Patents by Inventor Elizabeth Bullitt

Elizabeth Bullitt has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8233681
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for hierarchical registration (102) between a blood vessel and tissue surface model (100) for a subject and a blood vessel and tissue surface image for the subject are disclosed. According to one method, hierarchical registration of a vascular model to a vascular image is provided. According to the method, a vascular model is mapped to a target image using a global rigid transformation to produce a global-rigid-transformed model. Piecewise rigid transformations are applied in a hierarchical manner to each vessel tree in the global-rigid-transformed model to perform a piecewise-rigid-transformed model. Piecewise deformable transformations are applied to branches in the vascular tree in the piecewise-transformed-model to produce a piecewise-deformable-transformed model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2012
    Assignee: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Inventors: Stephen Aylward, Elizabeth Bullitt, Julien Jomier
  • Patent number: 8090164
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products for analysis of vessel attributes for diagnosis, disease staging, and surgical planning are disclosed. A method for analyzing blood vessel attributes may include developing an atlas including statistical measures for at least one blood vessel attribute. The statistical measures can be developed from blood vessel image data from different individuals. Blood vessel attribute measurements can be obtained from an individual subject. The individual subject's blood vessel attribute measurements can be compared to the statistical measures in the atlas. Output may be produced indicative of a physical characteristic of the individual based on results from the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Inventors: Elizabeth Bullitt, Stephen Aylward
  • Publication number: 20080247622
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for hierarchical registration (102) between a blood vessel and tissue surface model (100) for a subject and a blood vessel and tissue surface image for the subject are disclosed. According to one method, hierarchical registration of a vascular model to a vascular image is provided. According to the method, a cascular model is mapped to a target image using a global rigid transformation to produce a global-rigid-transformed model. Piecewise rigid transformations are applied in a hierarchical manner to each vessel tree in the global-rigid-transformed model to perform a piecewise-rigid-transformed model. Piecewise deformable transformations are applied to branches in the vascular tree in the piecewise-transformed-model to produce a piecewise-deformable-transformed model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2005
    Publication date: October 9, 2008
    Inventors: Stephen Aylward, Elizabeth Bullitt, Julien Jomier
  • Publication number: 20070019846
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products for analysis of vessel attributes for diagnosis, disease staging, and surgical planning are disclosed. A method for analyzing blood vessel attributes may include developing an atlas including statistical measures for at least one blood vessel attribute. The statistical measures can be developed from blood vessel image data from different individuals. Blood vessel attribute measurements can be obtained from an individual subject. The individual subject's blood vessel attribute measurements can be compared to the statistical measures in the atlas. Output may be produced indicative of a physical characteristic of the individual based on results from the comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2004
    Publication date: January 25, 2007
    Inventors: Elizabeth Bullitt, Stephen Aylward
  • Patent number: 6690816
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for processing tubular objects in multi-dimensional images. The processing includes generating representations of tubular objects which enable subsequent analysis. Systems and methods for processing tubular objects in a multi-dimensional image include establishing a seed points in a multi-dimensional image, searching for an extremum point corresponding to a tubular object having a central curve of intensity extrema, and extracting a one-dimensional central track corresponding to the tubular object and extents corresponding to a plurality of cross-sections along the tubular object. A number of embodiments are presented which apply the systems and methods to a variety of imaging applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Inventors: Stephen R. Aylward, Elizabeth Bullitt, Stephen M. Pizer, Daniel Fritsch
  • Publication number: 20030053697
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for processing tubular objects in multi-dimensional images. The processing includes generating representations of tubular objects which enable subsequent analysis. Systems and methods for processing tubular objects in a multi-dimensional image include establishing a seed points in a multi-dimensional image, searching for an extremum point corresponding to a tubular object having a central curve of intensity extrema, and extracting a one-dimensional central track corresponding to the tubular object and extents corresponding to a plurality of cross-sections along the tubular object. A number of embodiments are presented which apply the systems and methods to a variety of imaging applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2001
    Publication date: March 20, 2003
    Inventors: Stephen R. Aylward, Elizabeth Bullitt, Stephen M. Pizer, Daniel Fritsch