Abstract: Catheter device for insertion into an area being examined, in particular into a vessel or cavity-containing organ in the body of a person or animal, wherein in the area of the catheter tip a device (3) is provided for emitting excitation light for light-optically exciting an area being examined surrounding the catheter tip, furthermore a device (3) is provided for collecting response light emitted, owing to excitation, from the area being examined, and furthermore a position sensor (13, 24, 27) is provided enabling the catheter tip's spatial position and/or orientation to be registered in a system of coordinates of a position-registering system (7, 14).

Abstract: An x-ray device for recording projection images of a patient features a C-arm on the ends of which an x-ray source and an x-ray detector are accommodated. The x-ray detector is accommodated on the C-arm so that translation movements can be executed with the x-ray detector in relation to the C-arm. This allows the angulation area or the area of the x-ray device with which an image can be recorded to be increased.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for positioned accurately displaying regions of interest tissue in a three-dimensional reconstruction representation derived from a first image dataset previously recorded for a hollow organ in a patient, comprising: recording catheter image dataset by an image recording catheter placed in the hollow organ and registering the first image dataset with the catheter image dataset; segmenting from the first image dataset a section of interest tissue or a tissue bounding this section and locating the section of tissue; forming an image dataset for the section of tissue using the segmentation and the registration in cropping out from the catheter image dataset the image data which shows this section of tissue; generating an image display of the section of tissue or the region of tissue derived from it and displaying in the three-dimensional reconstruction representation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a medical imaging system for acquisition of image data of the heart using a medical imaging procedure during an intervention on the heart, while the heart is stimulated by a pacing signal from an external heart pacemaker, the acquisition and/or reconstruction of the image data being controlled, in particular triggered, by the pacing signal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for providing a 3D x-ray image data record of a patient, in particular of the heart, by an x-ray imaging system connected to a measuring facility which monitors the breathing phases of the patient. The x-ray image system is automatically activated repeatedly when a predetermined breathing phase is reached and an image acquisition operation is carried out, during which a plurality of 2D x-ray images are recorded. An individual 3D image data record is reconstructed from the 2D x-ray images of each image acquisition operation and the different 3D image data records are registered in pairs in order to assign them in a correct positional and dimensional arrangement. Registration parameters are obtained during the registration. The 3D image data record is reconstructed from 2D x-ray images from all image acquisition operations using the registration parameters.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for registering images of an object according to which a landmark that is common to the images is first identified, and the transformations in relation to the remaining degrees of freedom are determined by means of a position alignment that is not based on the landmark.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for differentially representing myocardial tissue in different states of damage, comprising the following steps: administering a myocardium-suitable contrast agent to a patient under examination; entering at least one patient-specific parameter affecting the speed of uptake by and elimination from the myocardium of said contrast agent; calculating a point in time after administration of the contrast agent at which a difference between a contrast agent content in necrotic myocardial tissue and a contrast agent content in non-necrotic myocardial tissue attains a maximum value, on the basis of the at least one patient-specific parameter, and carrying out, at the point in time calculated, a late-phase CT scan for accentuation of necrotic myocardial tissue compared to non-necrotic myocardial tissue. The invention likewise relates to apparatus, in particular for carrying out the method.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and to a method for visual assistance during the electrophysiological use of a catheter in the heart, enabling electroanatomic 3D mapping data relating to an area of the heart to be treated to be visualised during the use of the catheter. Before the catheter is used, 3D image data of a body region containing the area to be treated is detected by means of a method for tomographic 3D imaging. The area to be treated or significant parts thereof are extracted from said 3D image data, in order to obtain selected 3D image data. The electroanatomic 3D mapping data and the selected 3D image data obtained are then classed in terms of position and dimension, and are adjacently visualised, for example, during the catheter ablation. The inventive method and associated device enable the orientation of the operator to be improved during the use of a catheter in the heart.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for the three-dimensional presentation of an examination region of a patient in the form of a 3D reconstruction image, a preoperatively acquired 3D image dataset of the examination region is employed in a medical procedure, datasets representing a number of 2D ultrasound images of the examination region are acquired, the preoperative 3D image dataset is updated using the datasets representing 2D ultrasound images, and the 3D reconstruction image is generated on the basis of the updated 3D image dataset.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for locating a medical instrument (2a, 2b) at least partly inserted into an object under examination (U), there being acquired (11, 13) images of the object under examination (U) which capture the medical instrument (2a, 2b). A method which requires as little user interaction as possible can be provided by virtue of the fact that an image is acquired under first acquisition conditions and a substantially identical image is acquired under second acquisition conditions (11, 13), and the fact that the medical instrument (2a, 2b) is located from a subtraction (14) of image data sets of first and second acquisition conditions.

Abstract: A data processing system and method for multi-modal viewing of medical image visualization is described. The system includes an image display device operable to display an on-the-fly (“fly”) visualization of a three dimensional (3D) data set, and a live X-ray image, where the parameters of the “fly” visualization are adjusted so that the “fly” visualization image has a correspondence to the live X-ray image. The method includes recording a three dimensional (3D) data set, and a corresponding live X-ray image; rendering a “fly” visualization of the 3D data set; adjusting the attributes of the “fly” visualization to achieve a correspondence with the live X-ray image; and, simultaneously displaying the “fly” visualization image and the live X-ray image.

Abstract: A method is provided for configuring medical devices such as medical devices used in a clinical trial. Based on the needs of the clinical trial, a definition of a configuration of the medical devices to be used in the clinical trial is generated and the configuration data is transformed into a profile. The profile is distributed to sites at which the clinical trial will be conducted and the profile is applied to the medical devices at the sites to configure the medical devices. The medical devices are thereby capable of producing data that is comparable as between the sites used in the clinical trial.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device and a method for synchronizing an image capture device with a first image data set. The image capture device is used for recording a second image data set of a periodically moving area or object. Each first image data set contains information as to the point in time, relative to the periodically moving area or object, when recording took place. The device additionally acquires periodically recurring, current information of the area as well as information concerning the recording instant of the first image data set. From the periodically recurring information and the recording instant of the first image data set, a triggering instant is derived which controls at least one recording of the second image data set by the image capture device in such a way that the second image data set contains image data synchronized to the first image data set.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for locally-resolved visualization of the reconstruction quality, especially of the coverage of a target volume to be recorded as an image and reproduced in a three-dimensional reconstruction volume presentation, especially in the human body, by two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional images covering subareas of the volume recorded by a recording device arranged inside the target volume, with which the three-dimensional reconstruction volume presentation is created, with the subareas of the target volume covered by the individual images being determined and a visual locally-resolved presentation of the reconstruction quality, especially of the coverage, being created and output as a function of the subarea coverage.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for registering intra-operative image data set with pre-operative 3D image data set, comprising: spatial calibrating an optical 3D sensor system with an intra-operative imaging modality, intra-operative detecting the surface of an examination area of interest with the 3D sensor system to produce an intra-operative surface mask, intra-operative recording the area of interest for examination with the intra-operative modality at least partly containing the intra-operative surface mask to obtain an intra-operative image data set, computing the same surface from the pre-operative 3D image data set containing the detected surface to obtain a pre-operative surface mask, registering the intra-operative and pre-operative surface mask with each other, determining a mapping specification between pre-operative 3D image data set and intra-operative image data set based on the calibration and the registration, and overlaying the intra-operative image data set with the pre-operative 3D data

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for presenting a number of two- or three-dimensional images from different modalities registered with each other, with points of interest being able to be assigned to an individual image of the modalities and in all images selectable graphics primitives being overlaid on the assigned points of interest so that a visual assignment of points of interest or area of interest between simultaneously displayed two- or three-dimensional images occurs, as well as an imaging system of a workstation for executing the method.

Abstract: The invention is based on a new type of method which can be used to localize magnetizable small particles. According to the invention an invasive instrument, a catheter for example, is provided with a magnetizable marker, whereby a magnetic fluid is arranged in a fluid container. Such an invasive instrument can be localized during an invasive intervention on a patient by using a coil system which on the one hand generates an inhomogeneous basic magnetic field and on the other hand generates a superimposed temporally varying magnetic field. Previous localization methods, which are considerably more complex, can be dispensed with.

Abstract: Two 3D image data records are obtained mutually independently comprising healthy myocardium, myocardium having a reduced blood supply, and the necrotic myocardium. The image data records are combined to produce an overall image data record after registration, and 2D image representations are produced from the overall image data record in which the necrotic parts of the myocardium are shown emphasized, with simultaneously showing the endocardium or the healthy parts of the myocardium and parts having a reduced blood supply. The overall image data record can be used afterwards. For example, further registering step is carried out using images obtained during an intervention on the myocardium. The further registering step enables the necrotic parts of the myocardium to be assigned to the patient's situation. That can extend as far as catheters being moved automatically up to a boundary of the necrotic myocardium.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for reconstructing a three-dimensional target volume, particularly within the human body, in realtime and displaying it, with a three-dimensional reconstruction volume being determined from a basic set comprising a minimum number of two-dimensional images obtained from an image recording device located within the target volume, wherein, when a new image is included in the basic set, locally limited updating at least of the reconstruction volume's partial areas covered by the new image will under a predefined condition be performed and the updated reconstruction volume will be displayed.

Abstract: A method for implementing per-use licensing for image processing software includes acquiring image data from an image scanner. Processed image data is calculated from the image data using an image processing module. The processed image data is exported. The use of the image processing module is logged in an accounting database when the processed data are exported. Access to the accounting database is provided for account settlement.