Image sketching method and system and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an image sketching method and system and a computer readable storage medium, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining a three-dimensional image which comprises a plurality of slice images which are sequentially arranged; acquiring reference sketching information in a first slice image in the plurality of slice images; and determining a target sketch in a second slice image in the plurality of slice images based on the reference sketch information, the second slice image being adjacent to the first slice image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of image processing technology, and in particular to an image delineation method, system and computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Target area delineation is an important part of the radiotherapy process for patients. Accurately delineating the contours of the target area is the premise and guarantee for achieving accurate radiotherapy. Since the delineation of the tumor target area requires not only professional anatomical knowledge, but also the patient's pathological information, the delineation work is usually completed by doctors based on their experience in clinical practice. The manual delineation of the patient's target area and its organs at risk by doctors is often cumbersome and time-consuming.

[0003] With the advancement of medical technology and the development of artificial intelligence, the introduction of artificial intelligence automatic target segmentation algorithms can assist doctors in completing the delineation of tumor target areas, which reduces the workload of doctors to a certain extent. However, in actual applications, the results of segmentation by artificial intelligence algorithms may still need further modification, supplementation or correction. Especially when there are many image layers, manual fine correction one by one will take a lot of time and effort.

[0004] Therefore, an image outlining method, system and computer-readable storage medium are provided, which can realize automatic and adaptive adjustment of the outlining of other image layers based on the user outlining or modifying the outlining of a certain image layer, thereby improving the accuracy of outlining while reducing manual operations. Summary of the invention

[0005] One of the embodiments of the present specification provides an image delineation method, comprising: acquiring a three-dimensional image, the three-dimensional image comprising a plurality of slice images arranged in sequence; acquiring reference delineation information in a first slice image among the plurality of slice images; and determining a target delineation in a second slice image among the plurality of slice images based on the reference delineation information, the second slice image being adjacent to the first slice image.

[0006] One of the embodiments of the present specification provides an image delineation system, comprising: an image data acquisition module, used to acquire a three-dimensional image, the three-dimensional image comprising a plurality of slice images arranged in sequence; a reference delineation determination module, used to acquire reference delineation information in a first slice image among the plurality of slice images; and a target delineation determination module, used to determine a target delineation among the plurality of slice images based on the reference delineation information, the second slice image being adjacent to the first slice image.

[0007] One of the embodiments of the present specification provides a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which, when executed by a processor, enable the processor to perform the above-mentioned image delineation method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] This specification will be further described in the form of exemplary embodiments, which will be described in detail by the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are not restrictive, and in these embodiments, the same number represents the same structure, wherein:

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of an image delineation system according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0010] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of modules of an image delineation system according to some embodiments of the present specification;

[0011] Figure 3 is an exemplary flow chart of an image delineation method according to some embodiments of the present specification;

[0012] Figure 4 is an exemplary flow chart of determining a target delineation of a second slice image according to some embodiments of the present specification;

[0013] Figure 5 is an exemplary flow chart of registering a first slice image with a second slice image according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0014] Figure 6 is an exemplary flow chart of one or more rounds of delineation operations according to some embodiments of the present specification;

[0015] Figure 7 is an exemplary flow chart of another image delineation method according to some embodiments of the present specification;

[0016] Figure 8 is an exemplary flow chart of another image delineation method according to some embodiments of this specification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this specification, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some examples or embodiments of this specification. For ordinary technicians in this field, this specification can also be applied to other similar scenarios based on these drawings without creative work. Unless it is obvious from the language environment or otherwise explained, the same reference numerals in the figures represent the same structure or operation.

[0018] It should be understood that the "system", "device", "unit" and / or "module" used herein are a method for distinguishing different components, elements, parts, portions or assemblies at different levels. However, if other words can achieve the same purpose, the words can be replaced by other expressions.

[0019] Unless the context clearly indicates an exception, the words "a", "an", "an" and / or "the" do not refer to the singular and may also include the plural. Generally speaking, the terms "include" and "comprise" only indicate the inclusion of the steps and elements that have been clearly identified, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list. The method or device may also include other steps or elements.

[0020] Flowcharts are used in this specification to illustrate the operations performed by the system according to the embodiments of this specification. It should be understood that the preceding or following operations are not necessarily performed precisely in order. Instead, the steps may be processed in reverse order or simultaneously. At the same time, other operations may also be added to these processes, or one or more operations may be removed from these processes.

[0021] This specification is mainly about the delineation of regions of interest. The delineation operation may include determining the contour information of the region of interest in the medical image, and may also include drawing the contour of the region of interest in the medical image. Accordingly, the delineation obtained by the delineation operation may be represented by contour information (such as the position information of the contour points) or by image elements (such as lines used to represent the contour). The region of interest refers to the area in the image that needs to be delineated, such as the target area. The region of interest corresponds to the actual organs and / or tissues on the surface or in the body of the target object, and these tissues and / or organs have corresponding visual representations in the image. For illustrative purposes, the region of interest is collectively referred to as the region in the image and the tissues and / or organs corresponding to the region in physical space in this specification.

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of application scenarios of the image delineation system shown in some embodiments of this specification.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, the application scenario 100 of the image delineation system may include a medical scanning device 110, a network 120, a terminal 130, a processing device 140, and a storage device 150. The components in the application scenario 100 may be connected in various ways. For example, Figure 1As shown in , the medical scanning device 110 can be connected to the processing device 140 via the network 120. The medical scanning device 110 can be directly connected to the processing device 140 (as shown by the double-headed arrow in the dashed line connecting the medical scanning device 110 and the processing device 140). The storage device 150 can be connected to the processing device 140 directly or via the network 120.

[0024] The medical scanning device 110 can scan the scanned object and / or generate data about the scanned object. Exemplarily, the medical scanning device 110 can include a CT device, a PET / CT device, an MRI / CT device, etc. In this specification, the scanned object can also be referred to as a scanning object, a target object, a target, or a detected object. In some embodiments, the target object can be a patient, an animal, etc. When the target object needs to be scanned, the medical scanning device 110 can obtain a medical image corresponding to the target object.

[0025] The network 120 may include any suitable network that facilitates information and / or data exchange of the application scenario 100. In some embodiments, one or more components of the application scenario 100 (e.g., the medical scanning device 110, the terminal 130, the processing device 140, or the storage device 150) may transmit information and / or data to one or more other components of the application scenario 100 via the network 120. For example, the processing device 140 may obtain a medical image of a scanned object from the medical scanning device 110 via the network 120. In some embodiments, the network 120 may be any one or more of a wired network or a wireless network. In some embodiments, the network may be a point-to-point, shared, centralized, or other topological structure or a combination of multiple topological structures.

[0026] The terminal 130 may include a mobile device 130-1, a tablet computer 130-2, a laptop computer 130-3, etc., or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the terminal 130 may interact with other components in the application scenario 100 through the network 120. For example, the terminal 130 may receive data such as medical images sent by the medical scanning device 110. In some embodiments, the terminal 130 may receive information and / or instructions input by a user (e.g., a user of the medical scanning device 110, such as a doctor), and send the received information and / or instructions to the medical scanning device 110 or the processing device 140 via the network 120. For example, a doctor may modify the initial outline in a slice image through the terminal 130.

[0027] In some embodiments, the terminal 130 may include various applications for processing (eg, outlining) medical image data.

[0028] The processing device 140 can process data and / or information obtained from the medical scanning device 110, the terminal 130 and / or the storage device 150. For example, the processing device 140 can obtain medical images of the scanned person. In some embodiments, the processing device 140 can process the medical images. For example, a delineation of a region of interest in all or part of the medical image is generated. In some embodiments, the processing device 140 can obtain data and / or instructions from the terminal 130 and perform corresponding processing. For example, a delineation in one or more images is modified according to a delineation modification instruction.

[0029] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 can be a single server or a server group. The server group can be centralized or distributed. In some embodiments, the processing device 140 can be local or remote. The processing device 140 can be directly connected to the medical scanning device 110, the terminal 130 and the storage device 150 to access the stored or acquired information and / or data. In some embodiments, the processing device 140 can be implemented on a cloud platform. By way of example only, the cloud platform can include a private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, a community cloud, a distributed cloud, an internal cloud, a multi-layer cloud, etc. or any combination thereof.

[0030] The storage device 150 may store data and / or instructions. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may store data obtained from the medical scanning device 110, the terminal 130, and / or the processing device 140. For example, the storage device 150 may store medical images obtained by the user scanning device, etc. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may store data and / or instructions used by the processing device 140 to execute the exemplary methods described in this specification. For example, the storage device 150 may store instructions for the processing device 140 to execute the methods shown in each flowchart. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may include a mass storage device, a removable storage device, a volatile read-write memory, a read-only memory (ROM), etc., or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may be implemented on a cloud platform. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may be part of the processing device 140.

[0031] The above description is for illustrative purposes only, and actual application scenarios may vary.

[0032] It should be noted that the application scenario 100 is provided for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications or variations can be made according to the description of this specification. However, these variations and modifications will not deviate from the scope of the present application.

[0033] Figure 2 It is a module schematic diagram of an image delineation system according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0034] like Figure 2 As shown, the image delineation system 200 (hereinafter referred to as the delineation system) may include an image data acquisition module 210, a reference delineation determination module 220, a modification information determination module 230, and a target delineation determination module 240. In some embodiments, the delineation system may include: Figure 1 The processing device 140 is shown to implement.

[0035] The image data acquisition module 210 can be used to acquire a three-dimensional image, which includes a plurality of slice images arranged in sequence.

[0036] The reference delineation determination module 220 may be configured to obtain reference delineation information in a first slice image among a plurality of slice images.

[0037] In some embodiments, the reference delineation information includes delineation information for at least one region of interest; and delineation information for an associated region around the at least one region of interest.

[0038] In some embodiments, the reference delineation determination module 220 may also be used to generate an initial delineation of at least one region of interest in each slice image to obtain reference delineation information in the first slice image.

[0039] The modification information determination module 230 may be configured to determine delineation modification information based on a modification instruction for an initial delineation in a first slice image among the plurality of slice images.

[0040] The target delineation determination module 240 may be configured to determine a target delineation in a second slice image among the plurality of slice images based on the reference delineation information, wherein the second slice image is adjacent to the first slice image.

[0041] In some embodiments, the target delineation determination module 240 may also be configured to determine the target delineation using reference delineation contour information determined based on the reference delineation information.

[0042] In some embodiments, the target delineation determination module 240 may be configured to modify the initial delineation in the second slice image using the delineation modification information determined based on the reference delineation information to determine the target delineation.

[0043] In some embodiments, the target delineation determination module 240 may also be used to: register the first slice image and the second slice image, determine the deformation field between the first slice image and the second slice image; and modify the initial delineation based on the deformation field and the delineation modification information.

[0044] In some embodiments, the target delineation determination module 240 can also be used to: for each region of interest, based on the initial delineation of the region of interest in the first slice image, process the first slice image to obtain a first reference image; based on the initial delineation of the region of interest in the second slice image, process the second slice image to obtain a second reference image; and based on the first reference image and the second reference image of each of the regions of interest, construct a registration objective function, and determine the deformation field by solving the registration objective function.

[0045] In some embodiments, the target delineation determination module 240 may also be used to: based on the initial delineation of the region of interest in the first slice, perform contrast enhancement processing on the first slice image to increase the contrast between the delineated region and the external region in the first slice image.

[0046] In some embodiments, the target delineation determination module 240 can also be used to: perform one or more rounds of delineation operations, each round of delineation operation including: determining the delineation information in the adjacent slice image of the second slice image based on the delineation information in the second slice image in the current round of delineation operation; determining whether a termination condition is met; and in response to the termination condition not being met, designating the adjacent slice image as the second slice image in the next round of delineation operation and performing the next round of delineation operation; in response to the termination condition being met, stopping one or more rounds of delineation operations.

[0047] In some embodiments, the target delineation determination module 240 can also be used to: determine the difference between the initial delineation in adjacent slice images and the target delineation in adjacent slice images; in response to the difference being greater than a preset difference threshold, determine that the termination condition is not met; in response to the difference being not greater than a preset difference threshold, determine that the termination condition is met.

[0048] In some embodiments, the image delineation system 200 may further include a treatment plan generation module 250 .

[0049] The treatment plan generating module 250 may be configured to generate a treatment plan for the target area based on the target outline in the slice image that has undergone outline modification and / or the initial outline in the slice image that has not undergone outline modification.

[0050] It should be noted that the image delineation system 200 can implement the functions described in the above modules after executing computer instructions (program code). In some embodiments, the delineation system 200 can include one or more processing devices (e.g., Figure 1In some embodiments, the delineation system 200 may include a corresponding storage medium (such as a memory) or be connected to an external storage medium signal. The storage medium may store instructions for executing the image delineation method disclosed in this specification, and when the processing device reads these instructions, the processing device may be configured to execute the image delineation method.

[0051] It should be noted that the above description of the delineation system 200 and its modules is only for the convenience of description, and does not limit this specification to the scope of the embodiments. It is understandable that for those skilled in the art, after understanding the principle of the system, it is possible to arbitrarily combine the various modules, or form a subsystem to connect with other modules without deviating from this principle. For example, the reference delineation determination module 220, the modification information determination module 230, and the target delineation determination module 240 can be different modules in the system, or one module can realize the functions of two or more of the above modules. For example, each module can share a storage module, or each module can have its own storage module. Such variations are all within the scope of protection of this specification.

[0052] Figure 3 is an exemplary flow chart of an image delineation method according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0053] In some embodiments, process 300 can be performed by a delineation system (e.g. Figure 2 The image delineation system 200 in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, process 300 includes the following steps.

[0054] Step 310: Acquire a three-dimensional image, where the three-dimensional image includes a plurality of slice images arranged in sequence.

[0055] The three-dimensional image may include, but is not limited to, a three-dimensional medical image. For example, it may be a three-dimensional medical image of a target object in a medical scenario (such as radiotherapy). The following will be described using a three-dimensional medical image. The target object may be any object, and its three-dimensional medical image needs to be delineated. In some embodiments, the target object may refer to an object that needs radiotherapy, such as a cancer patient. In some embodiments, the target object needs to undergo fractionated radiotherapy due to lesions (e.g., tumors) in certain parts of the body of the target object, which requires therapeutic radiation emitted by a radiotherapy device.

[0056] Three-dimensional medical images can be obtained based on medical imaging equipment such as ultrasound acquisition devices, CT scanners, PET scanners, and MRI scanners.

[0057] In some embodiments, the three-dimensional medical image can be presented on a terminal device (such as terminal 130), and a user (such as a doctor, a delineating operator, etc.) can switch different perspectives to observe and analyze the three-dimensional medical image.

[0058] Slice images refer to two-dimensional image layers in three-dimensional medical images. Slice images may include but are not limited to cross-sectional, coronal, and sagittal images.

[0059] In some embodiments, the plurality of slice images may be arranged in sequence according to their positions in the three-dimensional medical image. For example, the three-dimensional medical image corresponds to a three-dimensional image coordinate system (including an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis), and assuming that the xy plane corresponds to a cross section of the human body, a plurality of cross-sectional images may be determined, and these cross-sectional images may be arranged in sequence from small to large according to the corresponding z-coordinate.

[0060] It should be noted that multiple slice images can be presented in a terminal device (such as a display interface) through multiple display windows arranged in sequence; they can also be presented through one display window, and the user can switch the displayed slice images through input devices (such as switching up and down on the keyboard, scrolling the mouse, etc.).

[0061] Step 320: Acquire reference delineation information in a first slice image among the multiple slice images.

[0062] Reference delineation information refers to delineation information used to provide reference or guidance for delineation of part and / or all slice images in a three-dimensional image, which can be overall delineation information in a slice image, or local delineation modification information in existing overall delineation information.

[0063] In some embodiments, the reference delineation information may include delineation information for at least one region of interest, and delineation information for an associated region around the at least one region of interest.

[0064] The first slice image refers to a slice image containing reference delineation information. In some embodiments, the first slice image refers to a slice image modified by the user. It can be a slice image specified by the user. For example, the first slice image can be a combination of one or more of the first slice image, ..., and the nth slice image in a plurality of slice images arranged in sequence (such as a sequence consisting of n slice images). It should be understood that only a portion of the plurality of slice images may contain the region of interest, and the first slice image and the second slice image described later both refer to slice images containing the region of interest.

[0065] In some embodiments, the delineation system can select a representative image from multiple slice images and recommend it to the user for review or modification. For example, the representative image can be the slice image with the largest area of ​​the region of interest in the slice image sequence. When the user delineates and modifies the representative image, the representative image is the first slice image.

[0066] The region of interest may refer to an area that needs to be outlined in an image. For example, the region of interest may include an area related to tumor treatment (such as X-ray irradiation therapy, radioactive particle implantation therapy, etc.). It may include a tumor target area. The associated area around the region of interest may be an organ-at-risk area around the region of interest (such as within a preset distance range). For example, it may be a normal organ near the target area that may be accidentally injured due to radiation during radiotherapy, and the associated area may also be other non-irradiated tissue areas around the target area that may be affected. Just as an example, for cervical cancer patients, the region of interest and the associated areas around the region of interest may include a cervical cancer tumor target area, and at least one or a combination of organs at risk such as the levator ani muscle, rectum, and pubis. For ease of description, the region of interest and its associated areas hereinafter may be collectively referred to as the region of interest.

[0067] In some embodiments, the delineation system may generate an initial delineation of at least one region of interest in each slice image. For example, the delineation system may generate initial delineation information of the first slice image to obtain reference delineation information in the first slice image.

[0068] Initial delineation refers to the outline (also referred to as the boundary) of at least one region of interest in the slice image that is initially determined. The initial delineation can be represented by the coordinates of the contour points. The initial delineation can also be represented by a first delineation mask. The delineation mask of this specification is an image that can represent the contour points, for example, where the pixel value of the contour point is a first preset value (such as 1), and the pixel values ​​of other pixel points are second preset values ​​(such as 0).

[0069] In some embodiments, the initial outline can be determined based on manual drawing. For example, a user (such as a doctor) can use software or an application (such as 3D Slicer) to draw the contours of the tumor target area and the organ at risk in the slice image through an input device (such as a mouse or keyboard) to obtain the initial outline of the slice image.

[0070] In some embodiments, the initial delineation can be determined based on a preset segmentation algorithm. For example, the delineation system can use various segmentation algorithms and artificial intelligence technologies (such as a trained deep learning model) to segment the slice image, determine the contours of the target area and the organ at risk in the slice image, and then obtain the initial delineation in the slice image.

[0071] In some embodiments of the present specification, a preset segmentation algorithm can be used to automatically perform batch segmentation processing on multiple slice images to obtain an initial outline of each slice image, thereby reducing the overall workload and time consumption of the outline.

[0072] Step 330 : determining a target outline in a second slice image among the plurality of slice images based on the reference outline information, where the second slice image is adjacent to the first slice image.

[0073] In some embodiments, the second slice image may be determined based on a preset configuration, for example, it may be one or more slice images specified by a user.

[0074] In some embodiments, the second slice image may be a slice image that is adjacent to the first slice image in the slice image sequence and includes the region of interest. Exemplarily, the first slice image is the mth slice image in the slice image sequence, and the second slice image is the m-1th (previous) and / or m+1th (next) slice image.

[0075] The target delineation refers to delineation information generated in the second slice image based on the reference delineation information of the first slice image.

[0076] In some embodiments, the delineation system may determine a target delineation based on the local delineation modification information to the reference delineation information.

[0077] In some embodiments, the delineation system may determine the delineation modification information based on a modification instruction to the initial delineation in a first slice image of the plurality of slice images.

[0078] In some embodiments, for the initial outline of one or more slice images, the user can determine whether to modify the initial outline according to actual needs. For example, the user can modify the initial outline according to factors such as the patient's medical history (such as recurrence records, complication symptom records, etc.), the coverage or envelopment of the tumor by the initial outline, and the effect of the dose on the organs at risk.

[0079] In some embodiments, the delineation system can obtain the user's modification instruction for the initial delineation and make corresponding adjustments to the initial delineation. The modification instruction can be input through an input device (such as a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone) to expand, shrink or fine-tune the contour range of the initial delineation. The initial delineation modified by the user is hereinafter referred to as a modified delineation. The modified delineation can also be represented by the coordinates of the contour points and / or the second delineation mask.

[0080] The outline modification information may reflect the difference between the initial outline and the modified outline of the first slice image, that is, it may reflect what modifications the user has made to the initial outline through the modification instruction. For example, the outline modification information may reflect the changes in the outline, shape, size, area, etc. of the region of interest between the initial outline and the modified outline. For another example, the outline modification information may reflect the difference between the outline points in the initial outline and the outline points in the modified outline.

[0081] In some embodiments, the outline modification information can be determined based on the contour points in the initial outline and the contour points in the modified outline. For example, a outline modification mask can be generated based on the contour points in the initial outline and the contour points in the modified outline as the outline modification information. In the outline modification mask, a point with a pixel value of 1 is a non-contour point in the initial outline and a contour point in the modified outline; a point with a pixel value of -1 is a contour point in the initial outline and a non-contour point in the modified outline; a point with a pixel value of 0 is a contour point in both the initial outline and the modified outline, or is a non-contour point. The pixel points with pixel values ​​of -1 and 1 in the outline modification mask are the points that the user has modified when modifying the outline of the first slice image, and are referred to as modified pixel points hereinafter. In some embodiments, the first outline mask corresponding to the initial outline can be subtracted from the second outline mask corresponding to the modified outline to determine the outline modification mask.

[0082] In some embodiments, the delineation system may modify the initial delineation in the second slice image using the delineation modification information determined based on the reference delineation information to determine the target delineation.

[0083] Exemplarily, after the boundary of the local area of ​​the target area in the first slice image is expanded outward, the delineation system can modify the corresponding multiple pixel points in the second slice image based on the delineation modification information corresponding to the pixel points on the boundary of the local area (such as setting the pixel value of the pixel point to 1), and obtain the modified outline of the target area in the second slice image, and the modified outline is the target delineation.

[0084] In some embodiments, the delineation system can determine the target delineation based on the deformation field between the first slice image and the second slice image. Figure 4 and its description.

[0085] In some embodiments, the delineation system may also perform one or more rounds of delineation operations according to the initial delineation of the second slice image and the target delineation obtained after the modification, until the termination condition is met. For more information about the multiple rounds of delineation operations and the termination condition, see Figure 6 and its description.

[0086] In some embodiments of the present specification, a preliminary outline in each slice image can be quickly obtained through a preset segmentation algorithm, which provides a basis for subsequent outline modification work and improves the efficiency of the overall outline work; at the same time, considering the associated area around the region of interest (such as an organ at risk), the associated area is introduced as a priori constraint in the reference outline information in the first slice image, which can optimize the deformation field generated by the registration, so that when there is a large difference between the two adjacent layers of images, an accurate target outline can be obtained. At the same time, according to the deformation field and the outline modification information of the first slice image, it is possible to achieve a mapping of local outline modification of the second slice image adjacent to the first slice image, which improves the efficiency of outline modification and makes the outline modification more in line with the user's expectations; in addition, based on the initial outline and target outline in the second slice image, multiple image layers of the overall three-dimensional medical image can be automatically outlined and modified layer by layer through multiple rounds of outline operations, which greatly improves the efficiency of outline modification and reduces the user's outline workload.

[0087] Figure 4 is an exemplary flowchart of determining target delineation of a second slice image according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0088] In some embodiments, process 400 may be performed by a delineation system. Figure 4 As shown, process 400 includes the following steps.

[0089] Step 410: register the first slice image and the second slice image to determine a deformation field between the first slice image and the second slice image.

[0090] The deformation field can be used to determine the pixels in the first slice image and the second slice image that correspond to each other in the anatomical structure (such as the pixels corresponding to the same physical point), and the spatial transformation relationship between the corresponding pixels. The spatial transformation relationship includes the displacement direction and displacement amount of the pixels. For example, the deformation field from the first slice image to the second slice image can be used to translate one or more pixels of the first slice image in a specific direction to achieve consistency in spatial position (such as anatomical structure) between these pixels and the corresponding pixels in the second slice image. In some embodiments, the deformation field includes a deformation vector for each pixel in the first slice image. For each pixel in the first slice image, based on the position coordinates and deformation vector of the pixel, its corresponding pixel in the second slice image can be determined.

[0091] In some embodiments, the delineation system may register the first slice image and the second slice image based on various registration algorithms to determine the deformation field between the first slice image and the second slice image, wherein the various registration algorithms include but are not limited to grayscale-based matching algorithms, feature-based matching algorithms, and domain transformation-based matching algorithms.

[0092] In some embodiments, the second slice image can be characterized as a reference image in the registration process. The second slice image can be represented based on the following formula (1): R(x)=R(x1, x2, x3) Formula (1)

[0093] Wherein, R(x) in formula (1) represents the second slice image, and x1, x2, and x3 represent the three-dimensional coordinate values ​​in the second slice image.

[0094] The first slice image can be characterized as a transformed image that needs to be spatially transformed in the registration process. The first slice image can be represented based on the following formula (2): T(x)=T(x1, x2, x3) Formula (2)

[0095] Wherein, T(x) in formula (2) represents the first slice image, and x1, x2, and x3 represent the three-dimensional coordinate values ​​in the first slice image.

[0096] Through registration, the deformation field U(x)=[u(x),v(x),w(x)] from the first slice image to the second slice image can be determined. The deformation field can be implemented as shown in formula (3): T(x+U(x))≈R(x) Formula (3)

[0097] In the deformation field U(x)=[u(x),v(x),w(x)], u(x), v(x), and w(x) respectively represent the displacement of each pixel point in the first slice image on the three-dimensional coordinate axis. For each pixel point in the first slice image, its corresponding pixel point in the second slice image can be determined based on the coordinates of the pixel point and u(x), v(x), and w(x).

[0098] In some embodiments, the registration of the first slice image and the second slice image can be performed based on a reference outline (such as an initial outline or a user-modified outline) in the first slice image and an initial outline in the second slice image. By adding existing outlines (such as existing outlines of target areas and critical organs) as prior constraints in the registration, the deformation field obtained can be made more accurate. For more information, see Figure 5 and its description.

[0099] Step 420 , determining the target outline based on the deformation field and the reference outline information.

[0100] In some embodiments, the delineation system may determine the target delineation according to step 421 or step 422 as shown below. Figure 3 and its description.

[0101] Step 421 : modify the initial outline in the second slice image based on the deformation field and the outline modification information to determine the target outline.

[0102] In some embodiments, the delineation system may perform a delineation operation on the initial delineation in the second slice image adjacent to the first slice image based on the deformation field and the delineation modification information of the first slice image. In this case, the delineation operation may also be referred to as a local deformation mapping operation.

[0103] Exemplarily, the delineation system can determine the modified pixel points involved in the delineation modification (such as the pixel points with values ​​of -1 and 1 in the delineation modification mask) according to the delineation modification mask of the first slice image; determine the pixel points corresponding to the aforementioned modified pixel points in the second slice image based on the deformation field; and modify these pixel points in the second delineation mask (such as the pixel values ​​of the modified pixel points), thereby obtaining an updated delineation mask for the second slice image. According to the updated delineation mask of the second slice image, the target delineation of the second slice image can be determined. In this way, the local deformation mapping operation can be completed.

[0104] In some embodiments of the present specification, the outline modification of the first slice image can be mapped to the second slice image in a local mapping manner through the deformation field and the outline modification information. In the local mapping, it is only necessary to determine the pixel points corresponding to the modified pixel points of the first slice image in the second slice image, and modify these pixel points. Compared with mapping the modified outline in the first slice image as a whole to the second slice image, the local mapping method can save computing resources and improve the efficiency of automatic outline modification; at the same time, it can also avoid modifying the pixel points not involved in the outline modification, and improve the accuracy of the outline modification mapping.

[0105] Step 422, determining the target outline based on the deformation field and the reference outline contour information.

[0106] In some embodiments, the delineation system may determine the target delineation using reference delineation contour information determined based on the reference delineation information.

[0107] In some embodiments, the delineation system may also perform a delineation operation on the initial delineation in the second slice image adjacent to the first slice image based on the deformation field and the overall reference delineation information of the first slice image. In this case, the delineation operation may also be referred to as an overall deformation mapping operation. The overall reference delineation information of the first slice image may be the initial delineation information or the modified initial delineation information (e.g., the delineation information after the user modifies the initial delineation).

[0108] The outlining system can determine the reference contour pixel points involved in the overall deformation mapping operation (such as the pixel points whose contour or boundary value is 1 in the reference outline contour) according to the outlining mask corresponding to the reference outlining information of the first slice image; determine the target contour pixel points corresponding to the aforementioned reference contour pixel points in the second slice image based on the deformation field; and modify the target pixel points in the second outlining mask to obtain an updated outlining mask for the second slice image. Among them, the target pixel points include target contour pixel points and non-target contour pixel points in the second slice image. Exemplarily, the value of the target contour pixel points in the second slice image can be set to 1, and the value of the non-target contour pixel points can be set to 0. The outlining system can determine the target outline of the second slice image according to the updated outlining mask of the second slice image. In this way, the overall deformation mapping operation can be completed.

[0109] Figure 5 This is an exemplary flow chart of registering a first slice image with a second slice image according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0110] In some embodiments, process 500 may be performed by a delineation system. Figure 5 As shown, process 500 includes the following steps.

[0111] Step 510 : for each region of interest, based on the initial delineation of the region of interest in the first slice image, the first slice image is processed to obtain a first reference image.

[0112] In some embodiments, the delineation system may perform contrast enhancement processing on the first slice image based on the initial delineation of the region of interest in the first slice image to increase the contrast between the delineated region and the external region in the first slice image. For example, for points inside the delineated region corresponding to the region of interest, their pixel values ​​may be increased (such as adding or multiplying by a specific pixel value), while for points outside the delineated region, their pixel values ​​may be maintained.

[0113] In some embodiments, for the i-th region of interest in the first slice image, its corresponding first reference image can be generated based on the following formula (4):

[0114] Among them, T in formula (4) i M(x) represents the first reference image generated after contrast enhancement is performed on the i-th region of interest in the first slice image, and T(x) represents the first slice image. ix Determined based on formula (5) as shown below:

[0115] Among them, O in formula (5)i t Represents the delineated area corresponding to the i-th region of interest in the first slice image.

[0116] When the first slice image includes a plurality of regions of interest, a plurality of first reference images corresponding to a plurality of different regions of interest may be generated.

[0117] Step 520 : for each region of interest, based on the initial delineation of the region of interest in the second slice image, the second slice image is processed to obtain a second reference image.

[0118] In some embodiments, similar to the contrast enhancement processing of the first slice image, the delineation system may perform contrast enhancement processing on the second slice image based on the initial delineation of the region of interest in the second slice image to increase the contrast between the delineated region and the external region in the second slice image.

[0119] In some embodiments, for the i-th region of interest in the second slice image, its corresponding second reference image can be generated based on the following formula (6):

[0120] Among them, R in formula (6) i (x) represents the second reference image generated after contrast enhancement for the i-th region of interest, and R(x) represents the second slice image. ix Determined based on formula (7) as shown below:

[0121] Among them, O in formula (7) i r Represents the delineation of the i-th region of interest in the second slice image.

[0122] Step 530: construct a registration objective function based on the first reference image and the second reference image of each region of interest, and determine the deformation field by solving the registration objective function.

[0123] In some embodiments, the delineation system can construct an objective function for registration based on formula (8) as shown below:

[0124] Where E(u) in formula (8) represents the objective function of registration, T0 and R0 represent the first slice image and the second slice image before the modification operation is performed, γ0, γ i and α are preset parameters, k represents the number of regions of interest, It is a preset regularization term used to constrain the movement amplitude of the deformation field to make it smooth.

[0125] In some embodiments, the delineation system can further optimize and solve the registration objective function based on formula (9) shown below to obtain the final deformation field u. u=argminE(u) Formula (9)

[0126] Wherein, u in formula (9) represents the deformation field, and E(u) represents the above objective function.

[0127] In some embodiments of the present specification, the accuracy of subsequent image registration can be improved by performing contrast enhancement processing on the first slice image and the second slice image. In addition, by adding the existing outlines in the first slice image and the second slice image as a priori constraints in the registration algorithm of the first slice image and the second slice image, the registration effect can be optimized, and the precision loss can be reduced when the outline is modified layer by layer based on the deformation field, thereby improving the accuracy of the results of the automatic outline modification.

[0128] Figure 6 is an exemplary flow chart of one or more rounds of delineation operations according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0129] In some embodiments, the delineation system may perform one or more rounds of delineation operations according to the delineation modification of the second slice image, so as to achieve layer-by-layer mapping of the delineation modification of adjacent slice images of the second slice image.

[0130] Each round of delineation operation can be implemented based on process 600. In some embodiments, process 600 can be performed by a delineation system. Figure 6 As shown, process 600 includes the following steps.

[0131] Step 610: Determine the delineation information in the slice image adjacent to the second slice image based on the delineation information in the second slice image in the current round of delineation operation.

[0132] The delineation information in the second slice image includes an initial delineation and a target delineation of the second slice.

[0133] In some embodiments, the delineation system may determine the delineation modification information of the second slice image based on the delineation information in the second slice image, and perform delineation modification on the initial delineation of its adjacent slice image based on the delineation modification information of the second slice image to determine the target delineation of the adjacent slice image. For example, the delineation system may determine the target delineation of the adjacent slice image of the second slice image based on the deformation field between the second slice image and the adjacent slice image of the second slice image. The adjacent slice image of the second slice image refers to the second slice image that has not been modified by the initial delineation and is adjacent to the second slice image.

[0134] Regarding modifying the initial outline of the adjacent slice image based on the outline modification information of the second slice image, similar to Figure 3 The initial outline of the second slice image is modified based on the outline modification information of the first slice image (as shown in step 330), which will not be described in detail here.

[0135] It should be noted that each round of delineation operation can be based on Figure 4 Steps 410 to 420 (such as step 421 or step 422) are implemented as shown.

[0136] Step 620, determine whether the termination condition is met.

[0137] The termination condition is used to determine whether one or more rounds of delineation operations need to be stopped. For example, the termination condition may be that the delineation modification of all slice images containing the region of interest in the slice image sequence is completed.

[0138] In some embodiments, the outlining system can determine the difference between the initial outlining in the adjacent slice image of the second slice image and the target outlining in the adjacent slice image, and in response to the difference being greater than a preset difference threshold, determine that the termination condition is not met; in response to the difference being not greater than the preset difference threshold, determine that the termination condition is met.

[0139] The difference between the initial outline in the adjacent slice image and the target outline in the adjacent slice image can be referred to as the outline difference, which can reflect the size of the modification amount from the initial outline of the adjacent slice image to the target outline. In some embodiments, the size of the modification amount can be determined based on the mask difference between the target outline mask corresponding to the target outline of the adjacent slice image and the initial outline mask corresponding to the initial outline.

[0140] It is understandable that the target outline is modified on the basis of the initial outline. When the mask difference is larger, it means that the difference between the initial outline and the target outline is larger, and the required modification amount is larger. At this time, it is necessary to continue the outline operation. Otherwise, when the mask difference is smaller, it means that the initial outline is closer to the target outline, and the required modification amount is smaller, and it is more appropriate to stop the outline operation. It is understandable that by presetting the difference threshold, it can be used to evaluate the balance between the effect of the target outline and the required modification amount, so as to reduce the consumption of unnecessary computing resources of the system.

[0141] In some implementations, the outline difference is also related to the modified contour points involved in the outline modification. When the number of modified contours is greater, it means that the required modification amount is greater, and the outline operation needs to be continued. The number of modified contour points can be determined based on the similarity between the initial outlines of adjacent slice images and the target outline.

[0142] In some embodiments, the termination condition may include the delineation score being above a threshold score. The delineation score may be determined based on the delineation difference. The smaller the delineation difference, the higher the delineation score; otherwise, the lower the delineation score. The threshold score may be preset (e.g., determined based on experience). When the delineation score is greater than the threshold score, the above-mentioned multiple rounds of delineation operations are stopped. It should be noted that whether to terminate multiple rounds of delineation can also be directly determined by the user (e.g., a physician). For more information, see Figure 7 and Figure 8 and its description.

[0143] Step 631 : In response to the termination condition not being met, specifying the adjacent slice image of the second slice image as the second slice image in the next round of delineation operation.

[0144] In some embodiments, Figure 6 As shown, when the termination condition is not met, the delineation system may designate the adjacent slice image of the second slice image of the current round of delineation operation as the second slice image in the next round of delineation operation, and continue to return to step 610 to perform the next round of delineation operation.

[0145] Step 632, in response to the termination condition being met, stopping one or more rounds of delineation operations.

[0146] That is, when the termination condition is met, the delineation modification of the plurality of slice images (such as part or all of the second slice images) may be stopped.

[0147] In some embodiments, after the drawing operation stops, a notification may be generated to remind the user. The notification may be in the form of text, sound, etc., or a combination thereof.

[0148] In some embodiments, after the delineation operation stops, the slice image sequence after the delineation operation can also be reconstructed in three dimensions. Exemplarily, the delineation system can reconstruct the contours of the target area and the organ at risk in three dimensions based on the first slice image and the second slice image after the delineation modification is completed, and generate a closed three-dimensional surface, which can be presented in the form of a three-dimensional model on the terminal device for the user to view or confirm. It should be noted that the user can also make individual fine adjustments to the delineation results of one or more slice images according to the results of the viewing or confirmation.

[0149] In some embodiments, at least one region of interest includes a target area to be treated. Figure 6 As shown, when the termination condition is met, the process 600 may further include step 640 .

[0150] Step 640: Generate a treatment plan for the target area based on the first slice image and the second slice image after the delineation operation.

[0151] In some embodiments, the delineation system may generate a treatment plan for the target area based on the target delineation in the slice image that has undergone delineation modification and / or the initial delineation in the slice image that has not undergone delineation modification.

[0152] The treatment plan of the target area refers to a plan for treating the target area (such as radiotherapy). In some embodiments, the delineation system can determine the treatment plan of the target area based on the relevant information of the target area and the relevant information of the organ at risk. For example, the dosage, treatment duration, etc. of the treatment plan are determined based on the position, size, and size of the target area in the slice image after delineation, as well as the type and position of the organ at risk.

[0153] In some embodiments of the present specification, the target area treatment plan can be automatically determined through the completed delineation results, so as to better assist doctors in treating patients, improve user experience, and reduce the time and energy consumption of the entire treatment process.

[0154] Some embodiments of the present specification realize automatic modification of layer-by-layer contouring of multiple slice images through one or more rounds of contouring operations, which greatly reduces the workload and time of doctors in contouring and modification.

[0155] Figure 7 is an exemplary flow chart of another image delineation method according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0156] In some embodiments, Figure 7 As shown, process 700 may include the following steps.

[0157] Step 710: Generate an initial target area delineation of the target area image to be delineated.

[0158] The target area image 701 to be delineated may be one or more slice images of a three-dimensional medical image. Initial target area delineation refers to the initial delineation of the region of interest in the target area image to be delineated. In some embodiments, step 710 may be performed by a delineation system. For example, the delineation system may delineate the target area image 701 to be delineated based on a preset segmentation algorithm to generate an initial target area delineation. For the relevant contents of the slice image and the initial delineation, please refer to step 320 and its related description, which will not be repeated here.

[0159] Step 720, select the target image layer. In some embodiments, step 720 may be performed by a delineation system. For example, the delineation system may select a slice image in the target area image 701 to be delineated as the target image layer. In some embodiments, the target image layer may also be selected or specified by a user (such as a physician).

[0160] Step 730, modify the initial target area delineation of the target image layer. In some embodiments, step 730 may be performed by a delineation system. In some embodiments, the delineation system may obtain a user's adjustment instruction for the initial target area delineation (such as a keyboard, mouse, etc. input instruction) to modify the initial target area delineation of the target image layer, and obtain delineation modification information at the same time. The modified target image layer may refer to the first slice image. For the first slice image and the delineation modification information, please refer to the description in step 330.

[0161] Step 740 : Map the delineation modification information to the adjacent image layer and modify the initial target area delineation of the adjacent image layer.

[0162] In some embodiments, step 740 may be performed by a delineation system. The adjacent image layer refers to one or more second slice images. For example, the adjacent image layer includes a second slice image adjacent to the target image layer (first slice image) and other second slice images adjacent to the second slice image.

[0163] In some embodiments, the delineation system may register the first slice image and the second slice image to determine the deformation field between the first slice image and the second slice image, which may be achieved by the method described in step 410; further, the delineation system may perform a local deformation mapping operation on the initial delineation in the second slice image based on the deformation field and the delineation modification information, so as to map the delineation modification information to the adjacent image layer and modify the initial target area delineation of the adjacent image layer, which may be achieved based on the method described in step 421. No further details will be given here.

[0164] In some embodiments, step 740 includes one or more rounds of delineation operations (local deformation mapping operations) to modify the initial delineation of one or more second slice images in the target area image 701 to be delineated. For more information about one or more rounds of delineation operations, see Figure 6 and its description.

[0165] Step 750, evaluating whether the modification result is passed.

[0166] The modified result refers to the target area delineation of the second slice image obtained after the delineation system performs one or more rounds of delineation operations (local deformation mapping operations). In some embodiments, the user can view the modified result on the display device and determine whether it is passed based on experience.

[0167] When the modification result is passed, a modified target area delineation 751 corresponding to one or more slice images in the target area image 701 to be delineated is obtained.

[0168] Step 760: The user modifies the modified result of the target area delineation of the adjacent image layer.

[0169] When the modification result is not passed, the user can also modify the modification result corresponding to the target area delineation in the adjacent image layer (such as one or more second slice images) (such as fine-tuning the contour of the target area delineation corresponding to the modification result) to obtain a modified target area delineation 751.

[0170] Step 770, determine whether modification is still required.

[0171] In some embodiments, the user may also evaluate the modified target area delineation 751 to determine whether further modification is still needed. For example, the user may also evaluate the overall delineation effect of the target area image 701 to be delineated (such as whether the target area delineation between multiple adjacent slice images meets the requirements of smoothness and continuity) to determine whether modification is still needed.

[0172] When no further modification is required, a target outline 771 of the target area image 701 to be outlined is obtained; when modification is still required, the user can perform operations similar to step 730 , and the outline system executes the above step 740 to finally obtain the target outline 771 .

[0173] Figure 8 is an exemplary flow chart of another image delineation method according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0174] In some embodiments, Figure 8 As shown, process 800 may include the following steps.

[0175] Step 810, selecting a target image layer.

[0176] Step 810 is similar to step 720. The selection of the target image layer in the target area image 701 to be delineated can be implemented by the delineation system or by the user. For related content, see step 720 and its description.

[0177] Step 820: Generate a target area outline of the target image layer.

[0178] In some embodiments, step 820 may be performed by a delineation system. For example, the delineation system may generate a target delineation of the target image layer based on a preset segmentation algorithm. Step 820 may be implemented by a user by delineating according to information of the target image (such as location information of the region of interest, etc.).

[0179] Step 830 : Map the target area delineation information to adjacent image layers and generate target area delineation of the adjacent image layers.

[0180] In some embodiments, step 830 may be performed by a delineation system. The target delineation information refers to reference delineation contour information corresponding to the target delineation of the target image layer (first slice image). In some embodiments, the delineation system may perform an overall deformation mapping operation based on the target delineation information to generate a target delineation of an adjacent image layer of the target image layer. For related content, see step 422 and its description.

[0181] In some embodiments, step 830 includes one or more rounds of delineation operations (global deformation mapping operations) to generate target area delineation of one or more second slice images in the target area image 701 to be delineated. For more information about one or more rounds of delineation operations, see Figure 6 and its description.

[0182] Step 840, evaluating whether the delineation result is passed.

[0183] The delineation result refers to the target area delineation of the second slice image obtained after the delineation system performs one or more rounds of delineation operations (overall deformation mapping operations). In some embodiments, the user can view the delineation result on the display device and determine whether it passes based on experience.

[0184] When the delineation result is passed, the target area delineation 841 confirmed by the user corresponding to one or more slice images in the target area image 701 to be delineated is obtained.

[0185] Step 850 : The user modifies the delineation result of the adjacent image layer.

[0186] When the outlining result fails, the user can modify the outlining result corresponding to the target area outlining in the adjacent image layer (such as one or more second slice images) (such as fine-tuning the contour of the target area outlining corresponding to the outlining result) to obtain the target area outlining 841 confirmed by the user.

[0187] Step 860, determine whether there is still content to be outlined.

[0188] In some embodiments, the user may evaluate whether there is still content that needs to be outlined (such as the outline of other regions of interest) in the first slice image to determine whether there is still content that needs to be outlined.

[0189] When there is nothing to be outlined, a target outline 771 of the target area image 701 to be outlined is obtained; when there is still content to be outlined, the user can perform operations similar to step 830, and the outline system executes the above step 840 to finally obtain the target outline 771.

[0190] Some embodiments of this specification (such as Figure 7 and Figure 8In an embodiment of the present invention, based on the delineation operation of the system, combined with the user's evaluation and fine-tuning processing, it is possible to ensure that the target delineation of the target area image to be delineated meets the actual clinical needs, thereby treating the patient more accurately.

[0191] It should be noted that the above description of the relevant process is only for example and explanation, and does not limit the scope of application of this specification. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and changes can be made to the process under the guidance of this specification. However, these modifications and changes are still within the scope of this specification.

[0192] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the above detailed disclosure is only for example and does not constitute a limitation of this specification. Although not explicitly stated here, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements and corrections to this specification. Such modifications, improvements and corrections are suggested in this specification, so such modifications, improvements and corrections still belong to the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this specification.

[0193] At the same time, this specification uses specific words to describe the embodiments of this specification. For example, "one embodiment", "an embodiment", and / or "some embodiments" refer to a certain feature, structure or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of this specification. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more in different positions in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, certain features, structures or characteristics in one or more embodiments of this specification can be appropriately combined.

[0194] In addition, unless explicitly stated in the claims, the order of the processing elements and sequences described in this specification, the use of alphanumeric characters, or the use of other names are not intended to limit the order of the processes and methods of this specification. Although the above disclosure discusses some invention embodiments that are currently considered useful through various examples, it should be understood that such details are only for illustrative purposes, and the attached claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the claims are intended to cover all modifications and equivalent combinations that are consistent with the essence and scope of the embodiments of this specification. For example, although the system components described above can be implemented by hardware devices, they can also be implemented only by software solutions, such as installing the described system on an existing server or mobile device.

[0195] Similarly, it should be noted that in order to simplify the description disclosed in this specification and thus help understand one or more embodiments of the invention, in the above description of the embodiments of this specification, multiple features are sometimes combined into one embodiment, figure or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the features required by the subject matter of this specification are more than the features mentioned in the claims. In fact, the features of the embodiments are less than all the features of the single embodiment disclosed above.

[0196] In some embodiments, numbers describing the number of components and attributes are used. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of the embodiments are modified by the modifiers "about", "approximately" or "substantially" in some examples. Unless otherwise specified, "about", "approximately" or "substantially" indicate that the numbers are allowed to vary by ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximate values, which may change according to the required features of individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should take into account the specified significant digits and adopt the general method of retaining digits. Although the numerical domains and parameters used to confirm the breadth of their range in some embodiments of this specification are approximate values, in specific embodiments, the setting of such numerical values ​​is as accurate as possible within the feasible range.

[0197] Each patent, patent application, patent application publication, and other materials, such as articles, books, specifications, publications, documents, etc., cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Except for application history documents that are inconsistent with or conflicting with the contents of this specification, documents that limit the broadest scope of the claims of this specification (currently or later attached to this specification) are also excluded. It should be noted that if the descriptions, definitions, and / or use of terms in the materials attached to this specification are inconsistent or conflicting with the contents described in this specification, the descriptions, definitions, and / or use of terms in this specification shall prevail.

[0198] Finally, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification are only used to illustrate the principles of the embodiments of this specification. Other variations may also fall within the scope of this specification. Therefore, as an example and not a limitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments of this specification may be considered consistent with the teachings of this specification. Accordingly, the embodiments of this specification are not limited to the embodiments explicitly introduced and described in this specification.

Claims

1. An image delineation method, characterized in that: include: Acquiring a three-dimensional image, wherein the three-dimensional image includes a plurality of slice images arranged in sequence; Acquiring reference delineation information in a first slice image among the plurality of slice images; as well as Based on the reference delineation information, a target delineation in a second slice image among the plurality of slice images is determined, the second slice image being adjacent to the first slice image.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The reference delineation information includes: delineation information for at least one region of interest; and Delineation information for an associated region around the at least one region of interest.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Determining the target outline in the second slice image among the plurality of slice images based on the reference outline comprises: The initial outline in the second slice image is modified using the outline modification information determined based on the reference outline information to determine the target outline.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The modifying the initial outline in the second slice image by using the outline modification information determined based on the reference outline comprises: registering the first slice image and the second slice image to determine a deformation field between the first slice image and the second slice image; and The initial outline is modified based on the deformation field and the outline modification information.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Determining the target outline in the second slice image among the plurality of slice images based on the reference outline comprises: The target delineation is determined using reference delineation contour information determined based on the reference delineation information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The determining the target outline by using the outline contour information determined based on the reference outline information comprises: registering the first slice image and the second slice image to determine a deformation field between the first slice image and the second slice image; and The target delineation is determined based on the deformation field and the reference delineation contour information.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Perform one or more rounds of outlining operations, each round of outlining operations includes: Determining delineation information in a slice image adjacent to the second slice image based on the delineation information in the second slice image in the current round of delineation operation; determining whether termination conditions are satisfied; and In response to the termination condition not being met, designating the adjacent slice image as the second slice image in a next round of delineation operation and performing the next round of delineation operation; or In response to the termination condition being met, the one or more rounds of delineation operations are stopped.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The termination condition includes a delineation score being above a threshold score.

9. An image delineation system, characterized in that: include: An image data acquisition module, used for acquiring a three-dimensional image, wherein the three-dimensional image includes a plurality of slice images arranged in sequence; A reference delineation determination module, configured to obtain reference delineation information in a first slice image among the plurality of slice images; The target delineation determination module is configured to determine a target delineation in a second slice image among the plurality of slice images based on the reference delineation information, where the second slice image is adjacent to the first slice image.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: Instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the image delineation method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images