Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080267476 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RECONSTRUCTING IMAGE VOLUMES FROM HELICAL SCAN ACQUISITIIONS - A method and computer-readable medium for reconstructing an image volume of an object scanned in helical mode is provided. The method and computer-readable medium include obtaining one or more helical views corresponding to an image volume of an object and determining a plurality of discretized focal lengths within an imaging plane of the reconstructed field of view comprising the image volume. The method then comprises generating a plurality of circular scan sinograms for the plurality of discretized focal lengths. The plurality of circular scan sinograms are generated by interpolating the helical views. The method then comprises selecting one or more circular scan sinograms from the plurality of circular scan sinograms, based on the plurality of discretized focal lengths, wherein the selection is performed within a backprojection operation, for one or more image points within the imaging plane, over one or more circular views. The method then comprises using one or more of the selected circular scan sinograms, in the backprojection of one or more of the image points over one or more of the circular views. The method finally comprises performing a backprojection for all the image points over all the circular views to generate a reconstructed image of the object. | 10-30-2008 |
20090161939 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EXTRACTING FEATURES OF INTEREST FROM AN IMAGE - A technique is provided for extracting one or more features of interest from one or more projection images. The technique includes accessing projection images comprising at least one feature of interest enhanced by a contrast agent, generating a contrast agent null image based on the projection images, generating a bone mask based on the contrast agent null image, and generating a bone extracted image based on the bone mask. | 06-25-2009 |
20090214095 | SYSTEM AND METHOD TO OBTAIN NOISE MITIGTED MONOCHROMATIC REPRESENTATION FOR VARYING ENERGY LEVEL - In dual energy CT, through basis material decomposition (BMD), a pair of density images can be reconstructed. The noises in this image pair are negatively correlated due to the BMD process. A technique is presented for obtaining the monochromatic images at desired energy levels with reduced correlation noise. The technique includes obtaining a plurality of optimum attenuation coefficients for an energy level, selecting a desired energy level, obtaining a plurality of desired attenuation coefficients for the desired energy level, computing a scaling factor for a corresponding noise component based on the optimum attenuation coefficients and the desired attenuation coefficients, and generating a monochromatic image based upon the scaling factor. | 08-27-2009 |
20100310044 | PORTABLE TOMOGRAPHIC DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM WITH OPEN GANTRY - An imaging system includes a portable litter including a structural housing and a digital detector positioned in the structural housing to detect X-ray signals corresponding to a region of interest to be imaged. The imaging system further includes at least one X-ray source for generating the X-ray signals, the at least one X-ray source positioned above the portable litter on an open gantry arrangement and configured to generate X-rays from different focal spot locations. | 12-09-2010 |
20110052022 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DATA INTERPOLATION IN FAST KVP SWITCHING DUAL ENERGY CT - A CT system includes a rotatable gantry having an opening for receiving an object to be scanned, an x-ray source coupled to the gantry and configured to project x-rays through the opening, a generator configured to energize the x-ray source to a first kVp and to a second kVp to generate the x-rays, and a detector having pixels therein, the detector attached to the gantry and positioned to receive the x-rays. The system includes a computer programmed to acquire a first view dataset and a second view dataset with the x-ray source energized to the first kVp, interpolate the first and second view datasets to generate interpolated pixels in an interpolated view dataset at the first kVp, using at least two pixels from each of the first and second view datasets to generate each interpolated pixel in the interpolated view dataset, and generate an image of the object using the interpolated view dataset. | 03-03-2011 |
20110081071 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCTION OF METAL ARTIFACTS IN CT IMAGES - A method and apparatus include acquisition of a view dataset based on x-rays received by a detector corresponding to a energy level, reconstruction of an initial image using the view dataset, the initial image comprising a plurality of metal voxels at respective metal voxel locations, and generation of a metal mask corresponding to the plurality of metal voxels within the initial image. The method and apparatus also include forward projection of the metal mask onto the view dataset to identify metal dexels in the view dataset, performance of a weighted interpolation based on the identified metal dexels to generate a completed view dataset, reconstruction of a final image using the completed view dataset, the final image comprising a plurality of image voxels corresponding to the metal voxel locations, and replacement of a portion of the plurality of image voxels corresponding to the metal voxel locations with smoothed metal values. | 04-07-2011 |
20110150183 | DUAL-ENERGY IMAGING AT REDUCED SAMPLE RATES - The present disclosure relates to the generation of dual-energy X-ray data using a data sampling rate comparable to the rate utilized for single-energy imaging. In accordance with the present technique a reduced kVp switching rate is employed compared to conventional dual-energy imaging. Full angular resolution is achieved in the generated images. | 06-23-2011 |
20110243413 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMAGE DATA ACQUISITION - A technique for acquiring desired image data in an imaging system comprising at least one radiation source and a detector is described. Initially, preliminary image data corresponding to an object may be acquired. Further, at least one parameter associated with the radiation source and corresponding to a particular view angle of the radiation source may be determined based on the preliminary image data and a priori information. Similarly, at least one parameter associated with the detector and corresponding to the particular view angle may be determined based on a priori information and the preliminary image data. Efficient operating modes of the radiation source and the detector corresponding to the particular view angle may be selected based on the determined parameters to achieve a desired system performance. Subsequently, the final image data may be acquired using the selected operating modes of the radiation source and the detector. | 10-06-2011 |
20120134561 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CORRELATED NOISE SUPPRESSION IN DUAL ENERGY IMAGING - Methods and systems for correlated noise suppression are presented. The present correlated noise suppression technique estimates a correlation direction between noise values in a first and a second MD image corresponding to a first and a second basis material, respectively. The two MD images are diffused using the estimated correlation direction to generate a first and a second diffused image. Further, first and second noise masks are generated by subtracting the diffused image from the corresponding MD image. Edges in the first and the second MD images are processed with the first and second noise masks, respectively to generate a final first noise mask and a final second noise mask. The first MD image is then processed with the final second noise mask to generate a final first MD image and the second MD image is processed with the final first noise mask to generate a final second MD image. | 05-31-2012 |
20130226003 | FRACTIONAL FLOW RESERVE ESTIMATION - Approaches for assessing hemodynamic characteristics for an organ of interest are related. In one implementation, a fluid dynamics model may be provided with data derived from an anatomic imaging modality and blood flow information derived by ultrasound to derive the desired hemodynamic characteristics. In one such implementation, a fractional flow reserve is estimated. | 08-29-2013 |
20140005535 | FRACTIONAL FLOW RESERVE ESTIMATION | 01-02-2014 |
20140037049 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTERVENTIONAL IMAGING - An imaging system including an integral computed tomography and interventional (CT/I) system that includes a large-area detector configured to acquire projection data corresponding to a field of view of the system from one or more view angles is presented. The system includes a computing device operatively coupled to the CT/I system and configured to process the acquired projection data to generate a 2D projection image in real-time, a 3D cross-sectional image of a region of interest in the subject, a combined image using the 2D projection image and the 3D cross-sectional image and/or control selective generation of the 2D projection image, the 3D cross-sectional image and/or the combined image based on one or more imaging specifications. The system also includes a display operatively coupled to the computing device and configured to display the 2D projection image, the 3D cross-sectional image and/or the combined image based on the imaging specifications. | 02-06-2014 |
20140153690 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IMAGING DYNAMIC PROCESSES - Systems, methods and non-transitory computer readable media for imaging. The system includes one or more radiation sources and detectors configured to transmit x-ray radiation towards a subject for imaging a dynamic process in a ROI of the subject and to acquire projection data corresponding to the ROI, respectively. The system also includes a computing device operatively coupled to one or more of the radiation sources and the detectors. The computing device is configured to provide control signals for performing one or more reference scans for acquiring reference data from a plurality of angular positions around the subject and for performing one or more tomosynthesis scans using one or more tomosynthesis trajectories for acquiring tomosynthesis data following the onset of the dynamic process. Additionally, the computing device is configured to reconstruct one or more images representative of the dynamic process using the reference data and/or the tomosynthesis data. | 06-05-2014 |
20140169520 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DUAL ENERGY IMAGING - A method for processing projection data is provided. The method includes acquiring projection data of an object including a high-energy projection value and a low-energy projection value for each of a plurality of measurements, adjusting, for each measurement pair, the high- and low-energy projection values until a projection value difference between the high- and low-energy projection values is within a predetermined range of acceptable projection value differences, and generating an image of the object based on the adjusted high- and low-energy projection values. | 06-19-2014 |
20150029178 | ROBUST ARTIFACT REDUCTION IN IMAGE RECONSTRUCTION - Approaches are disclosed for removing or reducing metal artifacts in reconstructed images. The approaches include creating a metal mask in the projection domain, interpolating data within the metal mask, and perform a reconstruction using the interpolated data. In certain embodiments the metal structure is separately reconstructed and combined with the reconstructed volume. | 01-29-2015 |