Medical image imaging system, method and storage medium

Abstract

The application provides a medical image imaging system, method and storage medium. The medical image imaging system comprises a first imaging device, a second imaging device, an image reconstruction unit and an image registration unit. The first imaging device acquires a reference medical image of an object to be detected; the second imaging device acquires scanning data matched with the reference medical image; the image reconstruction unit reconstructs a first medical image according to the scanning data; and the image registration unit registers the reference medical image and the first medical image to obtain a registered reference medical image, which is used to reconstruct a target medical image of the object to be detected. The application can realize automatic registration and reconstruction (including attenuation correction) of medical images, reduce the operation complexity of image registration, and save time and cost.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of medical image processing, and in particular to an image imaging system and method, an electronic device and a storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] PET (Positron Emission Tomography) / CT (Computed Tomography) dual-mode imaging can obtain a PET image with functional information and a CT image with fine anatomical structure information, and the fusion of the two images can obtain comprehensive information related to the human body in terms of anatomy, function and metabolism, so as to accurately locate the lesion position and improve the accuracy of disease diagnosis. Therefore, CT-PET has irreplaceable advantages in assisting clinicians to diagnose various tumors, cardiovascular diseases and nervous system diseases at an earlier and more accurate stage, guiding reasonable treatment and timely monitoring of therapeutic effects.

[0003] In the prior art, a PET device and a CT device can be used jointly and share the same scanning bed, and at least one display screen is configured to complete the configuration confirmation of PET scanning and CT scanning. During imaging, the scanning object is quickly subjected to CT scanning, and then subjected to PET scanning. Taking myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) as an example, the workflow of myocardial perfusion imaging usually needs to perform at least one CT scan and two PET scans, and the PET image needs to be registered and confirmed with the CT image after each scan. Therefore, for a single-screen PET / CT system, the operator needs to repeatedly switch between a patient examination (EXAM) interface and an image review interface to perform registration confirmation, which is not only complicated to operate, but also time-consuming and inefficient.

[0004] To solve this problem, in the prior art, a dual-screen mode is usually adopted, in which one screen is used to present a patient examination interface for patient scanning, and the other screen is used for image registration. This scheme can improve the efficiency of image registration without the need for repeated switching between interfaces, but the use of two screens obviously increases the cost of medical imaging equipment.

[0005] Therefore, how to provide a low-cost and simple-to-operate medical image imaging scheme to realize automatic registration of PET images and CT images has become one of the technical problems to be solved by those skilled in the art.

[0006] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section of the present application is only intended to deepen the understanding of the general background of the present application, and should not be regarded as acknowledging or implying in any form that the information is prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a medical imaging system, method, electronic device and storage medium. The present invention can reduce the operational complexity of image registration without increasing the hardware cost (such as the display screen) of the imaging system, save time and cost, thereby improving the efficiency of image registration and attenuation correction, and further assisting doctors in improving diagnosis / treatment efficiency.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a medical imaging system, comprising: a first imaging device configured to acquire a reference medical image of an object to be detected;

[0009] a second imaging device configured to acquire scan data that matches the reference medical image;

[0010] an image reconstruction unit, configured to reconstruct a first medical image according to the scan data;

[0011] The image registration unit is configured to register the reference medical image and the first medical image to obtain a registered reference medical image for reconstructing a target medical image of the object to be detected.

[0012] Optionally, the image reconstruction unit is further configured to perform image reconstruction based on the registered reference medical image and the scan data to obtain a target medical image of the object to be detected.

[0013] Optionally, the image registration unit is further configured to output the registered reference medical image so that the image reconstruction unit can perform offline image reconstruction based on the scan data and the registered reference medical image saved in advance to obtain the target medical image of the object to be detected.

[0014] Optionally, a human-computer interaction unit is also included;

[0015] The human-computer interaction unit is configured to obtain a timing for registering the reference medical image and the first medical image;

[0016] Used to determine whether to use the registered reference medical image for offline reconstruction; and / or used to select the registered reference medical image for reconstructing the target medical image.

[0017] Optionally, the system further includes an imaging control unit, wherein the imaging control unit is configured to trigger the image registration unit to automatically register the reference medical image and the first medical image when the reference medical image and the first medical image are detected, so as to obtain a registered reference medical image;

[0018] The imaging control unit is further configured to trigger the image reconstruction unit to automatically perform image reconstruction based on the registered reference medical image and the scan data when the registered reference medical image is detected, so as to obtain a target medical image of the object to be detected.

[0019] Optionally, a display unit is further included, and the display unit is used to display at least one of the reference medical image, the first medical image, the registered reference medical image and the target medical image.

[0020] Optionally, the first imaging device includes a CT device, and the second imaging device includes a PET device.

[0021] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention further provides a medical imaging method, the medical imaging method comprising:

[0022] acquiring a reference medical image using a first imaging device;

[0023] acquiring scan data matching the reference medical image using a second imaging device;

[0024] Reconstructing the scan data using an image reconstruction unit to obtain a first medical image;

[0025] An image registration unit is used to register the reference medical image and the first medical image to obtain a registered reference medical image to reconstruct a target medical image of the object to be detected.

[0026] Optionally, the medical imaging method is used in a myocardial perfusion imaging workflow; the medical imaging method includes one CT scan and two PET scans;

[0027] Wherein, one CT scan is used to obtain the reference medical image;

[0028] One of the PET scans is used to obtain a target medical image of the myocardium in a resting state, and the other PET scan is used to obtain a target medical image of the myocardium in a loaded state.

[0029] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention also provides a storage medium, which is a computer-readable storage medium; the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements any of the above-mentioned medical imaging methods.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the medical imaging system, method, electronic device, and storage medium provided by the present invention have the following advantages:

[0031] The medical image imaging system provided by the present invention includes a first imaging device, a second imaging device, an image registration unit and an image reconstruction unit. The first imaging device is configured to obtain a reference medical image of the object to be detected; the second imaging device is configured to obtain scanning data that matches the reference medical image; the image reconstruction unit is configured to reconstruct a first medical image based on the scanning data; and the image registration unit is configured to register the reference medical image and the first medical image to obtain the registered reference medical image for reconstructing the target medical image of the object to be detected. Therefore, the medical image imaging system provided by the present invention can automatically realize the registration and reconstruction of medical images (which can also include attenuation correction during the reconstruction process) without increasing any hardware (such as display screen) costs, can reduce the operational complexity of image registration, save time and cost, thereby improving the efficiency of image registration and reconstruction, and further assisting doctors in improving diagnosis / treatment efficiency.

[0032] Since the medical image imaging method, electronic device and storage medium provided by the present invention belong to the same inventive concept as the medical image imaging method provided by the present invention, they at least have all the advantages of the medical image imaging method, and will not be described one by one here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a medical imaging system provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the flow of a medical imaging method provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 3 A diagram showing a specific example of applying the medical imaging method provided by the present invention;

[0036] Figure 4 Another specific example diagram of the medical imaging method provided by the present invention;

[0037] Figure 5 A schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] The accompanying drawings are numerals as follows:

[0039] 100 - first imaging device, 200 - second imaging device, 300 - image reconstruction unit, 400 - image registration unit, 500 - human-computer interaction unit, 600 - display unit; 700 - imaging control unit;

[0040] 801 - processor, 802 - communication interface, 803 - memory, 804 - communication bus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] The following is a further detailed description of the medical image imaging system, method, electronic device and storage medium proposed in the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. According to the following description, the advantages and features of the present invention will become clearer. It should be noted that the drawings are in a very simplified form and are not in precise proportions, which are only used to conveniently and clearly assist in explaining the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention. In order to make the purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, please refer to the drawings. It should be noted that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc. illustrated in the drawings of this specification are only used to match the contents disclosed in the specification for people familiar with this technology to understand and read, and are not used to limit the conditions for the implementation of the present invention. Any modification of the structure, change in the proportional relationship or adjustment of the size should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in the present invention, provided that the effects and purposes that can be achieved are the same or similar to those that can be produced by the present invention.

[0042] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply the existence of any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the element.

[0043] The core concept of the present invention is to address the problem of complex and inefficient operation caused by the need for repeated manual confirmation when aligning PET images with CT images in the existing CT-PET system. The present invention provides a medical image imaging system and method that can automatically achieve medical image registration and reconstruction (including attenuation correction) without increasing the hardware cost (such as the display screen) of the imaging system. This can reduce the operational complexity of image registration, save time and cost, thereby improving the efficiency of image registration and reconstruction, and further assist doctors in improving diagnosis / treatment efficiency.

[0044] To achieve the above-mentioned concept, the present invention provides a medical imaging system, method, electronic device, and storage medium, particularly suitable for CT-PET systems. The present invention can realize automatic registration of CT images and PET images in offline and / or online modes, as well as attenuation correction of PET images.

[0045] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, before specifically introducing the medical image imaging system, method, electronic device and storage medium provided by the present invention, the basic principles of the present invention are briefly described as follows: The basic principle of the medical image imaging system provided by the present invention is to perform automatic registration after obtaining a reference medical image or after obtaining an uncorrected first medical image that matches the reference medical image to obtain a registered reference medical image. After automatic registration, subsequent scanning data is automatically or manually selected for image reconstruction to obtain a target medical image.

[0046] It should be noted that although the following embodiments of the present invention are described using a CT-PET system as an example, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, the CT-PET system is not a limitation of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention can be applied to various image processing systems, including but not limited to positron emission tomography (PET) systems, hybrid computed tomography-positron emission tomography (CT-PET) systems, hybrid magnetic resonance-positron emission tomography (MR-PET) systems, hybrid computed tomography-magnetic resonance (CT-MR) systems, and the like. Furthermore, although the following embodiments of the present invention use myocardial perfusion (MPI) as an example to illustrate the application of the medical imaging systems and methods provided by the present invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the medical imaging systems and methods of the present invention are applicable, but not limited to, to non-invasive imaging, such as for the diagnosis and research of diseases.

[0047] Example 1

[0048] This embodiment provides a medical imaging system. Figure 1 , which schematically shows the structure of the medical imaging system provided in this example. Figure 1 It can be seen that the medical imaging system provided in this example includes: a first imaging device 100 , a second imaging device 200 , an image reconstruction unit 300 and an image registration unit 400 .

[0049] Specifically, the first imaging device 100 is configured to acquire a reference medical image of the subject to be detected; the second imaging device 200 is configured to acquire scan data that matches the medical reference image; the image reconstruction unit 300 is configured to reconstruct a first medical image based on the scan data. The image registration unit 400 is configured to register the reference medical image with the first medical image to obtain a registered reference medical image for use in reconstructing a target medical image of the subject to be detected.

[0050] So configured, the medical image imaging system provided in this embodiment can automatically realize the registration and reconstruction of medical images without increasing any hardware costs (such as display screens), can reduce the operational complexity of image registration, save time and costs, thereby improving the efficiency of image registration and reconstruction, and further assisting doctors in improving diagnosis / treatment efficiency.

[0051] As one exemplary embodiment, the first imaging device 100 includes a CT (Computed Tomography) device, and the second imaging device 200 includes a PET device.

[0052] As those skilled in the art will appreciate, prior to CT scanning, positioning is required to determine the scanning range, which can be achieved by scanning a positioning film. Preferably, as one preferred embodiment, the CT device can be reused as a positioning image acquisition unit (not shown) to acquire a positioning image of the test object. For example, the X-ray tube is positioned and fixed at the desired angle (anteroposterior or lateral), and the patient is automatically placed into the gantry as the bed moves, and a series of X-ray exposures are performed (for example, the bed is first moved to the starting position for the scan, and then the positioning film is scanned according to the set scan length). This method can produce a positioning image similar to a plain X-ray film. This method is relatively intuitive and accurate, and is currently used in most CT examinations. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the method for acquiring the positioning image. In other embodiments, the positioning image can also be acquired using methods other than the positioning function of the CT system scanning software. For example, a camera can be used to image the patient, and the scanning range of the first imaging device can be determined based on the image obtained by the camera.

[0053] Furthermore, because CT equipment utilizes the different attenuation coefficients of transmitted X-rays in various parts of the human body, reconstructing human tomographic images can provide high-resolution anatomical images and has high sensitivity in detecting changes in tissue morphology and structure, but its ability to further distinguish lesion characteristics is insufficient; while PET equipment uses positron radionuclides as tracers, and understands the functional metabolic state of the lesion through the uptake of the tracer by the lesion site, which can display the pathophysiological characteristics of the lesion and make it easier to detect the lesion, but the spatial resolution of PET is relatively low. Therefore, the medical imaging system provided by the present invention can organically combine PET technology and CT technology by using a CT device as the first imaging device 100 and a PET device as the second imaging device 200, using the same examination bed and the same image processing workstation, which can significantly save medical resources. Therefore, the medical imaging system provided by this embodiment can also use image reconstruction and fusion technology to form a series of superimposed PET / CT fusion images, which can simultaneously reflect the pathophysiological changes and morphological and structural changes of the lesion, thereby achieving complementary advantages and helping to improve the efficiency and accuracy of diagnosis and treatment.

[0054] Furthermore, in the medical image imaging system provided in this example, since the scanning data acquired by the second imaging device 200 matches the reference image (for example, having an appropriate axial field of view, FOV), the first medical image reconstructed by the image reconstruction unit 300 based on the scanning data must also match the reference medical image. Therefore, it is also easier for the image registration unit 400 to register the reference medical image and the first medical image, thereby making it easier to achieve reconstruction and attenuation correction based on the registered reference medical image and the scanning data, thereby improving the imaging efficiency and image quality of the target medical image.

[0055] Furthermore, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, the operating principle of a PET device is to label a positron-emitting radionuclide with a compound that participates in blood flow or metabolic processes in human tissue. The radionuclide labeled with the positron-emitting compound is then injected into a subject, and the subject undergoes PET imaging within the PET's effective field of view. During a PET scan, the positrons emitted by the radionuclide combine with negative electrons in the tissue to produce annihilation radiation (i.e., an annihilation event), generating two gamma photons of equal energy and opposite directions. Because the two gamma photons travel different distances within the body, they arrive at the two PET detectors at different times. If, within a specified time window, a probe system located on the response line detects two photons at 180 degrees to each other, this constitutes a coincidence event. The processing device then records the response data, which is then reconstructed using image reconstruction techniques to obtain the desired PET image. Before the gamma photons reach the PET detector, they will be attenuated in the human body. If this attenuation factor is not corrected, it will cause attenuation artifacts in the reconstructed PET image, such as the edge image of the object being too bright and the image of the internal tissue of the object being too dark, which will affect the doctor's diagnosis. Therefore, correction measures must be taken to obtain more realistic medical images. The medical image imaging system provided in this example can obtain a tissue attenuation coefficient map using CT scanning, thereby providing attenuation correction information for the PET device. For example, the image reconstruction unit 300 is used to reconstruct a first medical image that has not been attenuated. The reference medical image obtained by the CT device and the first medical image are used for registration. The registration result is used to reconstruct the scan data, which can reduce the risk of misdiagnosis caused by attenuation correction misalignment.

[0056] Preferably, in one exemplary embodiment, the image reconstruction unit 300 is further configured to perform image reconstruction based on the registered reference medical image and the scan data to obtain a target medical image of the subject to be examined. With this configuration, the medical imaging system provided in this embodiment can reconstruct the scan data obtained by the second imaging device 200 using the registered reference medical image acquired after image registration, thereby obtaining an attenuation-corrected image as the target medical image. Consequently, this embodiment can improve imaging efficiency and quality.

[0057] It should be noted that those skilled in the art should be able to understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific method of performing attenuation correction on the scanning data (including dynamic sequence data, gated sequence data, etc.), such as using the AI ​​method to infer attenuation information based on the distribution of radioactive activity, and also deriving the μ value corresponding to 511keV from the HU value of CT (μ value corresponding to 140keV).

[0058] Preferably, in one exemplary embodiment, the image registration unit 400 is further configured to output the registered reference medical image for the image reconstruction unit 300 to perform offline image reconstruction based on the scan data and the registered reference medical image saved in advance, so as to obtain the target medical image of the object to be detected. Therefore, the medical image imaging system provided by this embodiment can not only realize online reconstruction, but also lay the foundation for subsequent offline reconstruction by outputting the registered reference medical image. In other words, the medical image imaging system provided by the present invention can realize both online reconstruction and offline reconstruction. Therefore, this imaging mode of one-time registration and several reconstructions can not only improve the imaging efficiency of online reconstruction, but also support online reconstruction and offline reconstruction, have good flexibility, and are more convenient for realizing resource sharing of medical images.

[0059] Preferably, please continue to see Figure 1 In one exemplary embodiment, the system further includes a human-computer interaction unit 500. Specifically, the human-computer interaction unit 500 is configured to determine a timing for registering the reference medical image and the first medical image. More specifically, the registration timing includes after the image reconstruction unit 300 acquires the first medical image or before the image reconstruction unit 300 reconstructs the target medical image.

[0060] Further, as preferred, the human-machine interaction unit 500 is further configured to obtain whether the registered reference medical image is used for offline reconstruction. In other words, through the human-machine interaction unit 500, it is flexible to decide whether to output the registered reference medical image. If the registered reference medical image is selected to be output, the registered reference medical image can be manually selected to reconstruct and attenuation correct the scan data, no matter whether the reconstruction is online or offline.

[0061] Optionally, the human-machine interaction unit 500 is configured to select the registered reference medical image for reconstructing the target medical image. For example, no matter whether the reconstruction is online or offline, the user can select the registered reference medical image through the human-machine interaction unit 500 for a new reconstruction task to obtain the target medical image. It is particularly noted that the scan data used in the new reconstruction task is the scan data used to obtain the registered reference medical image (obtained in the same scan).

[0062] Therefore, the medical image imaging system provided by the embodiment can obtain the registered reference medical image (i.e., the ACCT sequence, attenuation correction CT) after obtaining the first medical image, which lays a solid foundation for offline reconstruction and manual selection of the registered reference medical image for subsequent scan data reconstruction. It can be seen that the medical image imaging system provided by the embodiment can support both online reconstruction and offline reconstruction, and has good flexibility.

[0063] Preferably, in one of the exemplary embodiments, the medical imaging system further comprises an imaging control unit 700. Specifically, the imaging control unit 700 is configured to trigger the image registration unit 400 to automatically register the reference medical image and the first medical image to obtain a registered reference medical image when the reference medical image and the first medical image are detected; the imaging control unit 700 is further configured to trigger the image reconstruction unit 300 to automatically perform image reconstruction based on the registered reference medical image and the scan data to obtain a target medical image of the object to be detected when the registered reference medical image is detected. In this way, the medical imaging system provided by the embodiment can automatically register and automatically reconstruct the target medical image, and the entire process does not need to switch the working interface, which can significantly reduce the operation complexity and save the labor and time cost.

[0064] Preferably, the medical imaging system provided in one exemplary embodiment further includes a display unit 600, configured to display at least one of the first medical image, the reference medical image, the registered reference medical image, and the target medical image (including the attenuation-corrected medical image). With this configuration, the medical imaging system provided in this embodiment, via the display unit 600, enables a physician to more easily observe the first medical image, the reference medical image, the registered reference medical image, and / or the target medical image, thereby improving diagnostic efficiency and accuracy.

[0065] As can be understood by those skilled in the art, the medical imaging system provided in this embodiment may further include a frame (not shown in the figure) that carries the positioning image acquisition unit 100, the first imaging device 100, and the second imaging device 200, as well as a bed assembly (not shown in the figure) for carrying the object to be detected. In one embodiment, the first imaging device 100 and the second imaging device 200 may be supported by their own frames or by a common frame. Taking the second imaging device 200 as a PET device as an example, a plurality of pairs of detectors are mounted on the frame, and the plurality of pairs of detectors are arranged along the circumference to form a detector ring. Optionally, the frame may have a plurality of detector rings arranged along the central axis of the circumference to increase the axial field of view (FOV) of the second imaging device 200. The object to be detected may be imaged within the imaging field of view surrounded by the plurality of detectors. The image registration unit 400 is used to control various data processing operations such as imaging and image reconstruction processes.

[0066] Furthermore, the image reconstruction unit 300, image registration unit 400, and imaging control unit 700 in the medical imaging system provided in this example can be implemented in software or hardware. Preferably, the image reconstruction unit 300, image registration unit 400, and imaging control unit 700 in this embodiment are implemented in a combination of software and hardware, and may include a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory. When executed, the computer program controls the first imaging device 100 to acquire a reference medical image, controls the second imaging device 200 to acquire scan data matching the medical reference image, and reconstructs a first medical image based on the scan data. The image registration unit 400 registers the reference medical image with the first medical image to obtain a registered reference medical image for use in reconstructing the target medical image of the object to be examined. In particular, the processor, the memory, the first imaging device 100, the second imaging device 200, and the display unit 600 are interconnected. This connection can be a wireless network connection or a wired network connection. A wired network can include one or more combinations of metal cables, hybrid cables, one or more interfaces, and the like. The wireless network may include one or more combinations of Bluetooth, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), near field communication (NFC), etc. Furthermore, the human-computer interaction unit 500 may be an operation button on the operation interface presented by the image reconstruction unit 300 and the image registration unit 400 on the display unit 600, or may be other interactive devices capable of interacting with the medical imaging system, including but not limited to operation buttons, touch sensing devices, and / or voice control devices provided on the frame or the display unit 600.

[0067] The processor, the memory, the human-computer interaction unit 500 and the display unit 600 can be integrated in an electronic device such as a portable computer, a tablet, a mobile phone, a smart terminal device and the like. The processor can be centralized, for example, a data center; or distributed, for example, a distributed system. The processor can be local or remote. Further, in some embodiments, the processor can include a combination of one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an application specific instruction set processor (ASIP), a physics processing unit (PPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a processor, a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, and the like.

[0068] Embodiment Two

[0069] The present example provides a medical image imaging method, specifically, please refer to Figure 2 which schematically shows the flowchart of the medical image imaging method provided by the present example, from Figure 2 It can be seen that the medical image imaging method provided by the present example includes the following steps:

[0070] S100: acquiring a reference medical image using a first imaging device;

[0071] S200: acquiring scanning data matched with the reference medical image using a second imaging device;

[0072] S300: reconstructing the scanning data to obtain a first medical image using an image reconstruction unit;

[0073] S400: registering the reference medical image and the first medical image to obtain a registered reference medical image using an image registration unit, for reconstructing a target medical image of the to-be-detected object.

[0074] Therefore, the medical image imaging system provided in this embodiment can flexibly realize the registration and reconstruction of medical images without increasing any hardware costs (such as display screens), reduce the operational complexity of image registration, save time and costs, thereby improving the efficiency of image registration and attenuation correction, and assisting doctors in improving diagnosis / treatment efficiency.

[0075] As those skilled in the art can understand, before step S100 , a positioning film scan may be further included to obtain an area where a tissue organ corresponding to the target medical image of the object to be detected is located.

[0076] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the following uses the medical imaging method provided in this example as an example for a myocardial perfusion imaging workflow. However, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, the medical imaging method provided in this example is not limited to myocardial perfusion imaging workflows. The medical imaging method provided in this example can also be used to help doctors detect tumor metastases and recurrences, monitor treatment efficacy, and locate lesions. Based on actual circumstances, this example can be used to apply inferences to other situations, and no further examples will be given.

[0077] Preferably, in one exemplary embodiment, see Figure 3 and Figure 4 ,in, Figure 3 A diagram showing a specific example of applying the medical imaging method provided by the present invention; Figure 4 Another specific example diagram of the medical imaging method provided by the present invention. Figure 3 and Figure 4 It can be seen that the medical imaging method provided in this embodiment includes one CT scan and two PET scans, and each PET scan includes three PET reconstructions.

[0078] Specifically, according to Figure 3 and Figure 4It can be seen that in the medical imaging method provided in this embodiment, one of the CT scans is used to obtain a reference medical image (i.e., ACCT1, such as a CT image of the heart of the subject to be examined); one of the PET scans is used to obtain a target medical image of the myocardium in a resting state, and another of the PET scans is used to obtain a target medical image under myocardial stress. More specifically, the three PET reconstructions include PET 3.1, PET 3.2, and PET 3.3; PET 3.1 is used to obtain an uncorrected first medical image in a resting state that matches the reference medical image (the CT image of the heart); PET 3.2 is used to obtain a target medical image in a dynamic sequence; and PET 3.3 is used to obtain a target medical image in a gated sequence. Therefore, the medical imaging method provided in this embodiment only requires a single CT scan to obtain anatomical information of organ tissues, which is then registered with the first medical image PET 3.1 reconstructed from the scan data obtained by the PET scan to obtain a registered reference medical image. That is, based on this registered reference medical image, attenuation correction can be performed in multiple subsequent PET reconstruction tasks to achieve PET reconstruction and obtain the target medical image. Therefore, the medical image imaging method provided in this embodiment can reduce the operational complexity of image registration, save time and cost, thereby improving the efficiency of image registration and attenuation correction, and further assisting doctors in improving diagnosis / treatment efficiency.

[0079] It should be noted that although the first medical image is reconstructed first, and then the dynamic sequence of target medical images is reconstructed using PET3.2, PET3.1 and PET3.2 utilize the same raw PET scan data. Therefore, in practical applications, as a preferred embodiment, some pre-calculation performed during PET3.1 reconstruction can be reused during PET3.2 reconstruction to further improve reconstruction efficiency. The present invention does not impose any limitations on the specific details of PET reconstruction, and reference may be made to existing technical solutions, which will not be further elaborated upon here.

[0080] Please continue to see Figure 3 , Figure 3 The timing for obtaining the attenuation correction parameters in the medical imaging method provided by this embodiment is after the PET3.1 is completed and a new ACCT2 sequence (i.e., the reference medical image after registration) is output. Figure 3 It can be seen that Figure 3The shown embodiment outputs a new ACCT2 sequence, thus, after PET3.1, automatic registration is realized by calling the image registration unit 400; in one embodiment, the reconstruction task can be manually triggered, and then the imaging control unit 700 automatically calls the image reconstruction unit 300 to automatically reconstruct to obtain the target medical image; in another embodiment, the registered reference medical image can also be manually selected for online or offline reconstruction. With such a configuration, the medical image imaging system provided in this embodiment can realize automatic attenuation correction in image reconstruction, and at the same time, manual selection of sequences for attenuation correction for offline reconstruction is possible, which has better flexibility.

[0081] Please continue to see Figure 4 , Figure 4 The corresponding medical image imaging method provided in this embodiment acquires the registered reference medical image at a timing before the start of PET3.2, and the registered reference medical image is automatically registered for subsequent attenuation correction of PET3.2 and PET3.3. Further, after PET3.2 (including PET3.2, PET3.3, …), the imaging control unit 700 can automatically call the image reconstruction unit 300 to automatically reconstruct online according to the registered reference medical image to obtain the target medical image.

[0082] It can be seen from Figure 3 and Figure 4 that the medical image imaging method provided in this embodiment does not limit the timing of acquiring attenuation correction parameters, thereby facilitating scanning and reconstruction of the CT-PET system and having flexibility of online reconstruction or offline reconstruction.

[0083] Further, although the above embodiments take one CT scan and two PET scans as an example, and each PET scan includes three PET reconstructions, those skilled in the art should understand that this is not a limitation of the present application. Please continue to see Figure 3 and Figure 4 , CT scans for diagnosis can also be included. Similarly, in other embodiments, scans other than two PET scans can also be included, such as three PET scans, four PET scans, etc.; and each PET scan can also include more than three times of reconstruction, such as two times, four times, etc., to further improve the quality of the obtained target medical image and facilitate doctors to improve the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment.

[0084] Embodiment Three

[0085] Based on the same inventive concept as the medical image imaging method, this embodiment provides an electronic device, please refer to Figure 5 , which schematically shows a block diagram of the electronic device provided in this embodiment. Figure 5 As shown, the electronic device includes a processor 801 and a memory 803. The memory 803 stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the processor 801, it implements the medical imaging method described above. Since the electronic device provided by the present invention and the medical imaging method described above are based on the same inventive concept, it has all the advantages of the medical imaging method described above, and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0086] like Figure 5 As shown, the electronic device further includes a communication interface 802 and a communication bus 804, wherein the processor 801, the communication interface 802, and the memory 803 communicate with each other via the communication bus 804. The communication bus 804 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The communication bus 804 may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in the figure, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus. The communication interface 802 is used for communication between the electronic device and other devices.

[0087] The processor 801 referred to in the present invention may be a central processing unit (CPU), other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The processor 801 is the control center of the electronic device, connecting various parts of the entire electronic device using various interfaces and lines.

[0088] The memory 803 may be used to store the computer program. The processor 801 implements various functions of the electronic device by running or executing the computer program stored in the memory 803 and calling the data stored in the memory 803.

[0089] The memory 803 may include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in various forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), RAMbus direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and RAMbus dynamic RAM (RDRAM).

[0090] The present invention also provides a readable storage medium storing a computer program. When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the medical imaging method described above. Because the readable storage medium provided by the present invention and the medical imaging method described above are based on the same inventive concept, it possesses all the advantages of the medical imaging method described above and will not be further described.

[0091] The readable storage medium of the embodiment of the present invention can adopt any combination of one or more computer-readable media. The readable medium can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to, a system, device or component of electricity, magnetism, light, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor, or any combination thereof. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable storage media include: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer hard disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. In this article, a computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium containing or storing a program, which can be used by an instruction execution system, device or device or used in combination with it.

[0092] A computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries computer-readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium may also be any computer-readable medium other than a computer-readable storage medium that can transmit, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0093] Computer program code for performing the operations of the present invention may be written in one or more programming languages, or a combination thereof, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as "C" or similar programming languages. The program code may be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In cases involving a remote computer, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or may be connected to an external computer (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0094] In summary, compared with the existing technology, the medical image imaging system, method, electronic device and storage medium provided by the present invention have the following advantages: the medical image imaging system provided by the present invention can automatically realize the registration and reconstruction of medical images without increasing any hardware (such as display screen) costs, can reduce the operational complexity of image registration, save time and cost, thereby improving the efficiency of image registration and reconstruction (including attenuation correction), and thus assisting doctors to improve diagnosis / treatment efficiency.

[0095] It should be noted that the devices and methods disclosed in the embodiments of this document may also be implemented in other ways. The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architectures, functions, and operations of the devices, methods, and computer program products according to the various embodiments of this document. In this regard, each box in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, program, or portion of code, wherein the module, program segment, or portion of code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function, and the module, program segment, or portion of code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the boxes may also occur in an order different from that marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two consecutive boxes may actually be executed substantially in parallel, or they may sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flowchart, and the combination of boxes in the block diagram and / or flowchart, may be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system for performing the specified function or action, or may be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0096] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this document may be integrated together to form an independent part, or each module may exist independently, or two or more modules may be integrated to form an independent part.

[0097] The above description is merely a description of preferred embodiments of the present invention and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Any changes or modifications made by persons skilled in the art based on the above disclosure are within the scope of protection of the present invention. Obviously, various modifications and variations may be made by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the present invention and its equivalents, the present invention is intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A medical imaging system, characterized in that: include: a first imaging device configured to acquire a reference medical image of the object to be detected; a second imaging device configured to acquire scan data matching the reference medical image; the scan data corresponding to two scans in a myocardial rest state and a myocardial stress state; an image reconstruction unit, configured to reconstruct the scan data obtained from each scan to obtain a first medical image; an image registration unit, configured to register the reference medical image and the first medical image to obtain a registered reference medical image; The image reconstruction unit is further configured to perform image reconstruction based on the registered reference medical image and the scan data after attenuation correction based on the inferred attenuation information of the radioactivity distribution, to obtain a target medical image of the object to be detected; the target medical image is reconstructed from dynamic sequence data or gated sequence data; The image registration unit is further configured to output the registered reference medical image so that the image reconstruction unit can perform offline image reconstruction based on the scan data and the registered reference medical image saved in advance to obtain the target medical image of the object to be detected.

2. The medical imaging system according to claim 1, wherein: It also includes a human-computer interaction unit; The human-computer interaction unit is configured to obtain a timing for registering the reference medical image and the first medical image; Used to determine whether to use the registered reference medical image for offline reconstruction; and / or used to select the registered reference medical image for reconstructing the target medical image.

3. The medical imaging system according to claim 1, wherein: The system further includes an imaging control unit configured to, when detecting the reference medical image and the first medical image, trigger the image registration unit to automatically register the reference medical image and the first medical image to obtain a registered reference medical image; The imaging control unit is further configured to trigger the image reconstruction unit to automatically perform image reconstruction based on the registered reference medical image and the scan data when the registered reference medical image is detected, so as to obtain a target medical image of the object to be detected.

4. The medical imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The system further includes a display unit configured to display at least one of the reference medical image, the first medical image, the registered reference medical image, and the target medical image.

5. The medical imaging system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first imaging device includes a CT device, and the second imaging device includes a PET device.

6. A medical imaging method, characterized in that: include: Acquiring a reference medical image of the object to be detected using a first imaging device; Using a second imaging device to acquire scan data that matches the reference medical image; the scan data corresponds to two scans in a myocardial rest state and a myocardial stress state; Reconstruct the scan data obtained from each scan using an image reconstruction unit to obtain a first medical image; registering the reference medical image and the first medical image using an image registration unit to obtain a registered reference medical image; Performing image reconstruction based on the registered reference medical image and the scan data after attenuation correction based on the inferred attenuation information of the radioactivity distribution to obtain a target medical image of the object to be detected; the target medical image is reconstructed from dynamic sequence data or gated sequence data; The registered reference medical image is outputted for the image reconstruction unit to perform offline image reconstruction based on the scan data and the registered reference medical image saved in advance, so as to obtain a target medical image of the object to be detected.

7. The medical imaging method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The medical imaging method is used in a myocardial perfusion imaging workflow; the medical imaging method includes at least one CT scan and two PET scans; Wherein, one CT scan is used to obtain the reference medical image; One of the PET scans is used to obtain a target medical image of the myocardium in a resting state, and the other PET scan is used to obtain a target medical image of the myocardium in a loaded state.

8. A storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium; a computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the medical image imaging method according to any one of claims 6 to 7 is implemented.

Images