Preprocessing methods for robust tracking of coronary arteries in cardiac computed tomography images and systems therefor
US6888916B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 18, 2003 |
| Grant date | May 3, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 10, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S378/901
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Preprocessing methods of this invention remove data relating to cavities of the heart, and improve density mix of parts left therein during CT imaging, so as to allow coronary arteries to be more accurately tracked with conventional tracking algorithms than currently possible. An embodiment comprises: obtaining an original CT voxel dataset comprising a plurality of voxels; creating a heart voxel dataset from the original voxel dataset comprising only voxels belonging to the heart; creating a heart minus cavities voxel dataset by removing voxels belonging to the left and right ventricles, the left and right atriums, and the aorta from the heart voxel dataset; enhancing predetermined voxels in the heart minus cavities voxel dataset to create an enhanced heart minus cavities voxel dataset; and mixing an intensity of the original CT voxel dataset with an intensity of the enhanced heart minus cavities voxel dataset to create the pre-processed voxel dataset.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.