Including Image Analysis Patents (Class 128/922)
  • Patent number: 8315447
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for processing medical image data which image a structure layer by layer, the image data for at least some layers respectively including a plurality of layer images. In at least one embodiment, the method includes segmentation of the structure in the layer images and determination respectively of a position of a point in a layer image. In at least one embodiment, at least one layer image set is furthermore compiled on the basis of the representative points in the layer images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Carmel Hayes
  • Patent number: 8300911
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for measuring visceral fat mass are provided. One method includes acquiring dual-energy two-dimensional (2D) scan information from a dual-energy x-ray scan of a body and generating a dual-energy image of the body using the 2D scan information. The method further includes identifying a region of interest using the dual-energy image and determining a subcutaneous fat mass for each of a plurality of sections of the region of interest. The method also includes determining a visceral fat mass for the region of interest based on the determined subcutaneous fat mass for each of the plurality of sections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Randall Payne, David Ergun, James Wear, Wynn Wacker, Howard Barden
  • Patent number: 8300907
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to easily maintain the couch positioning accuracy and reduce the couch positioning time while resolving the complexity of input operations by the operator at the time of couch positioning. To accomplish the above object, calculation points are set to a CT image at the time of treatment planning, and the 3D coordinates of the set calculation point are set to a DRR image. When a couch positioning unit 115 loads the DRR image from an image server 109, it reads the coordinates of calculation points set to the DRR image and displays them on the monitor 116 together with the DRR image. Further, when DR image data is loaded into the couch positioning unit 115, the DR image is displayed on the monitor 116 and calculation points set to the DRR image are set also to the DR image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshihiko Nagamine, Toshie Sasaki, Takao Kidani
  • Patent number: 8300910
    Abstract: A method for the analysis of three dimensional scan data representing an articular cartilage is provided to extract a quantitative parameter indicative of joint pathology. A measure representative of cartilage homogeneity is derived from this three dimensional image data. The measured value is compared with similar measured values previously established in respect of healthy joints and/or joints characterised by a pathology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Synarc Inc.
    Inventors: Erik B. Dam, Arish Qazi, Morten Karsdal, Paola C. Petterson, Mads Nielsen, Claus Christiansen
  • Patent number: 8295569
    Abstract: A method and system for segmentation of mitral valve inflow (MI) patterns in Doppler echocardiogram images is disclosed. Trained root detectors are used to detect left root candidates, right root candidates, and peak candidates in an input Doppler echocardiogram image. Two global structure detectors, a single triangle detector for non-overlapping E-waves and A-waves and a double triangle detector for overlapping E-waves and A-waves, are used to detect single triangle candidates and double triangle candidates based on the left root, right root, and peak candidates. A shape profile is used to determine a shape probability for each of the single triangle candidates and each of the double triangle candidates. The best single triangle candidate and the best double triangle candidate are selected based on shape probability and detection probability. One of the best single triangle candidate and the best double triangle candidate is selected as the final segmentation result based on a shape probability comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Jin-hyeong Park, Shaohua Kevin Zhou, John I. Jackson, Dorin Comaniciu
  • Patent number: 8295570
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for measuring body circumference are provided. One method includes acquiring dual-energy two-dimensional (2D) scan information from a dual-energy x-ray scan of a body and generating a dual-energy image of the body using the 2D scan information. The method further includes determining a circumference of at least one portion of the body based on the dual-energy scan information and the generated dual-energy image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Paul Markwardt, Randall Payne, Robert Washenko
  • Patent number: 8290303
    Abstract: A method for volume based registration of images is presented. The method includes receiving a first image data set and at least one other image data set. Further the method includes identifying a first image slice in the at least one other image data set corresponding to the first image data set. The method also includes selecting a first point of interest on at least one of the first image data set or the first image slice in the at least one other image data set. In addition, the method includes selecting a second point of interest on the other of the first image data set or the first image slice in the at least one other image data set, wherein the second point of interest corresponds to the first point of interest. Moreover, the method includes translating one of the first image data set, the first image slice, or both, in a first direction, a second direction and a third direction to align the first point of interest with the second point of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Michael Joseph Washburn, Markus Wilhelm Marquart
  • Patent number: 8290226
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method for determining and displaying at least one piece of information on a target volume, especially in a human body, the information being obtained from an image record. At least one embodiment of the method includes: a first and at least one second image record of a target zone encompassing the target volume are recorded, the first image record having a higher contrast regarding the boundaries of the target volume, and the first and the second image record being registered together; the target volume is segmented in the first image record; target volume image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Jens Gühring, Michaela Schmidt
  • Patent number: 8282557
    Abstract: A method and system for managing at least one animal is disclosed. The method can include imaging, such as ultrasound imaging, a lung of a live animal, such as a ruminant or bovine. The imaging can be performed to determine a degree of respiratory damage from past respiratory illness. After imaging, information regarding respiratory damage can be used to select at least one aspect of the treatment, care or disposition of the animal. For example, the information can be used to select the amount or type of feed provided to the animal at a feedlot. The information also can be used to select how long the animal should be housed at the feedlot prior to slaughter. If an animal is diagnosed with a respiratory illness, information about its degree of respiratory damage from past respiratory illness also can be used to select the appropriate medical treatment or lack of treatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: MWI Veterinary Supply Co.
    Inventors: John T. Haynes, William C. Pratt
  • Patent number: 8280138
    Abstract: A system and method for performing skeletal age assessment is provided. The method includes scanning a hand and/or wrist of a patient using a dual-energy x-ray imaging system, acquiring density information of the hand and wrist using the scan, comparing the density information to at least one reference image, and automatically determining a skeletal age of the patient based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Paul Markwardt, Randall Payne, David Ergun
  • Patent number: 8280125
    Abstract: A method and system for segmenting tubular or stroke-like structures in 2D images is disclosed. Examples of such structures include, but are not limited to, blood vessels, bones, roads, rivers, electrical wirings, and brush-strokes. User inputs identifying a first region on the image inside of a tubular structure and a second region of the image outside of the tubular structure are received. Based on this information, an ordered series of pearls are generated along the tubular structure. Pearls are 2D disks, each having a center location and a radius determined based on local pixel intensities in the image. A continuous model of the tubular structure is generated by interpolating the center locations and radii of the ordered series of pearls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Gregory G. Slabaugh, Gozde Unal, Tong Fang, Brian Whited, Jarek Rossignac
  • Patent number: 8275182
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for delineating the contour of an object in captured medical images by first transforming the shape of the object into a simple geometric shape that is more computationally tractable than the shape of the object. After the contour of the transformed shape is detected, the inverse of the transformation is applied to the contour such that it represents the contour of the object in the captured medical image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: The University of British Columbia University-Industry Liaison Office
    Inventors: Sara Badiei, Septimiu Edmund Salcudean, Seyedeh Sara Mahdavi
  • Patent number: 8270687
    Abstract: A medical image diagnosing support apparatus comprises: a first extraction means which extracts a body region of a subject from a tomographic image of the subject acquired by a medical tomographic apparatus; a second extraction means which extracts a non-adipose region from the body region; a third extraction means which extracts a total body adipose region from the body region; a separation means which separates the total body adipose region into a visceral adipose region and a subcutaneous adipose region based on positional information of the non-adipose region; and a display control means which controls of displaying the tomographic image on an image display device with clear indication of the visceral adipose region and the subcutaneous adipose region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
    Inventors: Kuniyoshi Nakashima, Toru Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 8260016
    Abstract: Provided is an image processing system, including a depth calculating section that calculates a depth of an object from a surface of a body, the object existing inside the body; a light receiving section that receives light from the object; and a substance amount calculating section that calculates an amount of a substance, which generates the light received by the light receiving section, inside the object based on the depth of the object calculated by the depth calculating section and an amount of light received by the light receiving section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Kiyohiro Maeda, Hiroshi Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 8249318
    Abstract: A method for identifying implanted reconstructive prosthetic devices comprising obtaining a digital radiographic image of a prosthetic implant that has been implanted in a person or animal for which the manufacturer and/or model is unknown; allowing a user to enter into a computer metadata relating to the implant for use as metadata feature values; cleaning up the unknown implant image; rotating, flipping and/or scaling the unknown implant image; extracting features from the unknown implant image according to one or more feature extraction algorithms; and comparing the metadata and extracted feature values for the unknown implant image to feature values for other implant images according to a comparison algorithm to create an overall likelihood score for each of the other implant images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: OsteoWare, Inc.
    Inventors: Mike Schmitt, Troy S. Bergquist, Brian Smithgall
  • Patent number: 8229167
    Abstract: The present invention discloses an optical tracking device and a positioning method thereof. The optical tracking device comprises several light-emitting units, several image tracking units, an image processing unit, an analysis unit, and a calculation unit. First, the light-emitting units are correspondingly disposed on a carrier in geometric distribution and provide light sources. Secondly, the image tracking units track the plurality of light sources and capture images. The images are subjected to image processing by the image processing unit to obtain light source images corresponding to the light sources from each image. Then the analysis unit analyzes the light source images to obtain positions and colors corresponding to the light-emitting units. Lastly, the calculation unit establishes three-dimensional coordinates corresponding to the light-emitting units based on the positions and colors and calculates the position of the carrier based on the three-dimensional coordinates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Chang-Gung University
    Inventors: Shih-Tseng Lee, Yau-Zen Chang, Chan-Peng Lo
  • Patent number: 8224419
    Abstract: In a medical visualization method, wherein: a series of organ slice images are acquired at different points in time by an imaging modality; the acquired organ slice images are stored in an image data memory with information about the series and/or the point in time of the acquisition. A data connection between an input/output device and the image data memory is established and the available series are determined. Series that are specific to the organ are symbolically represented with a display of the availability thereof. The organ slice images associated with a selected series are displayed. An input/output device as well as a computer program product operates according to the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Matthias Thorn
  • Patent number: 8218844
    Abstract: A method for providing a tool for analyzing an abnormality affixed to a human organ. The method includes: obtaining an image of the organ with the abnormality; separating the image of the abnormality from the image of the organ with the abnormality; mapping a surface of the separated image of the abnormality onto a homeomorphic equivalent template, such template being topologically equivalent to the surface. In one embodiment, the mapping is a continuous, bijective, mapping having a continuous inverse mapping characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Ashraf Mohamed, Chenyang Xu
  • Patent number: 8217937
    Abstract: An isosurfacial three-dimensional imaging system and method uses scanning electron microscopy for surface imaging of an assumed opaque object providing a series of tilt images for generating a sinogram of the object and a voxel data set for generating a three-dimensional image of the object having exterior surfaces some of which may be obscured so as to provide exterior three-dimensional surface imaging of objects including hidden surfaces normally obscured from stereographic view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: The Aerospace Corporation
    Inventors: Terence Sern-Wei Yeoh, Neil A. Ives
  • Patent number: 8218905
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method, system and computer program product for registering 3D image data. It comprises (a) receiving a first 3D image and a second 3D image; (b) determining a rendering transform for applying to each of the first 3D image and the second 3D image; (c) applying the rendering transform to the first 3D image to provide a first 2D projection and to the second 3D image to provide a second 2D projection; and (d) determining an elastic registration for mapping locations of the first 2D projection to homologous locations in the second 2D projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2012
    Assignee: Claron Technology Inc.
    Inventors: Doron Dekel, Raghavendra Chandrashekara
  • Patent number: 8214756
    Abstract: A user interface for display or editing of a three dimensional medical image is provided on a display and is responsive to user inputs in a medical imaging system. The user interface includes a framing tool for defining a region of interest on the medical image. An image matrix is then provided on the user interface, which includes a plurality of cross-sectional images each corresponding to a cross-section of the medical image at one of a plurality of cut planes within the region of interest. One or more reference views of the medical image are also displayed, which each include a plurality of reference indicia, each of which corresponds to a location of one of the plurality of cut planes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Vital Images, Inc.
    Inventors: Pascal Salazar-Ferrer, Samuel Peterson
  • Patent number: 8199990
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed that reduces variation in radiation therapy treatment planning among plurality of users within the same or different geographic locations. The system includes a method and an apparatus that provide users with the knowledge information and utilizing the knowledge information to contour target volumes for radiation treatment planning. The mode of operation includes utilizing a stand-alone workstation or a server computer connected to the plurality of thin client workstations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Varian Medical Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Jacob Foshee, Hui-Min Chao
  • Patent number: 8194948
    Abstract: A reference point-designating section 18b designates two reference points on a measurement object. A reference curve-calculating section 18c calculates a reference curve calculated by approximating an outline of the measurement object based on the reference points. A loss-composing point-calculating section 18d calculates loss-composing points constituting a loss outline formed on the measurement object based on the reference points and the reference curve. A loss size-calculating section 18f measures loss size based on the loss-composing points. Designating two reference points enables loss size measurement, thereby reducing complex operation and improving operability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Fumio Hori
  • Patent number: 8195280
    Abstract: A method of classifying arrhythmias using scatter plot analysis to define a measure of variability of a cardiac rhythm parameter such as for example, without limitation, R-R interval, A-A interval, and the slope of a portion of a cardiac signal, is disclosed. The variability measurement is derived from a scatter plot of a cardiac rhythm parameter, employing a region counting technique that quantifies the variability of the cardiac rhythm parameter while minimizing the computational complexity. The method may be employed by an implantable medical device or system, such as an implantable pacemaker or cardioverter defibrillator, or by an external device or system, such as a programmer or computer. The variability measurement may be correlated with other device or system information to differentiate between atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation, for example. The variability information may also be used by the device or system to select an appropriate therapy for a patient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Medtronic, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter M. Van Dam, Joanneke G. Groen
  • Patent number: 8184890
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method and system using computer-aided detection (CAD) algorithms to aid diagnosis and visualization of tomosynthesis mammography data. The proposed CAD algorithms process two-dimensional and three-dimensional tomosynthesis mammography images and identify regions of interest in breasts. The CAD algorithms include the steps of preprocessing; candidate detection of potential regions of interest; and classification of each region of interest to aid reading by radiologists. The detection of potential regions of interest utilizes two dimensional projection images for generating candidates. The resultant candidates in two dimensional images are back-projected into the three dimensional volume images. The feature extraction for classification operates in the three dimensional image in the neighborhood of the back-projected candidate location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Three Palm Software
    Inventors: Heidi Daoxian Zhang, Patrick Bernard Heffernan
  • Patent number: 8175368
    Abstract: The systems and methods described herein provide for fast and accurate image segmentation through the application of a multi-stage classifier to an image data set. An image processing system is provided having a processor configured to apply a multi-stage classifier to the image data set to identify a distinctive region. The multi-stage classifier can include two or more component classifiers. The first component classifier can have a sensitivity level configured to identify one or more target regions in the image data set and the second component classifier can have a specificity level configured to confirm the presence of the distinctive region in any identified target regions. Also provided is a classification array having multiple multi-stage classifiers for identification and confirmation of more than one distinctive region or for the application of different classification configurations to the image data set to identify a specific distinctive region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Scimed Life Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Shashidhar Sathyanarayana
  • Patent number: 8175350
    Abstract: An image guidance system is provided for improving tissue culture extraction where the tissue is extracted under the guidance of first and second knowledge-based systems. The first knowledge-based system provides initial suggested regions of interest for tissue biopsy in an internal organ. These regions of interest are then confirmed as being of interest of being benign by the second knowledge-based system. Information from two different sources may provide a more accurate, intelligent and robust method that helps in selecting biopsy sites accurately, such that suspicious regions are not overlooked and the benign regions are not unnecessarily operated upon. This not only helps in better diagnosis and treatment, but also helps reduce pain to the patient, in addition to reducing wastage of resources and invaluable time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Eigen, Inc.
    Inventors: Jasjit S. Suri, Liyang Wei, Dinesh Kumar
  • Patent number: 8165375
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for registering data points in data sets representing scan data. Data points corresponding to a physical feature represented in the scan data are automatically detected. The detected data points in one data set are correlated with detected data points in another data set. A group of similarity transformations between the correlated detected data points is then calculated. The group of similarity transformations is then combined. In one advantageous embodiment, the physical feature is vertebras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Hong Shen, Andrew Litvin, Shuping Qing
  • Patent number: 8165372
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus to register an ultrasonic image and a three-dimensional medical image at high speed is disclosed. The information processing apparatus includes: a medical image acquisition unit which acquires a medical image captured by a medical imaging apparatus in which an imaging unit captures an image of an object at a non-contact position with respect to the object, an ultrasonic image acquisition unit which acquires an ultrasonic image captured by an ultrasonic imaging apparatus in which an ultrasonic probe captures an image of the object at a position in contact with a surface of the object, and a coordinate transformation unit which transforms coordinates of the medical image or ultrasonic image with reference to the contact position on the ultrasonic image, so that image information of the medical image matches that of the ultrasonic image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryo Ishikawa, Kiyohide Satoh, Shinji Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 8160357
    Abstract: According to one embodiment there is provided a method of selecting a plurality of M atlases from among a larger group of N candidate atlases to form a multi-atlas data set to be used for computer automated segmentation of novel image data sets to mark objects of interest therein. A set of candidate atlases is used containing a reference image data set and segmentation data. Each of the candidate atlases is segmented against the others in a leave-one-out strategy, in which the candidate atlases are used as training data for each other. For each candidate atlas in turn, the following is carried out: registering; segmenting; computing an overlap; computing a value of the similarity measure for each of the registrations; and obtaining a set of regression parameters by performing a regression with the similarity measure being the independent variable and the overlap being the dependent variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Akinola Akinyemi, Ian Poole, Costas Plakas, Jim Piper
  • Patent number: 8160332
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system (100) for registering a vessel model with an image data set based on a joined model comprising a reference object model and the vessel model, the system comprising: a placement unit (110) for placing the joined model in a space of the image data set, thereby creating a placed joined model comprising a placed reference object model and a placed vessel model; a computation unit (120) for computing a deformation field based on a landmark displacement field comprising displacements of landmarks of the placed reference object model relative to corresponding landmarks in the image data set; a transformation unit (130) for transforming the placed joined model using the deformation field, thereby creating a transformed joined model comprising a transformed reference object model and a transformed vessel model; and a registration unit (140) for registering the transformed vessel model with the image data set based on modifying the transformed vessel model and optimizing an objective f
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Jens Von Berg, Bernd Hofmann, Cristian Lorenz, Olivier Ecabert, Jochen Peters, Juergen Weese
  • Patent number: 8155404
    Abstract: An image display apparatus which displays a form image indicative of a form about an imaging area of a subject and a quantitative value image indicative of quantitative values measured with respect to characteristics of the imaging area, said image display apparatus includes a display unit which displays the form image on a display screen thereof and a specific area setting unit which sets a specific area at the form image displayed on the display screen by the display unit. When the specific area is set at the form image by the specific area setting unit, the display unit displays the quantitative value image on the display screen side by side with the form image in such a manner that the quantitative value image indicates the quantitative values measured with respect to a position corresponding to the specific area set at the imaging area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
    Inventor: Yoshikazu Ikezaki
  • Patent number: 8150113
    Abstract: A method and a system are disclosed for labeling an anatomical point associated with a lesion in an organ such as a lung. The method includes: a segmentation of a vessel tree anatomical structure starting from an autonomously determined initial image point; labeling the vessel segments of the vessel tree segmentation with segment labels based on a priori anatomical knowledge, thereby creating an individualized anatomical model; receiving a user-specified image point having a location from a user and locating a nearby vessel structure; tracking along the vessel structure in a direction towards a root of a parent vessel tree until a prior labeled vessel segment is encountered in the anatomical model, and assigning the label of the encountered prior labeled vessel segment from the anatomical model as an anatomical location label of the user-specified image point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Carestream Health, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence A. Ray, Richard A. Simon, Henry Nicponski, Edward B. Gindele
  • Patent number: 8145012
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a process, with which images of different imaging methods can be registered, for example preoperatively obtained 3D X-ray images (A) and intra operatively obtained ultrasound images (B). First transformed images (A?,B?) are then generated in a data processing device (10), which are aligned to each other with regard to the peculiarities of each imaging method. Particularly from the three dimensional CT-image (A), can be generated a two dimensional image (A?) which adheres to the characteristic means of representation of an ultrasound system, while shaded areas behind bones and/or gas-filled volumes can be blended out. With a feature-based registration of the transformed images (A?, B?) errors are avoided, which are traced back to artifacts and peculiarities of the respective imaging methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Kirsten Meetz, Heinrich Schulz, Jens Berg, Joerg Sabczynski
  • Patent number: 8135185
    Abstract: A method of finding the location of an occluded portion of a blood vessel relative to a three-dimensional angiographic image of a subject's vasculature includes identifying the location of the occluded portion of the blood vessel on each of a series of displayed two dimensional images derived from the three dimensional image data in planes substantially transverse to direction of the occluded portion of the vessel. The identified locations in the occluded portion of the vessel can then be used to determine the path of the occluded portion of the vessel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Stereotaxis, Inc.
    Inventors: Walter M. Blume, Jeffrey M. Garibaldi, Heather Drury, Raju R. Viswanathan
  • Patent number: 8126232
    Abstract: A method for segmenting tubular structures in digital medical images includes extracting a subregion from a 3-dimensional (3D) digital medical image volume containing a vessel of interest, identifying potential vessel centerpoints for each voxel in the subregion by attaching to each voxel a tip of a 3D cone that is oriented in the direction of the voxel's image gradient and having each voxel within the cone vote for those voxels most likely to belong to a vessel centerline, selecting candidates for a second vote image that are both popular according to a first vote image, as well as being consistently voted upon by a radius image, reconfiguring the subregion as a graph where each voxel is represented by a node that is connected to 26 nearest neighbors by n-link edges, and applying a min-cut algorithm to segment the vessel within the subregion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Engin Dikici, Thomas P. O'Donnell, Randolph M. Setser, Richard D. White
  • Patent number: 8126227
    Abstract: An X-ray computed tomographic apparatus includes an X-ray tube which generates X-rays, an X-ray detector which detects X-rays transmitted through a subject and generates projection data, and a reconstruction unit which generates a plurality of original volume data at different scanning times based on the projection data. This apparatus includes an unit which obtains difference volume data corresponding different scanning times by performing difference processing between original volume data at adjacent scanning times, an unit which extracts a blood vessel image on the basis of original volume data before and after the injection of a contrast medium, and an unit which generates a display image by providing the blood vessel image with color or luminance information corresponding to the arrival time of the contrast medium on the basis of the blood vessel image and the plurality of difference volume data corresponding to the different scanning times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuko Fujisawa
  • Patent number: 8126223
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device (DS), for superimposing known patterns, characteristic of a region, on (real) images of said region. The device (D) comprises, a memory (21) in which patterns are stored, which are representative of a selected region, of known position and orientation with relation to a common reference and processing means (22), for determining a pattern representative of the selected portion in the memory (21), on receipt of the designation of at least one portion of an observed image of the selected region, taken at a selected angle and at least one representative attribute of said region, taking account of the attribute selected, then superimposing the determined pattern on the selected portion of the image taking account of the selected angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations Inc.
    Inventors: Eve Coste-Maniere, Thierry Vieville, Fabien Mourgues
  • Patent number: 8107704
    Abstract: An image processing device for processing time-series intraluminal images captured by an imaging device moving in an in-vivo lumen. The image processing device includes a structural area extracting unit that extracts a structural area from the intraluminal image; a corresponding area extracting unit that extracts a corresponding area corresponding to the structural area from the intraluminal image at a second time point different from a first time point at which the structural area is extracted; a lumen deep portion extracting unit that extracts a lumen deep portion, on which a deep portion in the lumen is captured, from the intraluminal image; and a movement amount estimating unit that estimates a movement amount of the imaging device based on positions of the structural area, the corresponding area and the lumen deep portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventors: Yamato Kanda, Hiroshi Matsuzaki
  • Patent number: 8107703
    Abstract: Stress test analysis is facilitated through the acquired and manipulated use of a sequence of volumetric data regarding the heart (and may particularly comprise the left ventricle) for the assessment of the health state of the heart. Several provided and illustrated examples specifically relate to ultrasound volumetric data, but the volumetric data may be obtained through the use of any imaging modality (e.g., CT, MRI, X-ray, PET, SPECT, etc.) or combination thereof, and may be used to compute one or more functional quantitative metrics (e.g., ejection fraction.) The volumetric data may also be used to render one or more views of the heart, and particularly of the left ventricle. This disclosure relates to these and other uses of such volumetric data, and to some various implementations thereof, such as methods, systems, and graphical user interfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignees: University of Maryland, Baltimore, Cleveland Clinic Foundation
    Inventors: Raj Shekhar, Vivek Walimbe
  • Patent number: 8103076
    Abstract: A method to serially determine changes in perfusion to tissues is provided. This method involves injecting contrast material into a catheter that is positioned in the blood supply proximal to the targeted tissue of interest, acquiring a time series of images that depicts the uptake of this contrast material within the tissue, deriving semi-quantitative or quantitative perfusion metrics based upon the time series of perfusion images, altering perfusion to the targeted tissue by means of injecting pharmacologic agents or embolic agents into the blood vessels supplying the targeted tissue, repeating the acquisition of perfusion images to serially monitor changes in tissue perfusion after each alteration, and calculating changes in perfusion metrics after each series of perfusion images. This method is used to monitor changes in perfusion to various tissues, including a diverse array of tumors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Northwestern University
    Inventors: Andrew Christian Larson, Reed Ali Omary, Dingxin Wang
  • Patent number: 8103073
    Abstract: Physician interactive workstations with global cardiac voxel distribution visualization may also include one or more of a 3-D color scale image of a population of voxel in the heart and/or an electronic boundary-tracing tool configured to accept user input to electronically define at least one boundary of a target region of a heart in a medical image of a patient on a display. The workstation may be configured to evaluate intensity of voxels associated with tissue within the defined boundary of the target region of the heart whereby cardiotoxicity is evaluated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Wake Forest University Health Sciences
    Inventors: William Gregory Hundley, Craig A. Hamilton, Ralph B. D'Agostino
  • Patent number: 8098909
    Abstract: A technique is disclosed for generating a new contour and/or a 3D surface such as a variational implicit surface from contour data. In one embodiment, B-spline interpolation is used to efficiently generate a new contour (preferably a transverse contour), from a plurality of input contours (preferably, sagittal and/or coronal contours). In another embodiment, a point reduction operation is performed on data sets corresponding to any combination of transverse, sagittal, or coronal contour data prior to processing those data sets to generate a 3D surface such as a variational implicit surface. A new contour can also be generated by the intersection of this surface with an appropriately placed and oriented plane. In this manner, the computation of the variational implicit surface becomes sufficiently efficient to make its use for new contour generation practical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: Computerized Medical Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Lyndon S. Hibbard, Xiao Han
  • Patent number: 8090167
    Abstract: A neuronal measurement tool including: an input module, a grouping module, a metric selection module, a statistical test selection module, a raw measurement module, a clustering module and a statistical test module. The input module inputs digitally reconstructed neuronal morphologies. The grouping module groups the digitally reconstructed neuronal morphologies into groups. The metric selection module selects at least one metric of interest. The statistical test selection module selects a statistical test method. The raw measurement module gathers raw measurements associated with the metric(s) of interest on the digitally reconstructed neuronal morphologies. The clustering module clusters the raw measurements into groups and the statistical test module performs the statistical test method between the raw measurements clustered in the groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: George Mason Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Ruggero Scorcioni, Giorgio A. Ascoli, Sridevi Polavaram
  • Patent number: 8086008
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for superimposing known patterns, characteristic of a region, on (real) images of said region. The device comprises, a memory in which patterns are stored, which are representative of a selected region, of known position and orientation with relation to a common reference and processing means, for determining a pattern representative of the selected portion in the memory, on receipt of the designation of at least one portion of an observed image of the selected region, taken at a selected angle and at least one representative attribute of said region, taking account of the attribute selected, then superimposing the determined pattern on the selected portion of the image taking account of the selected angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Intuitive Surgical Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Eve Coste-Maniere, Thierry Vieville, Fabien Mourgues
  • Patent number: 8073213
    Abstract: A method for generating a registered image relative to a cardiac cycle and a respiratory cycle of a person is provided. The method includes generating a plurality of 2-D images of an anatomical region of the person. The method further includes generating a 3-D model of the anatomical region of the person. The 3-D model is associated with a predetermined phase of the cardiac cycle and a predetermined phase of the respiratory cycle. The method further includes selecting a first 2-D image from the plurality of 2-D images associated with the predetermined phase of the cardiac cycle and the predetermined phase of the respiratory cycle. The method further includes generating the registered image of the anatomical region utilizing the first 2-D image and the 3-D model. The method further includes storing the registered image in a memory device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignees: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Regis Vaillant, Elisabeth Soubelet, Jasbir Singh Sra
  • Patent number: 8064661
    Abstract: In a container of a cell culture device, a light source and a camera are arranged on both sides of an incubator, and the camera or incubator can be moved in relation to each other. An image of cells in the incubator is captured with a given focus. The medium, image density, and noise component of images captured while varying the focus of the camera have substantially similar pixel values. Consequently, by subjecting the data on the images captured with such different focuses to differential processing, only the cell portion can be extracted without being influenced by the color variation of the medium, the variation of the amount of light, the difference in brightness between the central and peripheral areas of the image, and the noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Kaneka Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Komori, Tsutomu Suzuki
  • Patent number: 8064663
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for evaluating at least one abnormality in one or more medical images of a subject comprising: (a) determining the location of each abnormality from pre-defined selection, (b) determining the pattern of each abnormality from pre-defined selection, (c) accessing a multidimensional database comprising data of patterns, locations, and conditions associated therewith, in which the database comprises data of each of patterns, locations, and conditions is comprised in separate dimension(s), and characteristic information for patterns, locations, and conditions is organized in the database into discrete categories, (d) extracting from the multidimensional database a list of conditions corresponding to the imaging data determined in steps (a) and (b), (e) providing an evaluation of abnormality using list obtained in step (d). The invention also relates to a database, computer program, system for navigating the database, a method for entering data into a database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Lieven Van Hoe
    Inventors: Lieven Van Hoe, Bart Verweire
  • Patent number: 8059873
    Abstract: A method of creating a segmentation of a volume of interest in an object data set is described, which object data set is formatted into object data slices, in which at least two object data slices each contain a contour line defining the portion of the volume of interest present in that object data slice as a region of interest. The method comprises the steps of calculating at least one surface which cuts through each of the at least two regions of interest, defining two curves on each surface which intersect with the contour lines, arranging for those curves to define the portion of the volume of interest present in the surface, calculating on each of the remaining object data slices a contour line which includes those points on the curves which intersect with that object data slice. A computer program and work station are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N V Eindhoven
    Inventors: Hubrechte Lambertus Tjalling De Bliek, Frans Andreas Gerritsen
  • Patent number: 8055098
    Abstract: An embodiment of a method for resolving features on a probe array is described that, comprises acquiring a plurality of micro-shifted images of a region of a probe array; reconstructing an image of the probe array using the micro-shifted images; and deriving intensity values for one or more probe features disposed on the probe array from the reconstructed image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Affymetrix, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael D. Kaiser, David R. Smith