Determining at least one final two-dimensional image for visualizing an object of interest in a three dimensional ultrasound volume

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device () and a method () for determining at least one final two-dimensional image or slice for visualizing an object of interest in a three-dimensional ultrasound volume. The method () for determining at least one final two-dimensional image, the method comprises the steps: a) providing () a three-dimensional image of a body region of a patient body, wherein an applicator configured for fixating at least one radiation source is inserted into the body region; b) providing () an initial direction, in particular by randomly determining the initial direction within the three-dimensional image; c) repeating () the following sequence of steps s1) to s4): s1) determining (), via a processing unit, a set-direction within the three-dimensional image based on the initial direction for the first sequence or based on a probability map determined during a previous sequence; s2) extracting (), via the processing unit, an image-set of two-dimensional images from the three-dimensional image, such that the two-dimensional images of the image-set are arranged coaxially and subsequently in the set-direction; s3) applying (), via the processing unit, an applicator pre-trained classification method to each of the two-dimensional images of the image-set resulting in a probability score for each of the two-dimensional images of the image-set indicating a probability of the applicator being depicted, in particular fully depicted, in the respective two-dimensional image of the image-set in a cross-sectional view; and s4) determining (), via the processing unit, a probability-map representing the probability scores of the two-dimensional images of the image-set with respect to the set-direction; wherein the method comprises the further step: d) determining (), via a processing unit and after finishing the last sequence, the two-dimensional image associated with the highest probability score, in particular from the image-set determined during the last sequence, as the final two-dimensional image. The invention provides an efficient way to ensure that the ultrasound volume has the required clinical information by providing the necessary scan planes having the object of interest e.g. the applicator () in a three-dimensional ultrasound volume.