EP0930046A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Method of, and apparatus for, imaging
Assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
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Filing: 1998-10-20
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2018-10-20
Abstract
Abstract A patient supported on a patient support ( 12 ) is moved into a bore ( 22 ) of a planning imaging device, such as a CT scanner ( 20 ). A three-dimensional diagnostic image in three-dimensional diagnostic image space is generated and stored in a memory. The patient is repositioned outside of the bore with a region of interest in alignment with a real time imaging device, such as a fluoroscopic imaging device ( 40 ). A surgical planning instrument ( 62 ), such as a pointer or biopsy needle, is mounted on an articulated arm ( 60 ). As the instrument is inserted into the region of interest, fluoroscopic images are generated and stored in a memory ( 140 ). The coordinate systems of the CT scanner, the fluoroscopic device, and the surgical instrument are correlated such that the instrument is displayed on both the CT images (134) and the fluoroscopic images (50) , such that cursors move concurrently along the fluoroscopic and CT images, and the like. In a preferred embodiment in which the cursor on the CT image display is at an intersection of transverse, sagittal, and coronal planes, the displayed planes change as the cursor moves coordinating the displayed CT image planes with the position of the cursor on the fluoroscopic image.
Inventors
- 👤 Jeffrey H. Yanof
- 👤 Pieter Gerhard Roos
- 👤 Kenneth L. Freeman
- 👤 Joseph S. Deucher
- 👤 Andrew J. Ivan
- 👤 Dominic J. Heuscher
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 21:51
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B90/00; A61B90/36; A61B6/00; A61B6/02; A61B6/027; A61B6/58; A61B6/582; A61B6/583; A61B6/584
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
110 words
A method of imaging in which a region of interest of a patient is imaged using a
three-dimensional diagnostic imaging technique to generate volumetric image data, as a
surgical instrument is inserted into the region of interest, a series of fluoroscopic
projection images of the region of interest are generated including the surgical instrument
for monitoring movement of the surgical instrument into the region of interest, the
volumetric image data being generated and displayed in a volumetric image coordinate
system and the fluoroscopic images being generated and displayed in a fluoroscopic
image coordinate system, and further including: electronically correlating the fluoroscopic
image coordinate system and the volumetric image coordinate system.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
62 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, further including: monitoring the position of the
surgical instrument in the fluoroscopic coordinate system; transforming the position of
the surgical instrument from the fluoroscopic image coordinate system into the volumetric
image coordinate system; and displaying an indication of the surgical instrument in the
volumetric image coordinate system superimposed on at least one volumetric image
display.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
83 words
A method as claimed in claim 1 and 2, further including: generating a
fluoroscopic image display; generating a volumetric image display; generating a cursor
display on one of the fluoroscopic and volumetric image displays; transforming a
coordinate location of the cursor from the coordinate system of the one display into the
coordinate system of the other display and displaying the cursor at the corresponding
coordinate position in the other display such that the cursor is displayed at corresponding
coordinate positions in both displays.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
86 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, further including: generating
at least two fluoroscopic projection images which are angularly displaced from each
other; analyzing the angularly displaced fluoroscopic projection images to determine at
least one of a position and trajectory of the instrument in the fluoroscopic image
coordinate system; transforming the instrument location or trajectory from the
fluoroscopic image coordinate system to the volumetric image coordinate system;
superimposing at least one of the instrument trajectory and position on the volumetric
image.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
50 words
A method as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, further including: projecting the
volumetric image to generate a projection image; transforming the projection image from
the volumetric image coordinate system into the fluoroscopic image coordinate system;
and displaying the transformed projection image in association with the fluoroscopic
image.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
95 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the correlating step
includes: correlating the volumetric image coordinate system with a coordinate system
of an instrument to determine a volumetric image space/instrument space transform
therebetween; correlating the fluoroscopic image coordinate system with the instrument
coordinate system to generate a fluoroscopic image space/instrument space transform
therebetween; combining the volumetric image space/instrument space transform with the
fluoroscopic space/instrument space transform to generate a fluoroscopic
space/volumetric image space transform for transforming directly between the
fluoroscopic image coordinate system and the volumetric image coordinate system.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
116 words
A method as claimed in claim 6, further including: operating on a coordinate
position of an instrument in instrument space with the volumetric image space/instrument
space transform to generate a corresponding position coordinate in the volumetric image
coordinate system; superimposing a display of the transformed coordinate on a display
of the volumetric image data; generating a human-readable display of the fluoroscopic
image data; generating a human-readable display from the volumetric image data;
superimposing a cursor on one of the fluoroscopic and volumetric image displays;
transforming coordinates of the cursor using the fluoroscopic space/volumetric image
space transform and generating a corresponding cursor display on the other image; under
operator control, moving the cursor coordinately in both images.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
47 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, further including: aligning a
centre line of the fluoroscopic image with a target in the patient while displaying the
position of this centreline on the volume display; inserting the surgical instrument along
the centre line.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
112 words
Medical imaging apparatus comprising a three-dimensional diagnostic imaging
apparatus for generating three-dimensional diagnostic image data which is indicative of
anatomical structure of a region of interest in which a patient is imaged, means for
generating a series of fluoroscopic projection images of the region of interest including
of an inserted surgical instrument for monitoring movement of the surgical instrument
into the region of interest, the volumetric image data being generated and displayed in
a volumetric image coordinate system and the fluoroscopic images being generated and
displayed in a fluoroscopic image coordinate system in use, and further including means
for electronically correlating the fluoroscopic image coordinate system and the volumetric
image coordinate system.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
225 words
Medical imaging apparatus comprising: a surgical instrument (62) which is
movable by an operator to any of a plurality of locations adjacent and in a region of
interest of a subject; a system (100) for generating electrical signals indicative of
coordinates of the instrument in instrument space; a three-dimensional diagnostic imaging
apparatus (20) for generating three-dimensional diagnostic image data which is indicative
of anatomical structure of the region of interest in three-dimensional image space; a three-dimensional
diagnostic image data memory (130) for storing the generated three-dimensional
diagnostic image data; a real time imaging device (40) for generating real
time image data of the region of interest of the subject and the medical instrument when
the medical instrument is positioned in or adjacent the region of interest in real time
image space; a transform processor (102, 120, 122) for transforming at least one
coordinate of the surgical instrument into the three-dimensional volumetric image space;
at least one human-readable display (134) connected with the transform processor, the
three-dimensional image data memory (144) and the real time imaging device (40) for
generating a human-readable display of a real time image and at least one of (i) slices of
the three-dimensional imaging data which slices intersect at the transformed coordinate
and (ii) an image generated from the three-dimensional image data with a representation
of the surgical instrument superimposed thereon.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
85 words
Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the real time imaging device includes
a C-arm (46) mounted fluoroscopic device (42) which generates fluoroscopic projection
images and further including: first and second fluoroscopic image memories (140, 140')
for storing fluoroscopic projection images taken at different angles; a processor (160) for
analyzing the fluoroscopic projection images to determine coordinates of a selected point
in fluoroscopic image space, which determined coordinates are supplied to the transform
processor (122) to be transformed into corresponding coordinates in three-dimensional
image space.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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