Registration system and method for tracking lung nodules in medical images
US7657073B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 5, 2005 |
| Grant date | Feb 2, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 21, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2207/30061
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A nodule registration system useful for tracking lung nodules in computed tomography (CT) scans is presented. The system registers a small sphere centered on a detected nodule in one scan with another scan under a rigid transformation assumption using a fast registration scheme. The registration scheme employs very fast simulated annealing (VFSA) with constraints to maximize a tunable cross-correlation (TCC) coefficient, enabling the system to register, with minimal registration error, all nodules within their maximum diameter. The system achieves an average registration time of 10 seconds or less on a 3.06 GHz computer programmed to implement the present invention.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.