Abstract: In the present invention, an imaging system and method is provided to obtain a fusion image of a patient anatomy used as a navigational 3D roadmap to guide an interventional device into the anatomy. The fusion image fuses in real-time, fluoroscopy images taken during the interventional procedure with pre-operative CTA images, so that the operator can see the anatomy in the fluoroscopy image without having to inject contrast agent. To correct for the deformation in the anatomy from the pre-op CTA images form the insertion of interventional devices during the procedure, a 3D ultrasound image is obtained after the insertion of the devices. The 3D ultrasound images are then utilized to correct the pre-op CTA images and provide the current vascular anatomy of the patient. This updated CTA image is fused with the intra-op fluoro images to provide an accurate 3D roadmap image that matches the deformed anatomy.

Abstract: In the present invention, an imaging system and method is provided to obtain a fusion image of a patient anatomy used as a navigational 3D roadmap to guide an interventional device into the anatomy. The fusion image fuses in real-time, fluoroscopy images taken during the interventional procedure with pre-operative CTA images, so that the operator can see the anatomy in the fluoroscopy image without having to inject contrast agent. To correct for the deformation in the anatomy from the pre-op CTA images form the insertion of interventional devices during the procedure, a 3D ultrasound image is obtained after the insertion of the devices. The 3D ultrasound images are then utilized to correct the pre-op CTA images and provide the current vascular anatomy of the patient. This updated CTA image is fused with the intra-op fluoro images to provide an accurate 3D roadmap image that matches the deformed anatomy.

Abstract: A system to track movement of an object travelling through an imaged subject is provided. The system includes an imaging system to acquire a fluoroscopic image and operable to create a three-dimensional model of a region of interest of the imaged subject. A controller includes computer-readable program instructions representative of the steps of calculating a probability that an acquired image data is of the object on a per pixel basis in the fluoroscopic image, calculating a value of a blending coefficient per pixel of the fluoroscopic image dependent on the probability, adjusting the fluoroscopic image including multiplying the value of the blending coefficient with one of a greyscale value, a contrast value, and an intensity value for each pixel of the fluoroscopic image. The adjusted fluoroscopic image is combined with the three-dimensional model to create an output image illustrative of the object in spatial relation to the three-dimensional model.

Abstract: A system to generate an image dependent on tracking movement of an object travelling through an imaged subject is provided. The system comprises a tracking system operable to detect a position or an orientation of the object travelling through the imaged subject, and an imaging system operable to create a three-dimensional model of a selected anatomical structure of the imaged subject. A controller is operable to store a plurality of computer-readable program instructions for execution by a processor, the plurality of program instructions representative of the steps of: calculating at least one two-dimensional view of a volume of interest extracted from the three-dimensional model, the volume of interest dependent relative to the tracked position of the object, and generating an output image illustrative of the at least one two-dimensional view of the volume of interest.

Abstract: A system to track movement of an object travelling through an imaged subject is provided. The system includes an imaging system to acquire a fluoroscopic image and operable to create a three-dimensional model of a region of interest of the imaged subject. A controller includes computer-readable program instructions representative of the steps of calculating a probability that an acquired image data is of the object on a per pixel basis in the fluoroscopic image, calculating a value of a blending coefficient per pixel of the fluoroscopic image dependent on the probability, adjusting the fluoroscopic image including multiplying the value of the blending coefficient with one of a greyscale value, a contrast value, and an intensity value for each pixel of the fluoroscopic image. The adjusted fluoroscopic image is combined with the three-dimensional model to create an output image illustrative of the object in spatial relation to the three-dimensional model.

Abstract: A parallel processing architecture and method, based on the 3D Algebra Reconstruction Technique (ART), for iteratively reconstructing from cone beam projection data a 3D voxel data set V representing an image of an object. The cone beam projection data is acquired by employing a cone beam x-ray source and a two-dimensional array detector to scan the object along a source scanning trajectory to obtain, at each of a plurality of discrete source positions .theta..sub.i on the source scanning trajectory, a 2D measured cone beam pixel data set P.sub.i. The 3D voxel data set V is subdivided into or organized as a plurality m of independent voxel subcubes V.sup.0 through V.sup.m-1 each containing a plurality of voxels. As a result of the subdivision of the 3D voxel data set V into voxel subcubes, the 2D measured cone beam pixel data set P.sub.i (measured projection data array) is correspondingly subdivided for each source position .theta..sub.