Patent · US Expired

Apparatus for matching X-ray images with reference images

US5784431A · kind A · utility

118Cited by
3References
28Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 29, 1996
Grant dateJul 21, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 29, 2016

Classification

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

Abstract

X-ray images such as radiotherapy portal images and simulation images are matched by apparatus which digitizes the images and automatically processes the digitized signals to generate matched digitized signals which can be displayed for comparison. The digitized images are first coarse aligned using a transform generated from seed points selected interactively from the two images or through detection and identification of x-ray opaque fiducials placed on the patient. A fine alignment is then performed by first selecting intersecting regions of the two images and enhancing those regions. Secondly, an updated transform is generated using robust motion flow in these regions at successive ascending levels of resolution. The updated transform is then used to align the images which are displayed for comparison. The updated transform can also be used to control the radiotherapy equipment.

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