Method and apparatus for displaying images of tubular structures
US6643533B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 12, 2001 |
| Grant date | Nov 4, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 11, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S600/92
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and an apparatus for displaying a structure of a vessel are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes identifying a centerline of the vessel within a portion of the vessel that includes the structure, identifying a contour of the vessel within a cross-sectional plane that is normal to a selected point along the centerline, measuring lengths of a plurality of segments that pass across the contour through the selected point, selecting one of the plurality of segments, and displaying an imaging plane defined by the selected one segment and an axis that is tangent to the centerline at the point. In another embodiment, the method includes determining a centerline of a tubular structure, selecting a section of the centerline, determining a plane that minimizes the distance to the selected section, and displaying the plane.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.