Abstract: An apparatus includes a diagnostic scanner (102) and a treatment planner (112). The treatment planner (112) plans a treatment to be applied to an object. A treatment device (114) treats the object according to the treatment plan. A treatment scanner (108) scans the object during a treatment session. A motion modeler (116) uses information from the treatment scan to model a motion of the object. A motion compensated quantitative data generator (1004) uses data from the diagnostic (102) or other scanner, as well as feature geometry (1008) and feature motion (1006) information, to generate motion compensated quantitative data indicative of a feature of the object.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a scanner (102, 104) and a scanning motion monitor (100). A motion modeler (116) uses data from the scanning motion monitor (100) and the scanner (102, 104) to generate a motion model which describes motion of a region of interest of an object. A treatment planner (112) uses image data from the scanner (102, 104) to establish a treatment plan for the object. A treatment device 114, which operates in conjunction with a treatment motion monitor (108), uses the motion model to compensate for motion of the object during application of the treatment.

Abstract: A radiation detection apparatus (100) acquires projection data of an object that is subject to motion during the acquisition. The apparatus includes a motion modeler (142) and a motion compensator (142) that cooperate to compensate for a motion of the object during the acquisition. In one example, the projection data includes list mode positron emission tomography data and the apparatus compensates for cardiac motion.

Abstract: A method for locally correcting motion in an image reconstructed by a reconstruction system (42) of an imaging system (10) with raw data includes estimating a characteristic feature of a region of interest within the reconstructed image from the raw data, correcting the raw data associated with the region of interest for motion with the estimated region characteristic feature, and reconstructing a motion-corrected image corresponding to the region of interest with the corrected raw data.

Abstract: Sampling frequency of a ray casting for generating a projection image is varied in dependence of information derived from a 3D volume data during rendering. Furthermore, an interpolation is performed for skipped pixels for which no ray casting was performed in the projection image, based on this information.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a diagnostic scanner (102) and a treatment planner (112). The treatment planner (112) plans a treatment to be applied to an object. A treatment device (114) treats the object according to the treatment plan. A treatment scanner (108) scans the object during a treatment session. A motion modeler (116) uses information from the treatment scan to model a motion of the object. A motion compensated quantitative data generator (1004) uses data from the diagnostic (102) or other scanner, as well as feature geometry (1008) and feature motion (1006) information, to generate motion compensated quantitative data indicative of a feature of the object.

Abstract: Medical imaging modalities generate increasingly more and very large three-dimensional data sets. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a three-dimensional data set of an object of interest is interactively visualized with a varying sampling rate in an image. Advantageously, a focus area may be moved by a user interactively during rendering, wherein the sampling rate of a particular part of the image is defined by its relative position to the focus area. Advantageously, this may allow for an improvement of an overall rendering performance.

Abstract: A radiation detection apparatus (100) acquires projection data of an object that is subject to motion during the acquisition. The apparatus includes a motion modeler (142) and a motion compensator (142) that cooperate to compensate for a motion of the object during the acquisition. In one example, the projection data includes list mode positron emission tomography data and the apparatus compensates for cardiac motion.

Abstract: Abstract: A method for locally correcting motion in an image reconstructed by a reconstruction system (42) of an imaging system (10) with raw data includes estimating a characteristic feature of a region of interest within the reconstructed image from the raw data, correcting the raw data associated with the region of interest for motion with the estimated region characteristic feature, and reconstructing a motion-corrected image corresponding to the region of interest with the corrected raw data.

Abstract: High frequency signals cannot be reconstructed properly from sampled data if the sampling frequency lies below the Nyquist rate. The invention addresses this problem by choosing few additional sample points along a trajectory intersecting the region comprising the high frequency signals, such as an edge. Intermediate rendering data is used to determine the additional sample points. Therefore, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, 4 adaptively chosen sample points per pixel may provide a visual quality comparable to 16 times super-sampling, but at a much lower computational cost.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a scanner (102, 104) and a scanning motion monitor (100). A motion modeler (116) uses data from the scanning motion monitor (100) and the scanner (102, 104) to generate a motion model which describes motion of a region of interest of an object. A treatment planner (112) uses image data from the scanner (102, 104) to establish a treatment plan for the object. A treatment device 114, which operates in conjunction with a treatment motion monitor (108), uses the motion model to compensate for motion of the object during application of the treatment.

Abstract: A system and method for quantifying a region of interest in a medical image and in particular, a PET image. The system and method allow the clinician to make real time quantitative analysis of a region of interest. The system and method can be used to quantify small lesions within a region of interest by generating a set of virtual lesions for comparison with the actual lesion. Quantitative information, such as lesion size and tracer activity, or SUV, can be obtained to assist the clinician or physician in the diagnosis and treatment of the lesion.

Abstract: The definition of regions or volumes of interest and the delineation of objects of interest are important and frequently performed tasks in clinical imaging. However, today's solutions for this task are often time-consuming and cumbersome for the clinician. The present invention provides an alternative approach that is intuitive and works even for noisy images where automatic segmentation approaches usually fail. The disclosed systems and methods automatically translate mouse movements relative to an imaginary x-axis and y-axis into modifications in the threshold and scale (i.e., shape and size) of a boundary delineation, thereby permitting a system user/clinician to rapidly arrive at a desired ROI and/or VOI.

Abstract: Accurate error estimates are beneficial for many applications of emission tomography, e.g. kinetic modelling or SUV quantification with confidence levels. Due to the variety of parameters influencing the noise properties of PET images, the use of a single error model for all imaging situations and data processing set-ups leads to inaccurate error estimates. The present invention circumvents this problem by providing a database that includes a plurality of pre-determined noise models for different imaging situations. The most appropriate noise model can then be selected manually or automatically depending on the given imaging situation. Hence, the time-consuming procedure of extracting correct noise models, e.g. by utilizing a bootstrap method or by analysing repeated measurements, needs to be performed only once for each model and can be done by the vendor of the acquisition system, so that the clinician can instantly access the optimized error models from the database.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a way of storing 3D images. The 3D image is composed of a stack of two-dimensional video data subsets represented by arrays of pixel data. Each array of pixel data is partitioned into a plurality of overlapping and adjacent vertical stripes of pixel data having a width at most equal to a cacheline of the memory. The upper most left stripe is stored first and each stripe is stored after the left adjacent stripe. When storing each stripe having multiple rows of pixel data, the upper row is stored first and the first pixel data of each subsequent row of the stripe is stored in a memory location coming after a memory location where the last pixel data of the preceding row in the stripe is stored.

Abstract: The present invention relates to direct volume rendering based on a light model applied to a 3D array of information data samples. Gradients are first estimated for the individuals samples, and a simple shading is done on the samples with low gradient, i.e. homogenous areas.

Abstract: Medical imaging modalities generate increasingly more and very large three-dimensional data sets. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a three-dimensional data set of an object of interest is interactively visualized with a varying sampling rate in an image. Advantageously, a focus area may be moved by a user interactively during rendering, wherein the sampling rate of a particular part of the image is defined by its relative position to the focus area. Advantageously, this may allow for an improvement of an overall rendering performance.

Abstract: High frequency signals cannot be reconstructed properly from sampled data if the sampling frequency lies below the Nyquist rate. The invention addresses this problem by choosing few additional sample points along a trajectory intersecting the region comprising the high frequency signals, such as an edge. Intermediate rendering data is used to determine the additional sample points. Therefore, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, 4 adaptively chosen sample points per pixel may provide a visual quality comparable to 16 times super-sampling, but at a much lower computational cost.

Abstract: Because of the increasing size of digital images available, an interactive rendering speed at a high display quality continues to be a challenging task. According to the present invention, a sampling frequency of a ray casting for generating the projection image is varied in dependence of information derived from the 3D volume data during rendering. Furthermore, an interpolation is performed for skipped pixels for which no ray casting was performed in the projection image, based on-this information. Advantageously, the present invention allows for an improved image quality, while reducing a computation time required to generate an output image.