Abstract: An imaging method for identifying abnormal tissue in the lung is provided, comprising the recording of slice images of the lung by means of X-ray radiation, recording of blood vessels, differentiation of blood vessels and abnormal tissue, segmentation of the abnormal tissue and display of the segmented abnormal tissue on an output device. In addition, a computer tomograph for identifying abnormal tissue in the lung is provided, having a radiation source for recording slice images of the lung and blood vessels by means of X-ray radiation, a computer unit for differentiating the blood vessels from the abnormal tissue and for segmenting the abnormal tissue, as well as an output device for displaying the segmented abnormal tissue.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for adaptive contouring of a body part. It is described to provide (210) at least one image; wherein, the at least one image comprises a first image comprising image data of a body part. An initial automatic model based segmentation of image data of the body part in the first image is determined (220). Final segmentation data of the body part is determined (230) in response to a modification of the initial automatic model based segmentation. An updated model based segmentation can be applied (240) on the basis of the initial automatic model based segmentation and the final segmentation data.

Abstract: An oncology monitoring system comprises: an image analysis module (42, 44) configured to perform an oncological monitoring operation based on images of a subject, for example acquired by positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT); and a clinical guideline support module (10). The clinical guideline support module is configured to: display a graphical flow diagram (GFD) of a clinical therapy protocol for treating the subject comprising graphical blocks (B0, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B21, B211, B22, B221, B222, B223, B23, B231, B232) representing therapeutic or monitoring operations of the clinical therapy protocol including at least one monitoring operation performed by the image analysis module; annotate a graphical block of the graphical flow diagram with subject-specific information pertaining to a therapeutic or monitoring operation represented by the graphical block; and display an annotation (POP) of a graphical block (B211) responsive to selection of the graphical block by a user.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system and a method for evaluating a treatment plan for an external radiation therapy treatment, the treatment plan comprising parameters for controlling an external radiation therapy apparatus during the treatment. The system comprises a database storing historic treatment plans and storing for each historic treatment plan a quality parameter indicative of whether a deviation between a planned dose distribution and a measured dose distribution resulting from an execution of the treatment plan is within an acceptable limit. An evaluation unit determines a threshold value for each of a plurality of treatment plan metrics based on the historic treatment plans and the associated quality parameters. Further, the evaluation unit calculates a value of each of the metrics for the treatment plan and compares the value of each of the metrics with the threshold value determined for the respective metric.

Abstract: A device, system and method for generating one or more simulated CT images from MR images, including retrieving MR image data for one or more body parts of a living being, said MR image data including a plurality of pixels and/or voxels, analyzing said MR image data to identify one or more tissue and/or material types for one or more of said plurality of pixels and/or voxels, registering one or more reference data sets to said identified one or more tissue and/or material types, said reference data sets corresponding to a specific one of said identified tissue and/or material types, said reference data sets including reference values, and computing one or more simulated CT images by assigning said reference values to said pixels and/or voxels corresponding to said identified one or more tissue and/or material types.

Abstract: A pseudo CT Hounsfield Unit value for a volume element within a subject is estimated from a plurality of magnetic resonance images having different contrasts. The method includes determining a relative prevalence of a first tissue class and second tissue class within the volume element from a first magnetic resonance image and a second magnetic resonance image, respectively. Then a relative prevalence of a third tissue class is determined within the volume element based on substraction of a relative prevalence of the first and/or second tissue class from a total tissue prevalence. A reference Hounsfield Unit value is provided for the first, second and third tissue class. Finally, a pseudo Housfield value is estimated for the volume element by determining a weighted sum of the first, second and third reference Hounsfield unit value, with weight factors which are based on the determined relative prevalences of the first, second and third tissue class.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system for producing a representation of an object in image data, based on a template coupled to a model of the object, the system comprising a model unit for adapting the model to the object in the image data, and a template unit for adapting the template to the adapted model on the basis of the coupling between the template and the model. The template defines a representation of the object which is simpler to interpret than the model. Because the template of the invention is coupled to the model, the position, orientation and/or shape of the template is determined by the model adapted to the object in the image data. Hence, the template is adapted to the image data. The adapted template is capable of representing the object and its individual characteristics.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a magnetic resonance imaging guided radiation therapy apparatus comprising a magnetic resonance imaging system.

Abstract: The present invention teaches a method and system for computing an alternative electron density map of an examination volume. The processing system is configured to compute a first electron density map using a plurality of imaging data, compute a second electron density map, wherein the second electron density map is a simplified version of the first electron density map, and compute the alternative electron density map, using the first electron density map and the second electron density map.

Abstract: The invention relates to a support apparatus (1) for supporting a user in a diagnosis process, especially for assisting a physician in staging prostate cancer. A segmentation unit (3) determines three-dimensional segments of an anatomical object like a prostate based on a three-dimensional image being preferentially a magnetic resonance image, wherein the segments comprise anatomical segment boundaries and non-anatomical segment boundaries. A visualization generating unit (4) generates a visualization of the segments in the image, a graphical user interface providing unit (5) provides a graphical user interface allowing the user to assign scores to the determined three-dimensional segments, and a display (9) displays the visualization and the graphical user interface. Thus, an automatic delineation of segments may be provided to which a user like a physician can assign scores, wherein based on the scores assigned to the segments a diagnosis can be performed, in particular, prostate cancer can be staged.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for segmenting MR Dixon image data. A processor and a computer program product are also disclosed for use in connection with the method. The invention finds application in the MR imaging field in general and more specifically may be used in the generation of an attenuation map to correct for attenuation by cortical bone during the reconstruction of PET images. In the method, a surface mesh is adapted to a region of interest by: for each mesh element in the surface mesh: selecting a water target position based on a water image feature response in the MR Dixon water image; selecting a fat target position based on a fat image feature response in the MR Dixon fat image; and displacing each mesh element from its current position to a new position based on both its water target position and its corresponding fat target position.

Abstract: The application discloses a method for estimating a pseudo CT Hounsfield Unit value for a volume element within a subject from a plurality of magnetic resonance images having different contrasts. The method comprising the steps of: determination of a relative prevalence of a first tissue class and second tissue class within the volume element from a first magnetic resonance image and second magnetic resonance image respectively. Then a relative prevalence of a third tissue class is determined within the volume element based on substraction of a relative prevalence of the first and/or second tissue class from a total tissue prevalence. A reference Hounsfield Unit value is provided for the first, second and third tissue class. Finally, a pseudo Housfield value is estimated for the volume element by determining a weighted sum of the first, second and third reference Hounsfield unit value, with weight factors which are based on the determined relative prevalences of the first, second and third tissue class.

Abstract: A medical imaging system (5) includes one or more processors and a display device (36). The one or more processors are programmed to receive (60) a first image (10) contrasting regions of tissue with a distinct radiotracer accumulation probability and generate (64) a constraint map (20) based on the regions of tissue with the distinct radiotracer accumulation probability. The one or more processors are programmed to reconstruct (70) a second image (44) with redistribution of a measured radiotracer based on the constraint map (20) and acquired image raw data (23) registered to the constraint map. The display device (36) displays the reconstructed second image.

Abstract: The invention relates to a support apparatus (1) for supporting a user in a diagnosis process, especially for assisting a physician in staging prostate cancer. A segmentation unit (3) determines three-dimensional segments of an anatomical object like a prostate based on a three-dimensional image being preferentially a magnetic resonance image, wherein the segments comprise anatomical segment boundaries and non-anatomical segment boundaries. A visualization generating unit (4) generates a visualization of the segments in the image, a graphical user interface providing unit (5) provides a graphical user interface allowing the user to assign scores to the determined three-dimensional segments, and a display (9) displays the visualization and the graphical user interface. Thus, an automatic delineation of segments may be provided to which a user like a physician can assign scores, wherein based on the scores assigned to the segments a diagnosis can be performed, in particular, prostate cancer can be staged.

Abstract: An apparatus for generating assignments between image regions of an image of an object and element classes includes an assigning unit (13) for assigning element classes to image regions of an element image of the object, which is indicative of a distribution of the element classes, depending on region and/or boundary features, which are determined depending on image values of a provided object image and provided first preliminary assignments. Thus, the resulting element image with the assignments to the element classes is not necessarily based on the provided object image only, but can also be based on the provided preliminary assignments. If the quality of the assignments defined by the element image would be restricted due to restrictions of the provided object image, these restrictions of the provided image can therefore be compensated by the preliminary assignments such that the quality of the resulting element image can be improved.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for generating an attenuation correction map. An image providing unit (5, 6) provides an image of an object comprising different element classes and a segmentation unit (11) applies a segmentation to the image for generating a segmented image comprising image regions corresponding to the element classes. The segmentation is based on at least one of a watershed segmentation and a body contour segmentation based on a contiguous skin and fat layers in the image. A feature determination unit (12) determines features of at least one of a) the image regions and b) boundaries between the image regions depending on image values of the image and an assigning unit (13) assigns attenuation values to the image regions based on the determined features for generating the attenuation correction map.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for segmenting MR Dixon image data. A processor and a computer program product are also disclosed for use in connection with the method. The invention finds application in the MR imaging field in general and more specifically may be used in the generation of an attenuation map to correct for attenuation by cortical bone during the reconstruction of PET images. In the method, a surface mesh is adapted to a region of interest by: for each mesh element in the surface mesh: selecting a water target position based on a water image feature response in the MR Dixon water image; selecting a fat target position based on a fat image feature response in the MR Dixon fat image; and displacing each mesh element from its current position to a new position based on both its water target position and its corresponding fat target position.

Abstract: The invention provides for a medical apparatus (300, 400, 500) comprising: a magnetic resonance imaging system (302) for acquiring magnetic resonance data (342) from an imaging zone (308); a processor (330) for controlling the medical apparatus; a memory (336) storing machine executable instructions (350, 352, 354, 356). Execution of the instructions causes the processor to: acquire (100, 200) the magnetic resonance data using a pulse sequence (340) which specifies an echo time greater than 400 ??; reconstruct (102, 202) a magnetic resonance image using the magnetic resonance data; generate (104, 204) a thresholded image (346) by thresholding the magnetic resonance image to emphasize bone structures and suppressing tissue structures in the magnetic resonance image; and generate (106, 206) a bone-enhanced image by applying a background removal algorithm to the thresholded image.

Abstract: A system and a method of determining a property of blur in an image are provided. According to other aspects a medical image acquisition apparatus, a medical workstation and a computer program product are provided. The system (100) comprises a receiver (102) for receiving the image of an object-of-interest of a body. The image comprises blur. Further, the system comprises a determining subsystem (122) for determining a value of a characteristic of the blur in the image on individual lines of a plurality of lines intersecting with the object-of-interest at different angles. Thus, the lines extend in different directions. The determination of the value comprises analyzing the image along the respective lines. The system further comprises an obtaining subsystem (126) for obtaining a direction in which the value of the characteristic of the blur is maximal, based on the determined values on the individual lines of the plurality of lines, which lines extend in different directions.

Abstract: A system (10) and method generate one or more MR data sets of an imaging volume (16) using an MR scanner (14). The imaging volume (16) includes one or more of a region of interest (ROI), the ROI including a metal element, and a local receive coil (18) of the MR scanner (14). At least one of an attenuation, confidence or density map accounting for the metal element is generated and the location of the local receive coil (18) within the imaging volume (16) is determined. The generating includes identification of the metal element within the ROI based on a phase map of the ROI generated from the MR data sets. The determining includes registering a known sensitivity profile of the local receive coil (18) to a sensitivity map of the local receive coil (18) generated from the MR data sets.