Method, device, system, equipment and medium for determining postoperative cranial electrode trajectory

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method, device, system, equipment and medium for determining a postoperative cranial electrode trajectory. The method comprises: obtaining a plurality of cranial tomographic images of a target object after electrode implantation, and determining a plurality of target tomographic images containing electrodes from the plurality of cranial tomographic images based on electrode implantation characteristics. Determine the electrode positions in the plurality of target tomographic images according to the electrode characteristics presented by the electrodes in the target tomographic images. Determine the electrode trajectory in the cranial brain of the target object according to the electrode positions in the plurality of target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the plurality of target tomographic images, automatically analyze the postoperative medical images without manual intervention, reduce the cost of manual intervention, and ensure the high robustness and reliability of determining the cranial electrode trajectory.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of medical image processing, and in particular to a method, device, system, equipment and medium for determining a postoperative cranial electrode trajectory. Background Art

[0002] Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an invasive neuromodulation technology. This technology uses stereotactic surgery to implant stimulation electrodes in specific neural structures of the human brain, and implants a neurostimulator in the human body to connect the electrodes, which emits weak electrical pulses that can be adjusted and controlled, thereby changing the electrical activity and function of the brain's neural circuits and networks, and achieving the purpose of controlling and improving patients' symptoms.

[0003] The acquisition of geometric information such as the position and morphology of implanted electrodes after DBS surgery mainly comes from postoperative CT images. Currently, there are some open source algorithms, such as PaCER, which can process and analyze CT images after DBS surgery to obtain electrode trajectory coordinate information.

[0004] However, the current open source algorithm for electrode trajectory coordinates has high requirements for CT images. The image layer thickness must be small, and the algorithm robustness and reliability are poor. It is not compatible with sufficiently complex image inputs and cannot complete the complete trajectory tracking process. In addition, the electrode trajectory tracking is lost during the calculation process and is tracked to targets other than the electrode in the image, resulting in erroneous results and the accuracy of the results cannot be guaranteed. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides a method, device, system, equipment and medium for determining postoperative cranial electrode trajectories, which automatically analyze postoperative medical images without manual intervention, thereby reducing the cost of manual intervention and ensuring high robustness and reliability in determining the electrode trajectories in the cranium and brain.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for determining a postoperative cranial electrode trajectory is provided. The method comprises:

[0007] Acquire a plurality of cranial tomographic images of the target object after electrode implantation, and determine a plurality of target tomographic images containing the electrodes from the plurality of cranial tomographic images based on electrode implantation characteristics;

[0008] Determining electrode positions in a plurality of the target tomographic images according to electrode characteristics presented by the electrodes in the target tomographic images, wherein the electrode characteristics at least include density characteristics of the electrodes in the target tomographic images;

[0009] The electrode trajectory in the target object's brain is determined according to the electrode positions in the plurality of target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the plurality of target tomographic images.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present invention, a device for determining a postoperative cranial electrode trajectory is provided. The device comprises:

[0011] A tomographic image acquisition module, used to acquire a plurality of cranial tomographic images of the target object after electrode implantation, and determine a plurality of target tomographic images containing the electrodes from the plurality of cranial tomographic images based on electrode implantation characteristics;

[0012] an electrode position determination module, configured to determine the electrode positions in a plurality of the target tomographic images according to electrode characteristics presented by the electrodes in the target tomographic images, wherein the electrode characteristics at least include density characteristics of the electrodes in the target tomographic images;

[0013] The electrode trajectory determination module is used to determine the electrode trajectory in the target object's brain according to the electrode positions in the multiple target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the multiple target tomographic images.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, a medical system is provided. The medical system comprises:

[0015] An implantable medical device, the implantable medical device at least comprising a pulse generator implanted in a target subject's body and an electrode lead implanted in the target subject's skull, the pulse generator being connected to the electrode lead;

[0016] monitor,

[0017] The processor is configured to obtain postoperative images of the target object after the electrode wire is implanted, execute the postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination method described in any embodiment of the present invention to determine the electrode trajectory in the cranium of the target object, and display the electrode trajectory using the display.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic device is provided, the electronic device comprising:

[0019] at least one processor; and

[0020] a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein,

[0021] The memory stores a computer program executable by the at least one processor, and the computer program is executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute the postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination method described in any embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions are used to enable a processor to implement the postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination method described in any embodiment of the present invention when executed.

[0023] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention can obtain multiple cranial and brain tomographic images of the target object after electrode implantation, and based on the electrode implantation characteristics, determine the target tomographic image containing the cranial and brain electrodes from each layer of the cranial and brain tomographic images. According to the electrode characteristics presented by the electrode in the target tomographic image, the electrode positions in the multiple target tomographic images are determined. According to the electrode positions in the multiple target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the multiple target tomographic images, the electrode trajectory in the cranial and brain of the target object is determined, which solves the problem of electrode trajectory tracking loss, realizes automatic analysis and processing of various medical images, does not require manual intervention, reduces the cost of manual intervention, and ensures the high robustness and reliability of determining the cranial and brain electrode trajectory.

[0024] It should be understood that the contents described in this section are not intended to identify the key or important features of the embodiments of the present invention, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Other features of the present invention will become easily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0026] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a method for determining a postoperative cranial electrode trajectory provided by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a method for determining the coordinates of the center of an electrode provided by the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 is a flow chart of another method for determining postoperative cranial electrode trajectories provided by the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a method for determining an electrode image mask provided by the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a method for determining an electrode target circumscribed circle according to the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of multiple cranial electrodes provided according to the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 is a flow chart of another method for determining postoperative cranial electrode trajectories provided by the present invention;

[0033] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of selecting a starting tracking image provided by the present invention;

[0034] Fig. 9 It is a structural diagram of a postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination device provided by the present invention;

[0035] Fig.10 It is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device for implementing the method for determining the postoperative cranial brain electrode trajectory provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the scheme of the present invention, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0038] Below, one of the application fields of the embodiment of the present invention (i.e., implantable devices) is first briefly described. The implantable neural stimulation system (an implantable medical system) mainly includes a stimulator implanted in the patient's body and a programmable device arranged outside the patient's body. The existing neural regulation technology mainly implants electrodes in specific structures (i.e., target points) in the body through stereotactic surgery, and the stimulator implanted in the patient's body emits discharge pulse width to the target point through the electrodes, regulates the electrical activity and function of the corresponding neural structure and network, thereby improving symptoms and relieving pain. Among them, the stimulator can be any one of an implantable neural electrical stimulation device, an implantable cardiac electrical stimulation system (also known as a pacemaker), an implantable drug delivery system (Implantable Drug Delivery System, referred to as IDDS) and a lead switching device. Examples of implantable neural stimulation devices include deep brain stimulation system (DBS), implantable cortical nerve stimulation system (CNS), implantable spinal cord stimulation system (SCS), implantable sacral nerve stimulation system (SNS), implantable vagus nerve stimulation system (VNS), etc.

[0039] In some embodiments, the stimulator may include an implantable pulse generator (IPG), an electrode wire, and an extension wire arranged between the implantable pulse generator and the electrode wire, and the data interaction between the implantable pulse generator and the electrode wire is realized through the extension wire, and the implantable pulse generator is arranged in the patient's body. In response to the program-controlled instructions sent by the program-controlled device, the sealed battery and the circuit are used to provide controllable electrical stimulation energy to the body tissue, and one or two controllable specific electrical stimulations are delivered to specific areas of the body tissue through the implanted extension wire and the electrode wire. The extension wire is used in conjunction with the implantable pulse generator as a transmission medium for the electrical stimulation signal, and the electrical stimulation signal generated by the implantable pulse generator is transmitted to the electrode wire. The electrode wire delivers electrical stimulation to specific areas of the body tissue through the electrode contacts thereon. The stimulator is provided with one or more electrode wires on one side or both sides, and a plurality of electrode contacts are provided on the electrode wire.

[0040] In other embodiments, the stimulator may only include an implantable pulse generator and an electrode wire, wherein the implantable pulse generator may be embedded in the patient's skull, and the electrode wire may be implanted in the patient's skull, in which case the implantable pulse generator is directly connected to the electrode wire without the need for extending the wire.

[0041] The electrode wire can be a nerve stimulation electrode, and the electrode wire delivers electrical stimulation to a specific area of ​​tissue in the body through a plurality of electrode contacts. The stimulator is provided with one or more electrode wires on one side or both sides, and a plurality of electrode contacts are provided on the electrode wire, and the electrode contacts can be arranged uniformly or non-uniformly in the circumferential direction of the electrode wire. As an example, the electrode contacts can be arranged in an array of 4 rows and 3 columns (a total of 12 electrode contacts) in the circumferential direction of the electrode wire. The electrode contacts can include stimulation contacts and / or collection contacts. The electrode contacts can be, for example: in the shape of sheets, rings, dots, etc.

[0042] In some possible ways, the stimulated in vivo tissue may be the patient's brain tissue, and the stimulated site may be a specific site of the brain tissue. When the patient's disease type is different, the stimulated site is generally different, and the number of stimulation contacts (single source or multiple sources), the use of one or more (single channel or multiple channels) of specific electrical stimulation signals, and the stimulation parameter data are also different. It can be considered that when the stimulation contacts used are multi-source, multi-channel (multi-channel), a larger amount of data will be generated compared to a single source, single channel.

[0043] The embodiments of the present invention do not limit the types of diseases that can be used, and they can be diseases that can be used for deep brain stimulation (DBS), spinal cord stimulation (SCS), pelvic stimulation, gastric stimulation, peripheral nerve stimulation, and functional electrical stimulation. Among them, the types of diseases that DBS can be used to treat or manage include, but are not limited to: spastic diseases (e.g., epilepsy), pain, migraine, mental illness (e.g., major depressive disorder (MDD)), bipolar disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, mild depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), behavioral disorders, mood disorders, memory disorders, mental state disorders, movement disorders (e.g., essential tremor or Parkinson's disease), Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, drug addiction, autism, or other neurological or psychiatric diseases and injuries.

[0044] Stimulation parameters may include: stimulation frequency (for example, the number of electrical stimulation pulse width signals within a unit time of 1s, in Hz), pulse width (the duration of each pulse width, in μs), current amplitude (generally expressed in voltage, that is, the intensity of each pulse width, in V), timing (for example, it can be continuous or triggered), stimulation mode (including one or more of current mode, voltage mode, timed stimulation mode and cyclic stimulation mode), one or more of the upper and lower limits controlled by the doctor (the range adjustable by the doctor) and the upper and lower limits controlled by the patient (the range adjustable by the patient).

[0045] Figure 1The present invention provides a flow chart of a method for determining a postoperative cranial electrode trajectory. This embodiment can be applied to determining the position of stimulation electrodes in the cranial brain of an electrode implanted subject. The method can be performed by a postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination device. The postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination device can be implemented in the form of hardware and / or software. The postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination device can be configured in an electronic device. Figure 1 As shown, the method includes:

[0046] S101. Acquire a plurality of cranial and brain tomographic images of a target object after electrode implantation, and determine a plurality of target tomographic images including electrodes from the plurality of cranial and brain tomographic images based on electrode implantation characteristics.

[0047] It should be noted that the present invention can be applied to automatically identify the coordinates of the trajectory of implanted electrodes after DBS surgery in various medical imaging layers to monitor the position and shape of the stimulation electrodes in the brain.

[0048] Among them, the target object may refer to an object for which the electrode trajectory is to be determined, such as a medical patient, an animal such as a monkey, a pig or a sheep, and a non-living object such as a workpiece and a mold. A cranial tomographic image may be an image generated by scanning the target object based on tomographic imaging technology. Exemplarily, technologies supporting tomographic imaging may include MR imaging (Magnetic Resonance Imaging, MRI) and CT imaging (Computed Tomography, CT). Preferably, the cranial tomographic image is a computed tomography CT image. Electrode implantation features may include features such as the depth, angle and position of electrode implantation. The target tomographic image may refer to a cranial tomographic image containing electrodes.

[0049] Specifically, the MR imaging technology or CT imaging technology is used to collect the cranial brain image of the target object, so as to obtain the cranial brain tomographic images of each layer of the target object. According to the electrode implantation characteristics, the target tomographic image containing the electrode is selected from each of the cranial brain tomographic images.

[0050] It should be noted that the present invention does not specifically limit the scanning direction and scanning spacing of the tomography. Exemplarily, the brain tomography image can be a horizontal section image, or a coronal section image or a sagittal section image. The preferred scanning direction of the present invention is a horizontal section image. It should be noted that if the acquired brain tomography image is a coronal or sagittal image, it can also be re-sliced ​​in the horizontal direction to obtain a horizontal image. The scanning spacing can be a conventional spacing. Exemplarily, the scanning spacing can be set to 1 mm.

[0051] S102: Determine electrode positions in a plurality of the target tomographic images according to electrode characteristics presented by the electrodes in the target tomographic images.

[0052] Among them, the electrode characteristics at least include the density characteristics of the electrode in the target tomographic image. It should be explained that since the electrode is mainly used to transmit stimulation signals to the brain, the electrode is made of metal. The image information presented by the metal material in the target tomographic image is different from the image information generated by the target object tissue. Therefore, the electrode characteristics presented by the electrode in the target tomographic image can be used to query the position information of the electrode in the target tomographic image, and further determine the electrode center and center coordinates corresponding to the electrode.

[0053] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the electrode center coordinate determination method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the electrode center coordinate determination method may specifically be to establish a two-dimensional coordinate system in the target tomographic image, and determine the center coordinates corresponding to the cranial electrode according to the pixel number where the electrode center is located. Figure 2 As shown, the center coordinates of one of the cranial electrodes in the target tomographic image are (Xr, Yr).

[0054] S103: Determine electrode trajectories in the target object's brain according to the electrode positions in the target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the target tomographic images.

[0055] Exemplarily, the positional relationship of the plurality of target tomographic images may refer to the sequence relationship of the plurality of target tomographic images. Specifically, after obtaining the electrode positions in the plurality of target tomographic images, the electrode positions are saved together with the layer numbers corresponding to the cranial and brain tomographic images, and the electrode trajectories in the cranial and brain of the target object are obtained by sorting the electrode positions from small to large or from large to small according to the layer numbers.

[0056] Exemplarily, the electrode trajectory in the target object's brain is determined based on the electrode positions in the multiple target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the multiple target tomographic images, including: for each target tomographic image, determining the electrode three-dimensional spatial coordinates corresponding to the electrode based on the electrode center coordinates in the target tomographic image and the image sequence number of the target tomographic image; and determining the electrode trajectory of the electrode implanted in the target object's brain based on the electrode three-dimensional spatial coordinates corresponding to the electrode.

[0057] Specifically, for each layer of the target tomographic image, the image number (such as the layer number) of the target tomographic image and the coordinates of the center of the electrode are combined to form the three-dimensional spatial coordinates of the electrode of the cranial electrode. That is to say, the image number of the target tomographic image is used as the z-axis of the three-dimensional coordinate system, and the coordinates of the center of the electrode in the target tomographic image are used as the x-axis and y-axis of the three-dimensional coordinate system, and then the three-dimensional spatial coordinates of the cranial electrode in the target tomographic image can be determined. Then, the three-dimensional spatial coordinates of the electrodes corresponding to the target tomographic images are combined, so that the electrode trajectory of the electrode implanted in the cranial brain of the target object can be determined.

[0058] It should be emphasized that the present invention can be applied to common deep brain stimulation treatment, that is, one electrode is implanted in each of the left and right sides of the brain, for a total of two electrodes, and it can also be compatible with the case of one electrode implanted in one side of the brain. In addition, it can also be modified to be applicable to other wider scenarios, including but not limited to:

[0059] 1. One electrode is implanted in one side of the brain, and two electrodes are implanted in the other side of the brain, for a total of three electrodes;

[0060] 2. Two electrodes are implanted on each side of the brain, for a total of four electrodes;

[0061] 3. Or other electrode implantation situations.

[0062] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention can obtain multiple cranial and brain tomographic images of the target object after electrode implantation, and based on the electrode implantation characteristics, determine the target tomographic image containing the cranial and brain electrodes from each layer of the cranial and brain tomographic images. According to the electrode characteristics presented by the electrode in the target tomographic image, the electrode positions in the multiple target tomographic images are determined. According to the electrode positions in the multiple target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the multiple target tomographic images, the electrode trajectory in the cranial and brain of the target object is determined, which solves the problem of electrode trajectory tracking loss, realizes automatic analysis and processing of various medical images, does not require manual intervention, reduces the cost of manual intervention, and ensures the high robustness and reliability of determining the cranial and brain electrode trajectory.

[0063] Figure 3 This is a flow chart of another method for determining postoperative cranial electrode trajectories provided by the present invention. Based on the above embodiments, this embodiment further refines the determination of electrode positions in multiple target tomographic images according to the electrode characteristics presented by the electrodes in the target tomographic images. Figure 3 As shown, the method includes:

[0064] S201. Acquire a plurality of cranial and brain tomographic images of a target object after electrode implantation, and determine a plurality of target tomographic images including electrodes from the plurality of cranial and brain tomographic images based on electrode implantation characteristics.

[0065] S202: for each of the target tomographic images, based on a preset density range corresponding to the electrode, perform density screening processing in the target tomographic image to generate a cranial metal image mask.

[0066] Among them, the skull and brain metal image mask may refer to the image mask of the metal material in the skull and brain of the target object. Further, it should be noted that in the field of image processing and computer vision, a mask usually refers to a two-dimensional array whose size is the same as the original image, which is used to identify a specific area in the image. The mask is usually a binary image (that is, each pixel has only two possible values, such as 0 and 1), in which pixels with a value of 1 represent areas of interest, and pixels with a value of 0 represent areas of no interest. In the present invention, the area of ​​interest is metal material, so the pixels in the metal material area in the skull and brain metal image mask are 1, and the rest of the area is 0.

[0067] It should be explained that when each layer of the brain tomographic image is a CT image, the cross section of the electrode appears as a high-density bright spot in each layer of the brain tomographic image. According to the principle of CT imaging, different density materials have different Hounsfield units (HU) in the CT scanning imaging results. HU is a unit of measurement for measuring the density of a certain local tissue. The HU of brain tissue is usually 25~45, the HU of cerebrospinal fluid is usually 0~12, the HU of compact bone is usually 900~1500, the HU of air is usually less than or equal to -900, and the HU of cranial electrodes and other metal parts is usually greater than or equal to 1600.

[0068] Specifically, the metal tissue density corresponding to the cranial electrodes is used as a preset density range, and density screening processing is performed in the target tomographic image to obtain a cranial metal image mask containing all metal parts.

[0069] It is worth noting that the screening threshold is related to factors such as the development characteristics of the CT machine and the imaging object, and therefore may vary within a certain range with the characteristics of the CT machine or product. Other applicable thresholds can be used to achieve similar screening effects. In addition to fixed thresholds, other screening algorithms can also be used to achieve similar effects, for example: filtering out the top n% (the specific value of n depends on the CT machine) of pixels in the image as a skull metal image mask.

[0070] S203: Determine at least one metal connected region in the brain metal image mask based on a connected component algorithm.

[0071] The connected component algorithm is a method used in image processing and computer vision to identify sets of pixels in an image that have the same properties, such as similar color or intensity values. These sets are called connected components. A connected component usually refers to the largest set of adjacent foreground pixels (usually pixels with a value of 1) in a binary image. These pixels are adjacent in horizontal, vertical, or diagonal directions.

[0072] Specifically, the connected component algorithm is used to calculate all the simply connected regions in the skull and brain metal image mask, and then the metal connected regions corresponding to each metal in the skull and brain metal image mask can be obtained.

[0073] S204: Determine a cranial brain electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode from the cranial brain metal image mask according to at least one of the metal connected regions, and determine an electrode position corresponding to the electrode from the cranial brain electrode image mask.

[0074] It should be noted that the obtained cranial metal image mask may contain objects other than electrodes, such as DBS head frame, head pins of the frameless stereotaxic system used in neurosurgery, or metal plates on the bed of CT equipment, etc. Therefore, these redundant metal parts need to be identified and deleted to obtain the cranial electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode.

[0075] Specifically, a corresponding threshold is set in advance according to the area size of the electrode in the cranial metal image mask, and the metal connection area larger than the threshold is deleted to obtain the cranial electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode. Exemplarily, the center of the cranial electrode image mask can be used as the electrode circle center of the electrode to determine the electrode position corresponding to the electrode.

[0076] Exemplarily, determining the cranial brain electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode from the cranial brain metal image mask according to at least one of the metal connected regions includes:

[0077] Filtering a first electrode image mask from the brain metal image mask according to a preset cross-sectional area range of the electrode and a metal connection area corresponding to each of the metal connection regions;

[0078] For each of the first electrode image masks, determining an image mask roundness corresponding to the first electrode image mask, and selecting a second electrode image mask from the first electrode image masks based on the image mask roundness and a preset image roundness threshold;

[0079] According to the positional relationship between each sub-metallic connected area in the second electrode image mask and the geometric center of the cranial cavity, the cranial electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode is determined from the second electrode image mask.

[0080] Among them, the first electrode image mask may refer to an image mask that is equal to or close to the preset cross-sectional area of ​​the electrode. The second electrode image mask may refer to an image mask that is similar to the roundness of the electrode. The sub-metallic connected area may refer to the connected area in the second electrode image mask. The preset cross-sectional area range may refer to the area range similar to the cross-sectional area of ​​the electrode. The image mask roundness may refer to the ratio between the area of ​​the metal connected area in the first electrode image mask and the area of ​​the minimum circumscribed circle of the metal connected area.

[0081] Specifically, the number of pixels of each metal interconnected area is calculated. Based on the predetermined pixel actual size information, the area of ​​each metal interconnected area is obtained by multiplying the number of pixels by the area of ​​a single pixel. The preset cross-sectional area range is compared with the area of ​​each metal interconnected area to determine the first electrode image mask to be screened out from the cranial metal image mask. The preset image roundness threshold can be determined based on the electrode roundness.

[0082] The image mask circularity of each first electrode image mask is calculated, and the image mask circularity is compared with a preset image circularity threshold, and a second electrode image mask having a similar circularity to the electrode is screened out from the first electrode image mask.

[0083] Alternatively, in an optional embodiment, both the first electrode image mask and the second electrode image mask can be directly used as the brain electrode image mask. However, in order to further improve the accuracy of determining the brain electrode image mask, the embodiment of the present invention further determines the positional relationship between the metal connection area and the geometric center of the cranial cavity, and determines the electrode image mask corresponding to the brain electrode from the second electrode image mask.

[0084] Exemplarily, determining the cranial electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode from the second electrode image mask according to the positional relationship between each sub-metallic connected area in the second electrode image mask and the geometric center of the cranial cavity includes:

[0085] For each of the sub-metal connected areas, determine the distance between the sub-metal connected area and the geometric center of the cranial cavity; form a distance sequence from small to large among the multiple distances, and select target distances equal to the number of electrodes from the distance sequence; determine the sub-metal connected areas corresponding to each of the target distances as a cranial electrode image mask.

[0086] The distance sequence may refer to a sequence that increases from small to large. The distance between the sub-metal connected area and the geometric center of the cranial cavity may refer to a straight-line distance between the sub-metal connected area and the geometric center of the cranial cavity.

[0087] It should be noted that in actual applications, except for the electrodes, the rest of the patient's brain is biological tissue in the brain, such as nuclei, nerve fibers, cerebrospinal fluid and other non-metallic substances. Therefore, under normal circumstances (unless the patient has other metal implants in the brain), the electrode is the only metal substance in the patient's brain. Therefore, the electrode is closer to the geometric center of the cranial cavity than any metal object outside the skull. Therefore, it is only necessary to determine which sub-metal connected areas are closest to the geometric center of the intracranial space to determine them as the brain electrode image mask.

[0088] Specifically, the distance between the sub-metal connected area and the geometric center of the cranial cavity is calculated. The target distances equal to the number of cranial electrodes are screened out from the distance sequence by using the value-added screening method. Then, each sub-metal connected area corresponding to each target connection distance is determined as the cranial electrode image mask. For example, Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the electrode image mask determination method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 As shown, the number of cranial electrodes is 2, the geometric center of the cranial cavity is represented by a five-pointed star, and the two sub-metal connected areas with the smallest distance are determined as the cranial electrode image mask, thereby further improving the accuracy of determining the cranial electrode image mask.

[0089] Exemplarily, determining the distance between the sub-metal connection area and the geometric center of the cranial cavity includes:

[0090] Determine the minimum circumscribed circle of the sub-metal interconnected region, and determine the center of the sub-metal interconnected region according to the minimum circumscribed circle;

[0091] Based on the coordinates of the center of the area and the coordinates of the geometric center of the cranial cavity, the distance between the sub-metal connected area and the geometric center of the cranial cavity is determined.

[0092] Specifically, in order to improve the accuracy of determining the straight line connection distance, the minimum circumscribed circle of the region can be constructed based on the sub-metal connected area, and the distance between the center of the minimum circumscribed circle of the region and the geometric center of the cranial cavity can be determined as the distance between the sub-metal connected area and the geometric center of the cranial cavity.

[0093] Exemplarily, the method also includes: determining the electrode minimum circumscribed circle corresponding to the electrode in the cranial electrode image mask, and determining the electrode area corresponding to the electrode, and the circumscribed circle area corresponding to the electrode minimum circumscribed circle; determining the initial roundness corresponding to the electrode based on the electrode area and the circumscribed circle area; clipping the electrode minimum circumscribed circle according to the minimum electrode area threshold, and the roundness difference between the preset roundness threshold and the initial roundness to obtain the electrode target circumscribed circle; determining the electrode center of the electrode according to the electrode target circumscribed circle, and determining the electrode coordinates corresponding to the electrode center as the electrode position in the target tomographic image.

[0094] The initial circularity may refer to the ratio between the electrode area and its minimum circumscribed circle area, which is used to measure the difference between the shape of the cranial electrode area and the minimum circumscribed circle. The minimum electrode area threshold may be used to limit the minimum electrode area to avoid the problem of excessive error in determining the electrode position due to excessive cropping of the electrode area.

[0095] Exemplarily, both the preset roundness threshold and the minimum electrode area threshold can be set according to actual needs. The preset roundness threshold is used to reduce the minimum circumscribed circle so that the difference between the shape of the cranial electrode area and the circle is minimized. Exemplarily, the preset roundness threshold can set a fixed threshold, which can be 0.6-0.95. Further, the preset roundness threshold can be 0.8, 0.9, and the specific value can be set according to actual conditions.

[0096] Specifically, the initial circularity is calculated based on the electrode area and the circumscribed circle area. Based on the minimum electrode area threshold and the circularity difference between the preset circularity threshold and the initial circularity, the area where the electrode minimum circumscribed circle is lower than the preset circularity threshold is deleted while avoiding the electrode area being less than the minimum electrode area threshold, so that the electrode target circumscribed circle can be obtained, and the center of the electrode target circumscribed circle is determined as the electrode center of the cranial electrode. The electrode coordinates corresponding to the electrode center are determined as the electrode position in the target tomographic image.

[0097] For example, Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a method for determining an electrode target circumscribed circle provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 As shown, the left image is the electrode minimum circumscribed circle, and the right image is the electrode target circumscribed circle, where the circle area is recorded as Sc and the electrode area is recorded as Sa. The left image (electrode minimum circumscribed circle) is cropped to obtain the right image (electrode target circumscribed circle).

[0098] S205: Determine electrode trajectories in the target object's brain according to the electrode positions in the target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the target tomographic images.

[0099] Based on the above embodiments, the method for determining the geometric center of the cranial cavity includes:

[0100] Based on the density of compact bone tissue corresponding to the compact bone, density screening processing is performed in the cranial brain tomographic image to obtain a skull image mask, and the geometric center of the skull image mask is determined as the geometric center of the cranial cavity,

[0101] Alternatively, based on the brain tissue density corresponding to the brain tissue, density screening processing is performed in the cranial brain tomographic image to obtain a brain tissue image mask, and the geometric center of the brain tissue image mask is determined as the geometric center of the cranial cavity.

[0102] Specifically, the pixels with HU between 900 and 1500 (i.e., the density of compact bone tissue of compact bone) are screened out to obtain the skull image mask, and the geometric center of the skull image mask is calculated as the geometric center of the cranial cavity. Alternatively, the pixels with HU between 0 and 100 (i.e., the brain tissue image mask of brain tissue and cerebrospinal fluid) are screened out to obtain the brain tissue image mask of the contents of the cranial cavity, and the geometric center of the brain tissue image mask is calculated as the geometric center of the cranial cavity. Figure 5 As shown, the five-pointed star represents the geometric center of the cranial cavity.

[0103] On the other hand, when each layer of the brain tomographic image is a CT image, the brain electrodes are usually black pixels in the brain tomographic image, and their pixel values ​​are much lower than the pixel values ​​of brain tissue in T1 and T2 MR sequences. Therefore, a similar method can be used to design a screening threshold to track these black areas. In addition, MR imaging technology also has a relatively mature skull removal algorithm to help obtain a brain image mask. Only identifying and tracking the center coordinates of the brain electrodes in the area within the brain image mask can further improve the accuracy of electrode trajectory tracking and reconstruction.

[0104] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of multiple cranial electrodes provided by an embodiment of the present invention. It is worth noting that when there are multiple cranial electrodes in the left or right brain, the electrodes are very close to each other. Due to the effect of metal artifacts, sometimes the bright spots of the electrodes are connected together, resulting in confusion in HU screening (such as Figure 6 As shown in a in the figure, the two electrodes that are close to each other are mixed together, resulting in the two electrodes being merged into one center. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the HU threshold value (such as Figure 6 b) and / or methods of reducing the electrode diameter (as shown in Figure 6 (as shown in c) to avoid mistakenly confusing the bright spots of other electrodes with the bright spots of this electrode.

[0105] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention generates a skull metal image mask by performing density screening processing in the target tomographic image based on a preset density range corresponding to the electrode. Based on a connected component algorithm, at least one metal connected area in the skull metal image mask is determined. Based on at least one metal connected area, a skull electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode is determined from the skull metal image mask, so that other metal areas with the same area as the skull electrode can be further deleted, and then the center of the electrode is determined according to the skull electrode image mask, thereby improving the accuracy of determining the electrode position, and thus ensuring the accuracy of determining the electrode trajectory in the skull of the target object.

[0106] Figure 7 This is a flow chart of another method for determining postoperative cranial electrode trajectories provided by the present invention. Based on the above embodiments, this embodiment further refines the determination of electrode positions in multiple target tomographic images according to the electrode characteristics presented by the electrodes in the target tomographic images. Figure 7 As shown, the method includes:

[0107] S301, obtaining a plurality of cranial and brain tomographic images of a target object after electrode implantation, and determining a plurality of target tomographic images including electrodes from the plurality of cranial and brain tomographic images based on electrode implantation characteristics.

[0108] S302: Determine a starting tracking image from the plurality of brain tomographic images based on a preset image screening rule.

[0109] Among them, the preset image screening rules can be set according to actual needs. For example, the historical image screening rules can be used as the preset image screening rules, or the preset image screening rules can be customized according to screening experience. The starting tracking image can refer to a cranial tomographic image determined according to the preset image screening rules. It is worth noting that the starting tracking image contains electrodes, and the cranial electrode position information can be determined based on the starting tracking image.

[0110] Specifically, the cranial brain tomographic image of the designated target layer may be used as the starting tracking image according to the preset image screening rule, or the cranial brain tomographic image of the first layer or the last layer may be used as the starting tracking image.

[0111] Exemplarily, the method of determining a starting tracking image from a plurality of the cranial and brain tomographic images based on preset image screening rules includes: sorting the plurality of the cranial and brain tomographic images based on image serial numbers of the cranial and brain tomographic images to obtain a tomographic image sequence; and determining, according to a preset screening ratio, a cranial and brain tomographic image corresponding to a preset screening ratio in the tomographic image sequence as a starting tracking image.

[0112] The preset screening ratio may be set based on experience. For example, the preset screening ratio may be 2 / 3, 3 / 4 or 4 / 5, etc. Preferably, the preset screening ratio may be 2 / 3.

[0113] Specifically, the various cranial and brain tomographic images are sorted according to the image sequence numbers to obtain a tomographic image sequence, and the cranial and brain tomographic image corresponding to the preset screening ratio in the tomographic image sequence is taken as the starting tracking image. Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the selection of the starting tracking image provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 As shown, for example, the total number of tomographic image sequences of the target object's head is recorded as N, and when the preset screening ratio is 2 / 3, the 2N / 3th tomographic image of the brain is taken as the starting tracking image. If 2N / 3 is a non-integer, the tomographic image of the brain after rounding is taken as the starting tracking image.

[0114] By determining the starting tracking image based on preset slice screening rules, it can be ensured that the cranial electrodes are included in the starting tracking image. The particularity of the deployment position of the cranial electrodes in the target object's body can then be used to limit the retrieval range of other layers of tomographic images. The electrode coordinates in each layer of the cranial tomographic image are determined based on the cranial electrode coordinates of the starting tracking image, which can exclude the influence of other metal materials and ensure the accuracy of the electrode coordinates.

[0115] S303 , determining an electrode center corresponding to the electrode in the starting tracking image according to electrode characteristics presented by the electrode in the target tomographic image, and determining an electrode position of the electrode center in the starting tracking image.

[0116] It should be noted that the process of determining the electrode position in the initial tracking image is the process of determining the electrode position in the target tomographic image. The detailed determination process can be found in the above embodiment, and the present invention will not elaborate on it.

[0117] S304: Based on a preset search range and according to the electrode positions in the starting tracking image, determine the electrode positions in the plurality of target tomographic images.

[0118] It should be explained that since the cranial electrode deployment position is close to the center of the target object's brain, there is no interference from other metal materials near the cranial electrode deployment position. Therefore, a preset search range can be set to limit the search range in other cranial brain tomographic images. Furthermore, the preset search range can be used to determine the electrode position screening range in adjacent images (i.e., a small range screening range) through the known electrode position in the target tomographic image, which can avoid processing a large range of images each time screening is performed and prevent other metal materials (such as electrode holders, head frames, and head nails, etc.) from affecting the accuracy of determining the cranial electrode position.

[0119] In addition, the preset search range can be set according to actual conditions, and the present invention does not specifically limit this. Exemplarily, the preset search range can be set according to the electrode diameter of the cranial electrode, and preferably, the preset search range can be 1.4 times the electrode diameter.

[0120] Specifically, since the electrode wire extends linearly from the top of the skull to the inside of the brain, the approximate position of the electrode in the two images adjacent to the starting tracking image can be determined based on the electrode position in the starting tracking image. Therefore, the search range in the two images can be narrowed down first, such as a small area corresponding to the approximate position. The electrode position is determined in this small area, which can improve the efficiency of electrode position determination. In this way, the electrode position in each target tomographic image can be determined by analogy. For example, the electrode center coordinates in the starting tracking image are used as a reference, and the search area of ​​the cranial electrodes in each layer of the target tomographic image is determined according to the preset search range. For each layer of the cranial tomographic image, in the search area, the electrode characteristics presented by the cranial electrodes are used to determine the electrode center coordinates in each layer of the target tomographic image. For example, as Figure 2 As shown, if the center coordinates of one of the cranial electrodes are (Xr, Yr) and the preset search range is R, the search area of ​​the cranial electrode in the target tomographic image can be a circular range with (Xr, Yr) as the center and R as the radius.

[0121] It is worth noting that the image sizes of the target tomographic images of each layer are the same, so the two-dimensional coordinate system in the initial tracking image can be applied to the target tomographic images of each layer, that is, the two-dimensional coordinate systems constructed in the target tomographic images of each layer are the same.

[0122] S305: Determine the electrode trajectory in the target object's brain according to the electrode positions in the multiple target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the multiple target tomographic images.

[0123] Exemplarily, the determining the electrode positions in the plurality of target tomographic images based on the preset search range and according to the electrode positions in the starting tracking image includes:

[0124] The starting tracking image is defined as a first tomographic image, and according to the electrode center coordinates and the electrode diameter in the first tomographic image, the retrieval coordinates of a target tomographic image in a preset adjacent direction to the first tomographic image are determined; according to the retrieval coordinates and the preset retrieval range, according to the electrode characteristics presented by the electrode in the target tomographic image, the electrode center coordinates of the electrode in the target tomographic image are determined; the target tomographic image with the determined electrode center coordinates is defined as the first tomographic image, until the electrode center coordinates in all target tomographic images in the preset adjacent direction are determined.

[0125] The first tomographic image may refer to a reference image for determining the coordinates of the electrode center of an adjacent target tomographic image along a preset adjacent direction. Preferably, the preset adjacent direction of the present invention is downward.

[0126] It should be noted that due to the conventional surgical implantation of cranial electrodes, when the electrode center coordinates of the adjacent target tomographic images are tracked downward, the electrode coordinates will move inward and backward. Therefore, the method of narrowing the image judgment range can be used to improve the calculation speed and accuracy of tracking.

[0127] Specifically, the starting tracking image is defined as the first tomographic image with tracking reference characteristics. Since the starting tracking image (i.e., the first tomographic image) and the adjacent target tomographic image have the same coordinate system, the retrieval coordinates of the preset adjacent direction target tomographic image can be calculated based on the electrode center coordinates and the cranial electrode diameter in the first tomographic image. For example, if the calculated coordinates of the center of the right brain electrode in the first tomographic image are Xr, Yr, the retrieval coordinates of the preset adjacent direction target tomographic image are Xr+R, Yr+R. If the calculated coordinates of the center of the left brain electrode in the first tomographic image are Xl, Yl, the retrieval coordinates of the preset adjacent direction cranial tomographic image are Xl–R, Yl+R.

[0128] According to the search coordinates and the preset search range, the search area is determined, and in the search area, the electrode center coordinates of the electrode in the target tomographic image are determined by combining a series of methods such as connected component calculation, HU screening, area screening, circularity screening and position screening.

[0129] After the electrode center coordinates of the target tomographic image in the preset adjacent direction to the first tomographic image are determined, the target tomographic image with the determined electrode center coordinates is redefined as the first tomographic image, and the process returns to the step of "determining the retrieval coordinates of the target tomographic image in the preset adjacent direction to the first tomographic image based on the electrode center coordinates and the electrode diameter in the first tomographic image" until the electrode center coordinates in all target tomographic images along the preset adjacent direction are determined.

[0130] Exemplarily, the method further includes:

[0131] When the electrode center coordinates in all target tomographic images are determined along the preset adjacent direction, the starting tracking image is defined as the second tomographic image; based on the electrode center coordinates and the electrode diameter in the second tomographic image, the retrieval coordinates of the target tomographic image in the direction opposite to the preset adjacent direction are determined, and the electrode center coordinates are determined; the target tomographic image with the determined electrode center coordinates is defined as the second tomographic image until the electrode center coordinates in all target tomographic images are completed in the direction opposite to the preset adjacent direction.

[0132] The second tomographic image may refer to a reference image for determining the electrode center coordinates of the adjacent target tomographic image along the opposite direction of the preset adjacent direction. Preferably, in the present invention, the opposite direction of the preset adjacent direction is upward.

[0133] It should be noted that when the coordinates of the electrode center in all target tomographic images are determined along the preset adjacent direction, it indicates that the coordinates of one end of the electrode have been determined, that is, the process of determining the electrode coordinates along the preset adjacent direction is completed. The starting tracking image can be redefined as the second tomographic image, and the same method as "determining the electrode coordinates along the preset adjacent direction" is used to determine the coordinates of the electrode center in all target tomographic images in the opposite direction of the preset adjacent direction.

[0134] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention, by setting the first tomographic image as the tracking layer to track the electrode coordinates layer by layer, can effectively avoid the situation where the electrode coordinate tracking is lost and the target object other than the electrode in the image is tracked, thereby significantly improving the accuracy and reliability of determining the electrode center coordinates.

[0135] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination device provided by the present invention. Fig. 9 As shown, the device comprises:

[0136] A tomographic image acquisition module 401 is used to acquire a plurality of cranial tomographic images of a target object after electrode implantation, and determine a plurality of target tomographic images containing electrodes from the plurality of cranial tomographic images based on electrode implantation characteristics;

[0137] An electrode position determination module 402, configured to determine electrode positions in a plurality of the target tomographic images according to electrode characteristics presented by the electrodes in the target tomographic images, wherein the electrode characteristics at least include density characteristics of the electrodes in the target tomographic images;

[0138] The electrode trajectory determination module 403 is used to determine the electrode trajectory in the target object's brain according to the electrode positions in the multiple target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the multiple target tomographic images.

[0139] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention can obtain multiple cranial and brain tomographic images of the target object after electrode implantation, and based on the electrode implantation characteristics, determine the target tomographic image containing the cranial and brain electrodes from each layer of the cranial and brain tomographic images. According to the electrode characteristics presented by the electrode in the target tomographic image, the electrode positions in the multiple target tomographic images are determined. According to the electrode positions in the multiple target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the multiple target tomographic images, the electrode trajectory in the cranial and brain of the target object is determined, which solves the problem of electrode trajectory tracking loss, realizes automatic analysis and processing of various medical images, does not require manual intervention, reduces the cost of manual intervention, and ensures the high robustness and reliability of determining the cranial and brain electrode trajectory.

[0140] Optionally, the electrode position determination module 402 includes:

[0141] A metal image mask determination unit, configured to perform density screening processing in each target tomographic image based on a preset density range corresponding to the electrode, to generate a cranial metal image mask;

[0142] A metal connected region determining unit, used for determining at least one metal connected region in the skull metal image mask based on a connected component algorithm;

[0143] The electrode image mask determination unit is used to determine the cranial brain electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode from the cranial brain metal image mask according to at least one of the metal connection areas, and determine the electrode position corresponding to the electrode from the cranial brain electrode image mask.

[0144] Optionally, the cranial electrode center determination unit includes:

[0145] A first electrode mask determination subunit is used to select a first electrode image mask from the brain metal image mask according to a preset cross-sectional area range of the electrode and a metal connection area corresponding to each metal connection area;

[0146] a second electrode mask determination subunit, configured to determine, for each of the first electrode image masks, an image mask roundness corresponding to the first electrode image mask, and filter out a second electrode image mask from the first electrode image masks based on the image mask roundness and a preset image roundness threshold;

[0147] The electrode image mask determination subunit is used to determine the cranial electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode from the second electrode image mask according to the positional relationship between each sub-metallic connected area in the second electrode image mask and the geometric center of the cranial cavity.

[0148] Optionally, the electrode image mask determination subunit comprises:

[0149] A region distance determination micro unit, used for determining the distance between each of the sub-metal connection regions and the geometric center of the cranial cavity;

[0150] A target distance determination micro unit, used for forming a distance sequence from small to large for a plurality of the distances, and screening out target distances of a number equal to the number of electrodes from the distance sequence;

[0151] The image mask determines the micro-unit, which is used to determine the sub-metal connected areas corresponding to each of the target distances as the cranial electrode image mask.

[0152] Optionally, the area distance determines the micro-unit, specifically for:

[0153] Determine the minimum circumscribed circle of the sub-metal interconnected region, and determine the center of the sub-metal interconnected region according to the minimum circumscribed circle;

[0154] Based on the coordinates of the center of the area and the coordinates of the geometric center of the cranial cavity, the distance between the sub-metal connected area and the geometric center of the cranial cavity is determined.

[0155] Optionally, the electrode image mask determination subunit includes a geometric center determination microunit.

[0156] The geometric center determines the micro-unit, which is used for:

[0157] Based on the density of compact bone tissue corresponding to the compact bone, density screening processing is performed in the cranial brain tomographic image to obtain a skull image mask, and the geometric center of the skull image mask is determined as the geometric center of the cranial cavity,

[0158] Alternatively, based on the brain tissue density corresponding to the brain tissue, density screening processing is performed in the cranial brain tomographic image to obtain a brain tissue image mask, and the geometric center of the brain tissue image mask is determined as the geometric center of the cranial cavity.

[0159] Optionally, the electrode position determination module 402 further includes a cranial electrode position determination unit.

[0160] The cranial electrode position determination unit is specifically used for:

[0161] Determine the electrode minimum circumscribed circle corresponding to the electrode in the cranial electrode image mask, and determine the electrode area corresponding to the electrode, and the circumscribed circle area corresponding to the electrode minimum circumscribed circle;

[0162] Determining an initial roundness corresponding to the electrode based on the electrode area and the circumscribed circle area;

[0163] According to the minimum electrode area threshold and the roundness difference between the preset roundness threshold and the initial roundness, the electrode minimum circumscribed circle is clipped to obtain the electrode target circumscribed circle;

[0164] The electrode center of the electrode is determined according to the electrode target circumscribed circle, and the electrode coordinates corresponding to the electrode center are determined as the electrode position in the target tomographic image.

[0165] Optionally, the electrode position determination module 402 includes:

[0166] A starting tracking image determining unit, configured to determine a starting tracking image from the plurality of cranial brain tomographic images based on a preset image screening rule;

[0167] A first electrode position determination unit, configured to determine an electrode center corresponding to the electrode in the starting tracking image according to electrode characteristics presented by the electrode in the target tomographic image, and determine an electrode position of the electrode center in the starting tracking image;

[0168] The second electrode position determining unit is used to determine the electrode positions in the plurality of target tomographic images based on a preset search range and according to the electrode positions in the starting tracking image.

[0169] Optionally, the starting tracking image determination unit is specifically configured to:

[0170] Based on the image sequence numbers of the cranial and brain tomographic images, a plurality of the cranial and brain tomographic images are sorted to obtain a tomographic image sequence;

[0171] According to the preset screening ratio, the brain tomographic image corresponding to the preset screening ratio in the tomographic image sequence is determined as the starting tracking image.

[0172] Optionally, the second electrode position determining unit is specifically configured to:

[0173] The starting tracking image is defined as a first tomographic image, and according to the coordinates of the center of the electrode and the electrode diameter in the first tomographic image, the retrieval coordinates of the target tomographic image in a preset adjacent direction to the first tomographic image are determined;

[0174] Determine the electrode center coordinates of the electrode in the target tomographic image according to the search coordinates and the preset search range and according to the electrode characteristics presented by the electrode in the target tomographic image;

[0175] The target tomographic image for which the electrode center coordinates have been determined is defined as the first tomographic image until the electrode center coordinates in all target tomographic images in the preset adjacent direction are determined.

[0176] Optionally, the second electrode position determining unit is further specifically configured to:

[0177] When the coordinates of the centers of the electrodes in all target tomographic images are determined along the preset adjacent directions, the starting tracking image is defined as a second tomographic image;

[0178] Determine the retrieval coordinates of the target tomographic image in the opposite direction to the preset adjacent direction according to the electrode center coordinates and the electrode diameter in the second tomographic image, and determine the electrode center coordinates;

[0179] The target tomographic image for which the electrode center coordinates have been determined is defined as the second tomographic image until the electrode center coordinates in all target tomographic images are completed in a direction opposite to the preset adjacent direction.

[0180] Optionally, the electrode trajectory determination module 403 is specifically configured to:

[0181] For each of the target tomographic images, determining the electrode three-dimensional space coordinates corresponding to the electrode according to the coordinates of the center of the electrode in the target tomographic image and the image sequence number of the target tomographic image;

[0182] The electrode trajectory of the electrode implanted into the brain of the target object is determined according to the electrode three-dimensional space coordinates corresponding to the electrode.

[0183] Optionally, the brain cross-sectional image is a computed tomography (CT) image.

[0184] The postoperative cranial and brain electrode trajectory determination device provided in the embodiment of the present invention can execute the postoperative cranial and brain electrode trajectory determination method provided in any embodiment of the present invention, and has the corresponding functional modules and beneficial effects of the execution method.

[0185] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a medical system, which includes: an implantable medical device, a display, and a processor.

[0186] The implantable medical device at least includes a pulse generator implanted in the body of a target object and an electrode wire implanted in the skull of the target object, the pulse generator being connected to the electrode wire; a processor configured to obtain postoperative images of the target object after the electrode wire is implanted, execute a postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination method to determine the electrode trajectory in the skull of the target object, and display the electrode trajectory using the display.

[0187] Fig.10A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device 10 that can be used to implement an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The electronic device is intended to represent various forms of digital computers, such as laptop computers, desktop computers, workstations, personal digital assistants, servers, blade servers, mainframe computers, and other suitable computers. The electronic device can also represent various forms of mobile devices, such as personal digital processing, cellular phones, smart phones, wearable devices (such as helmets, glasses, watches, etc.) and other similar computing devices. The components shown herein, their connections and relationships, and their functions are merely examples and are not intended to limit the implementation of the present invention described and / or required herein.

[0188] like Fig.10 As shown, the electronic device 10 includes at least one processor 11, and a memory connected to the at least one processor 11, such as a read-only memory (ROM) 12, a random access memory (RAM) 13, etc., wherein the memory stores a computer program that can be executed by at least one processor, and the processor 11 can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to the computer program stored in the read-only memory (ROM) 12 or the computer program loaded from the storage unit 18 to the random access memory (RAM) 13. In the RAM 13, various programs and data required for the operation of the electronic device 10 can also be stored. The processor 11, the ROM 12, and the RAM 13 are connected to each other through a bus 14. The input / output (I / O) interface 15 is also connected to the bus 14.

[0189] A number of components in the electronic device 10 are connected to the I / O interface 15, including: an input unit 16, such as a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output unit 17, such as various types of displays, speakers, etc.; a storage unit 18, such as a disk, an optical disk, etc.; and a communication unit 19, such as a network card, a modem, a wireless communication transceiver, etc. The communication unit 19 allows the electronic device 10 to exchange information / data with other devices through a computer network such as the Internet and / or various telecommunication networks.

[0190] The processor 11 may be a variety of general and / or special processing components with processing and computing capabilities. Some examples of the processor 11 include, but are not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), various special artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips, various processors running machine learning model algorithms, digital signal processors (DSPs), and any appropriate processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc. The processor 11 executes the various methods and processes described above, such as the method for determining the postoperative cranial electrode trajectory.

[0191] In some embodiments, the method of postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination can be implemented as a computer program, which is tangibly contained in a computer-readable storage medium, such as a storage unit 18. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program can be loaded and / or installed on the electronic device 10 via the ROM 12 and / or the communication unit 19. When the computer program is loaded into the RAM 13 and executed by the processor 11, one or more steps of the method of postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination described above can be performed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the processor 11 can be configured to perform the method of postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination in any other appropriate manner (for example, by means of firmware).

[0192] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described above herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuit systems, integrated circuit systems, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), systems on chips (SOCs), load programmable logic devices (CPLDs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations can include: being implemented in one or more computer programs that can be executed and / or interpreted on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which can be a special purpose or general purpose programmable processor that can receive data and instructions from a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device, and transmit data and instructions to the storage system, the at least one input device, and the at least one output device.

[0193] Computer programs for implementing the methods of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These computer programs may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, so that when the computer program is executed by the processor, the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram are implemented. The computer program may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine as a stand-alone software package, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0194] In the context of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium may be a tangible medium that may contain or store a computer program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or equipment. A computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or equipment, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Alternatively, a computer-readable storage medium may be a machine-readable signal medium. A more specific example of a machine-readable storage medium may include an electrical connection based on one or more lines, a portable computer 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 of the foregoing.

[0195] To provide interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described herein may be implemented on an electronic device having: a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user; and a keyboard and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse or trackball) through which the user can provide input to the electronic device. Other types of devices may also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, the feedback provided to the user may be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user may be received in any form (including acoustic input, voice input, or tactile input).

[0196] The systems and techniques described herein may be implemented in a computing system that includes backend components (e.g., as a data server), or a computing system that includes middleware components (e.g., an application server), or a computing system that includes frontend components (e.g., a user computer with a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with implementations of the systems and techniques described herein), or a computing system that includes any combination of such backend components, middleware components, or frontend components. The components of the system may be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). Examples of communication networks include: a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a blockchain network, and the Internet.

[0197] A computing system may include a client and a server. The client and the server are generally remote from each other and usually interact through a communication network. The client and server relationship is generated by computer programs running on the corresponding computers and having a client-server relationship with each other. The server may be a cloud server, also known as a cloud computing server or cloud host, which is a host product in the cloud computing service system to solve the defects of difficult management and weak business scalability in traditional physical hosts and VPS services.

[0198] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used to reorder, add or delete steps. For example, the steps described in the present invention can be executed in parallel, sequentially or in different orders, as long as the desired results of the technical solution of the present invention can be achieved, and this document does not limit this.

[0199] The above specific implementations do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modification, equivalent substitution and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for determining postoperative cranial electrode trajectory, characterized in that: include: Acquire a plurality of cranial tomographic images of the target object after electrode implantation, and determine a plurality of target tomographic images containing the electrodes from the plurality of cranial tomographic images based on electrode implantation characteristics; Determining electrode positions in a plurality of the target tomographic images according to electrode characteristics presented by the electrodes in the target tomographic images, wherein the electrode characteristics at least include density characteristics of the electrodes in the target tomographic images; The electrode trajectory in the target object's brain is determined according to the electrode positions in the plurality of target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the plurality of target tomographic images.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of determining the electrode positions in the target tomographic images according to the electrode characteristics presented by the electrodes in the target tomographic images comprises: For each of the target tomographic images, based on a preset density range corresponding to the electrode, density screening processing is performed in the target tomographic image to generate a cranial metal image mask; Determining at least one metal connected region in the brain metal image mask based on a connected component algorithm; According to at least one of the metal connection areas, a cranial brain electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode is determined from the cranial brain metal image mask, and an electrode position corresponding to the electrode is determined from the cranial brain electrode image mask.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The step of determining the cranial brain electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode from the cranial brain metal image mask according to at least one of the metal connected regions comprises: Filtering a first electrode image mask from the brain metal image mask according to a preset cross-sectional area range of the electrode and a metal connection area corresponding to each of the metal connection regions; For each of the first electrode image masks, determining an image mask roundness corresponding to the first electrode image mask, and selecting a second electrode image mask from the first electrode image masks based on the image mask roundness and a preset image roundness threshold; According to the positional relationship between each sub-metallic connected area in the second electrode image mask and the geometric center of the cranial cavity, the cranial electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode is determined from the second electrode image mask.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The step of determining the cranial electrode image mask corresponding to the electrode from the second electrode image mask according to the positional relationship between each sub-metallic connected area in the second electrode image mask and the geometric center of the cranial cavity comprises: For each of the sub-metal connection areas, determining the distance between the sub-metal connection area and the geometric center of the cranial cavity; Form a distance sequence by sorting the multiple distances from small to large, and select target distances of a number equal to the number of electrodes from the distance sequence; The sub-metal connected areas corresponding to the target distances are determined as the cranial electrode image mask.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that Determining the distance between the sub-metal connection area and the geometric center of the cranial cavity includes: Determine the minimum circumscribed circle of the sub-metal interconnected region, and determine the center of the sub-metal interconnected region according to the minimum circumscribed circle; Based on the coordinates of the center of the area and the coordinates of the geometric center of the cranial cavity, the distance between the sub-metal connected area and the geometric center of the cranial cavity is determined.

6. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The method for determining the geometric center of the cranial cavity includes: Based on the density of compact bone tissue corresponding to the compact bone, density screening processing is performed in the cranial brain tomographic image to obtain a skull image mask, and the geometric center of the skull image mask is determined as the geometric center of the cranial cavity; Alternatively, based on the brain tissue density corresponding to the brain tissue, density screening processing is performed in the cranial brain tomographic image to obtain a brain tissue image mask, and the geometric center of the brain tissue image mask is determined as the geometric center of the cranial cavity.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine the electrode minimum circumscribed circle corresponding to the electrode in the cranial electrode image mask, and determine the electrode area corresponding to the electrode, and the circumscribed circle area corresponding to the electrode minimum circumscribed circle; Determining an initial roundness corresponding to the electrode based on the electrode area and the circumscribed circle area; According to the minimum electrode area threshold and the roundness difference between the preset roundness threshold and the initial roundness, the electrode minimum circumscribed circle is clipped to obtain the electrode target circumscribed circle; The electrode center of the electrode is determined according to the electrode target circumscribed circle, and the electrode coordinates corresponding to the electrode center are determined as the electrode position in the target tomographic image.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of determining the electrode positions in the target tomographic images according to the electrode characteristics presented by the electrodes in the target tomographic images comprises: Based on a preset image screening rule, determining a starting tracking image from the plurality of cranial brain tomographic images; Determine, according to the electrode characteristics presented by the electrode in the target tomographic image, the electrode center corresponding to the electrode in the starting tracking image, and determine the electrode position of the electrode center in the starting tracking image; Based on a preset search range, electrode positions in a plurality of target tomographic images are determined according to electrode positions in the starting tracking image.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The step of determining a starting tracking image from a plurality of brain tomographic images based on a preset image screening rule comprises: Based on the image sequence numbers of the cranial and brain tomographic images, a plurality of the cranial and brain tomographic images are sorted to obtain a tomographic image sequence; According to the preset screening ratio, the brain tomographic image corresponding to the preset screening ratio in the tomographic image sequence is determined as the starting tracking image.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The step of determining the electrode positions in the plurality of target tomographic images based on the preset search range and according to the electrode positions in the starting tracking image comprises: The starting tracking image is defined as a first tomographic image, and according to the coordinates of the center of the electrode and the electrode diameter in the first tomographic image, the retrieval coordinates of the target tomographic image in a preset adjacent direction to the first tomographic image are determined; Determine the electrode center coordinates of the electrode in the target tomographic image according to the search coordinates and the preset search range and according to the electrode characteristics presented by the electrode in the target tomographic image; The target tomographic image for which the electrode center coordinates have been determined is defined as the first tomographic image until the electrode center coordinates in all target tomographic images in the preset adjacent direction are determined.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the coordinates of the centers of the electrodes in all target tomographic images are determined along the preset adjacent directions, the starting tracking image is defined as a second tomographic image; Determine the retrieval coordinates of the target tomographic image in the opposite direction to the preset adjacent direction according to the electrode center coordinates and the electrode diameter in the second tomographic image, and determine the electrode center coordinates; The target tomographic image for which the electrode center coordinates have been determined is defined as the second tomographic image until the electrode center coordinates in all target tomographic images are completed in a direction opposite to the preset adjacent direction.

12. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Determining the electrode trajectory in the target object's brain according to the electrode positions in the plurality of target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the plurality of target tomographic images includes: For each of the target tomographic images, determining the electrode three-dimensional space coordinates corresponding to the electrode according to the electrode center coordinates in the target tomographic image and the image sequence number of the target tomographic image; The electrode trajectory of the electrode implanted into the brain of the target object is determined according to the electrode three-dimensional space coordinates corresponding to the electrode.

13. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The brain cross-sectional image is a computerized tomography (CT) image.

14. A postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination device, characterized in that: include: A tomographic image acquisition module, used to acquire a plurality of cranial tomographic images of the target object after electrode implantation, and determine a plurality of target tomographic images containing the electrodes from the plurality of cranial tomographic images based on electrode implantation characteristics; an electrode position determination module, configured to determine the electrode positions in a plurality of the target tomographic images according to electrode characteristics presented by the electrodes in the target tomographic images, wherein the electrode characteristics at least include density characteristics of the electrodes in the target tomographic images; The electrode trajectory determination module is used to determine the electrode trajectory in the target object's brain according to the electrode positions in the multiple target tomographic images and the positional relationship between the multiple target tomographic images.

15. A medical system, characterized in that: The medical system includes: An implantable medical device, the implantable medical device at least comprising a pulse generator implanted in a target subject's body and an electrode lead implanted in the target subject's skull, the pulse generator being connected to the electrode lead; monitor; The processor is configured to obtain postoperative images of the target object after the electrode wire is implanted, execute the postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination method described in any one of claims 1-13 to determine the electrode trajectory in the cranium of the target object, and display the electrode trajectory using the display.

16. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; Wherein, the memory stores a computer program executable by the at least one processor, and the computer program is executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute the postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination method described in any one of claims 1-13.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and the computer instructions are used to enable a processor to implement the postoperative cranial electrode trajectory determination method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 when executed.

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