The State University of New York

The Boeing Company

Ming Wan

Arie E Kaufman

Mark R Wax

Zhengrong Liang

Dongqing Chen

Bin Li

Dongquing Chen

Ingmar Bitter

Kevin Kreeger

Frank Dachille

Charles A Erignac

Paul Murray

Jerome Zhengrong Liang

A distributed tempero-spatial query service uses a plurality of service agents each having an assigned area of responsibility. The service agents are organized into a spatial hierarchy based upon each service agent's area of responsibility. The spatial hierarchy is distributed and hosted on each of the service agents. The spatial hierarchy enables matching of requests from subscribing agents with publishing agents based upon spatial attributes. The spatial hierarchy is dynamically maintained in a distributed manner on each of the service agents. The service agents can be arranged into a tree-based spatial hierarchy having a limited depth.

Distributed tempero-spatial query service

In accordance with the present invention, a method for determining a centerline through a region of interest in a 3D image dataset is provided. The method includes identifying the boundaries of the region of interest and identifying the endpoints of the region of interest. For those points within the boundaries, a penalty value which is a function of the proximity of the point to a boundary is determined. A centerline is then identified by the path connecting the endpoints which has the minimum penalized distance wherein the penalized distance reflects the actual accumulated pathlength and the penalties associated with the points along the path. From the centerline, branches of a complete skeleton can be established by determining branch endpoints and then finding the minimum penalized distance from each endpoint the centerline or another intersecting branch.

Centerline and tree branch skeleton determination for virtual objects

Methods for generating a three-dimensional visualization image of an object, such as an internal organ, using volume visualization techniques are provided. The techniques include a multi-scan imaging method; a multi-resolution imaging method; and a method for generating a skeleton of a complex three dimension object. The applications include virtual cystoscopy, virtual laryngoscopy, virtual angiography, among others.

System and method for performing a three-dimensional virtual examination of objects, such as internal organs

Methods for generating a centerline or skeleton structure within a 3D virtual object are provided. A first method defines a centerline based on distance from boundary values along points of the defined centerline. A second method uses a distance from boundary field to assign costs to voxels in the virtual object and defines a minimum cost spanning tree based on assigned costs. The centerline is defined along the minimum cost spanning tree. Branches along the centerline are identified and added to the centerline to define a skeleton.

Method of centerline generation in virtual objects

A system and method for generating a three-dimensional visualization image of an object such as an organ using volume visualization techniques and exploring the image using a guided navigation system which allows the operator to travel along a flight path and to adjust the view to a particular portion of the image of interest in order, for example, to identify polyps, cysts or other abnormal features in the visualized organ. An electronic biopsy can also be performed on an identified growth or mass in the visualized object. Virtual colonoscopy can be enhanced by electronically removing residual stool, fluid and non-colonic tissue from the image of the colon, by employing bowel preparation followed by image segmentation operations. Methods are also employed for virtually expanding regions of colon collapse using image segmentation results.

System and method for performing a three-dimensional virtual segmentation and examination with optical texture mapping

System and method for performing a three-dimensional examination with collapse correction

A system and method for generating a three-dimensional visualization image of an object such as an organ using volume visualization techniques and exploring the image using a guided navigation system which allows the operator to travel along a flight path and to adjust the view to a particular portion of the image of interest in order, for example, to identify polyps, cysts or other abnormal features in the visualized organ. An electronic biopsy can also be performed on an identified growth or mass in the visualized object. Improved fly-path generation and volume rendering techniques provide enhanced navigation through, and examination of, a region of interest.

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Stony Brook, NY, United States of America

Ming Wan