Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for determining connected substructures within a body

US4751643A · kind A · utility

126Cited by
6References
36Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 4, 1986
Grant dateJun 14, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 4, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S378/901
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus and method for determining connected substructures within a body is disclosed. The system and method are particularly advantageous for use in medical diagnostic imaging applications. In particular, three dimensional regions exhibiting the same tissue type are similarly labeled. Using the label information together with a seed location located in the substructure of interest, all similarly labeled connected data points are determined. The system and method of the present invention is operable in any situation in which three dimensional signal patterns representing the value of one or more physical properties associated with the substructures within a body at regularly grid locations within the body are presented. A subset of the original data is then provided to a display processor particularly one employing gradient normal shading for display of three dimensional images.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.