

Systems and methods for facilitating visual detection of one or more catheter tips in relation to the morphology of an anatomical structure include locating reference catheters relative to heart tissue using an automated navigation support that draws upon prominent image features that are visible in the x-ray fluoroscopy images. The prominent features include catheter tips of reference catheters that are placed at known standard positions in relation to the anatomical structures. Based on the noted prominent features, the systems and methods achieve alignment of the anatomical structures, e.g., the heart morphology, with the interventional devices, e.g., ablation catheter(s) introduced by the physician, and generate a fused or overlaid image.

System and method for visualizing heart morphology during electrophysiology mapping and treatment

A diagnostic imaging system () corrects metal artifact streaks () emanating from a metal object () in a tomographic image (T). A first processor () reduces streaks () caused by mild artifacts by applying an adaptive filter (). The filter () is perpendicularly oriented toward the center of the metal object (). The weight of the filter () is a function of the local structure tensor and the vector pointing to the metal object (). If it is determined that the strong artifacts are present in the image, a second processor () applies a sinogram completed image algorithm to correct for severe artifacts in the image. The sinogram completed image and adaptively filtered image are fused to a final corrected image. In the fusion process, highly corrupted tomographic regions are replaced by the result of the sinogram completed image and the remainder is replaced by the adaptively filtered image.

Radial adaptive filter for metal artifact correction

Images of static vascular maps (B), which were taken at different phases of the cardiac cycle and/or the respiratory cycle and were archived in a memory (), are superimposed on a current image (A) of a catheter () in the vascular system (). In the method, a defined section of a map image (B) around the estimated actual position of the catheter is selected and is displayed superimposed on the current image (A) on a monitor (). The map image (B) used for this is preferably selected by an electrocardiogram to match the particular cardiac cycle. The position of the catheter relative to the map image (B) is estimated using a distance image (D).

Device and method for combining two images

In a system and a method for the guidance of a catheter with an electrode in an electrophysiological procedure, sequence of images of the catheter and of a resting reference catheter is generated with an X-ray device and stored together with the associated electrographic recordings from the electrodes. A reference image may then be selected from said sequence that corresponds to a desired electrographic pattern. In a next step, the positions of the catheters are localized on the reference image. The position of the reference catheter can be identified with the position of this catheter on an actual image. Thus it is possible to determine on the actual image also a target position for the catheter that corresponds to the position of this catheter on the reference image. The target position may finally be indicated on a monitor to assist the guidance of the catheter to a desired location.

System and method for the guidance of a catheter in electrophysiologic interventions

Systems and methods for data acquisition in computed tomography (CT) applications are provided. The systems and methods are particularly adapted for scanning and acquiring/processing data in connection with high-power cone-beam CT applications. The electron beam is moved/scanned along the anode surface to multiple focal positions. Data acquisition for a full projection at one focus position and one view angle is achieved by activating each focus position multiple times during the data acquisition for one angle of the gantry. The detector array and associated data processing system are adapted to rapidly switch between the different focus positions during the acquisitions for one view angle and to collect all data belonging to the same projection into the same data set. Adaptive electron optics are utilized to move/scan the electron beam along the anode surface to the various focus positions. Alternatively, a plurality of cathodes may be provided for respective focus positions and the system may support fast switching therebetween to achieve desirably short spot times. The disclosed CT system permits greater power densities without risk of heat damage to the anode and effectively increases the track velocity of the electron beam on the anode surface. The CT system and associated data acquisition methods have particular utility in CT applications requiring increased time resolution and/or spatial resolution, e.g., cardiac CT applications.

Systems and methods for scanning and data acquisition in computed tomography (CT) applications

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

The invention relates to the association of a current (X-ray image) image of a body volume with one of several stored previous images, the ECG and the respiratory cycle being determined each time together with the images. Using this data, that one of the previous images is chosen which is closest to the current image in respect of cardiac rhythm and respiratory cycle. The resultant association yields a very high accuracy enabling superposed reproduction of the current image and the associated previous image.

Image processing unit and method of associating stored images with current images

The invention relates to a method of and a device for forming an image which is composed of a plurality of sub-areas, a read-out unit being associated with each sub-area and image data of adjoining image areas of neighboring sub-areas being evaluated in order to mitigate differences in amplification, which device includes a detector with a plurality of sensor elements for forming image data, read-out units which are associated with the sub-areas of the image, an analysis unit which is arranged to evaluate image data from adjoining image areas of neighboring sub-areas and to generate correction data, a correction unit which is arranged to correct incorrect image data by means of correction data, thus enabling a regular and accurate recalibration or correction of non-linear amplifier behavior to be performed without necessitating an additional X-ray dose or interventions by the user.

Device and method for forming an image composed of a plurality of sub-areas

The invention relates to a method of improving the precision of a medical nuclear SPECT or PET image in which notably a nuclear sectional image (n) can be superposed on a two-dimensional ultrasound image (u). For the superposition that nuclear sectional image (n) which exhibits the best correspondence with a free-hand ultrasound image (u) is chosen from a three-dimensional nuclear image (). In order to determine this sectional image, an evaluation index f(n,u) is calculated, on the basis of an estimated value (), for differently situated nuclear sectional images (n). This index assigns a positive value to positions of structures (heart muscle tissue etc.) which correspond in the two images, a neutral value to structures which are represented only in the ultrasound image (u) and a negative value to structures which are represented only in the nuclear sectional image (n). The nuclear sectional image (n) having the highest value of the evaluation index is subsequently displayed so as to be superposed on the ultrasound image. In a generalized form the method can also be carried out in conjunction with three-dimensional ultrasound images.

Method of improving the resolution of a medical nuclear image

The invention relates to a method of forming a very accurate vascular map or road map to be associated with the current X-ray image during an invasive vascular intervention. The vascular map is derived from a four-dimensional model of the vascular tree, that is, from a spatially three-dimensional, time-dependent model, the time dependency relating to natural motions of the body such as notably the heartbeat and/or the respiration. In particular the rhythm of the heartbeat or the respiration can be determined by means of a sensor so as to be used for synchronized selection and display of the corresponding three-dimensional vascular model.

Method of assisting orientation in a vascular system

A method for reading out image points of a two-dimensional electronic image sensor includes subdivided the image into at least two different regions where the region of greater interest ROI is read at a scanning rate which is higher than that used for other regions. Consequently, the region of interest can be reproduced with a higher temporal resolution. The sensitivity of the reading unit is adapted in conformity with the scanning rate of a relevant image point so as to take into account the fact that image points that are read out less frequently collect a light intensity over a prolonged period of time and hence may reach high signal strengths. Regions that are less frequently read out can also be irradiated with a lower radiation intensity by applying appropriate masking. The method is very suitable for the imaging of time-critical processes in medical X-ray applications.

Device and method for reading out an electronic image sensor that is subdivided into image points

The invention relates to a method and a device for automatic testing of an X-ray system (). The doors () leading to the room () in which the X-ray system () is installed are monitored by way of sensors (). Furthermore, the state of the room () can be monitored by means of further sensors such as video cameras (). Automatic testing of the X-ray system () while utilizing X-rays is started only if and for as long as all doors are closed and the other sensors do not indicate that a safe state is abandoned. The device may also include facilities for automatically positioning a phantom in the beam path. Such facilities may in that case include a phantom which is provided on a flexible foil.

Method and device for automatic testing of an X-ray system

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Aachen, Germany

Kai Eck