Oral and maxillofacial CBCT (cone beam computed tomography) intelligent shooting method and system

Abstract

The invention provides an oral and maxillofacial CBCT intelligent shooting method and system, and relates to the technical field of medical imaging. The method comprises the following steps that a person to be detected enters a preset scanning area of CBCT equipment, and the person to be detected is guided by a cursor positioning system to complete positioning of the oral and maxillofacial surface to be scanned; after positioning is completed, the person to be detected bites an occlusion rod on the CBCT equipment, a sensor on the occlusion rod sends a signal to a scanning console to start pre-scanning, and anatomical information of the oral and maxillofacial surface to be scanned is obtained to serve as a pre-scanning result; based on the pre-scanning result and the age, gender and disease category of the person to be detected, the system automatically sets a formal scanning scheme and an image reconstruction scheme; the person to be detected bite the bite rod again, and automatic exposure is triggered; and after the exposure is finished, outputting a final CBCT image of the oral and maxillofacial surface to be scanned. The invention aims at improving the shooting efficiency through an automatic process and intelligent guidance, saving the labor cost and realizing accurate personalized shooting parameter setting and image reconstruction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of medical imaging technology, and particularly to an intelligent shooting method and system for oral and maxillofacial CBCT. Background Art

[0002] CBCT is a special CT device for stomatology developed in the past 30 years. It is widely used in major stomatological hospitals, stomatology departments of general hospitals, private stomatological clinics and stomatology departments of community hospitals, and has become a commonly used imaging examination technology in stomatology. At present, although the market demand for CBCT devices at home and abroad is huge, the development of equipment refinement and intelligence is significantly lagging behind.

[0003] Due to the interdisciplinary nature of oral and maxillofacial medical imaging, the serious shortage of oral and maxillofacial medical imaging physicians and insufficient professional training, although CBCT devices are widely used clinically, it is normal for CBCT to be used irregularly and inappropriately: the scanning conditions for some patients are set insufficiently, resulting in insufficient clarity of CBCT images and unable to meet the diagnosis and treatment needs; some patients are scanned with excessive dose and excessive field of view. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Object of the Invention: To propose an intelligent shooting method for oral and maxillofacial CBCT, and further propose a system for implementing this method, aiming to improve the shooting efficiency, save labor costs, and achieve accurate personalized shooting parameter settings and image reconstruction through an automated process and intelligent guidance, so as to improve the image quality and reduce the radiation dose of patients.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention proposes an intelligent shooting method for oral and maxillofacial CBCT, including the following steps: The person to be examined enters the predetermined scanning area of the CBCT device, and the cursor positioning system guides the person to be examined to complete the positioning of the oral and maxillofacial area to be scanned; After the positioning of the oral and maxillofacial area to be scanned is completed, the person to be examined bites the bite bar on the CBCT device, and the sensor on the bite bar sends a signal to the scanning console to start a pre-scan, so as to obtain the anatomical information of the oral and maxillofacial area to be scanned as the pre-scan result; Based on the pre-scan result, the patient's age, gender and disease category, automatically set the formal scanning plan and image reconstruction plan; The person to be examined bites the bite bar again to trigger automatic exposure; After the exposure ends, output the final CBCT image of the oral and maxillofacial area to be scanned.

[0006] In a further embodiment, the cursor positioning system real-time monitors the head position of the person to be examined through a predetermined number of infrared rays, and displays the real-time head position and target position of the current person to be examined, guiding the person to be examined to adjust the head until it is within the preset interval of the target position.

[0007] In a further embodiment, the sensor on the occlusal bar is a carbon film piezoresistive sensor. The carbon film piezoresistive sensor generates a resistance change due to the applied biting force. In this piezoresistive sensor, a patterned laser-induced graphene layer is used as the resistance layer, and a spray-printed silver interdigital electrode is used as the conductor path.

[0008] In a further embodiment, the sensor further includes a Bluetooth transmission module, which is used to establish real-time wireless communication between the sensor and the scan console of the CBCT device. In a further embodiment, the specific process of the pre-scan includes: First, the X-ray source and the imaging detector rotate around the person to be detected to obtain sagittal images and coronal images. Then, according to the sagittal images and coronal images, the thickness of the maxillofacial soft tissue and the volume of the hard tissue within the scan field of view of the person to be detected are calculated respectively.

[0009] In a further embodiment, the formal scan plan and the image reconstruction plan are formulated based on the basic information of the person to be detected (age, gender, and disease category) and the thickness of the maxillofacial soft tissue and the volume of the hard tissue in the pre-scan images.

[0010] In addition, the present invention also proposes an intelligent oral and maxillofacial CBCT imaging system, which includes a cursor positioning module, a CBCT device, an intelligent scan module, a sensing control module, and a display and output module.

[0011] The cursor positioning module is used to guide the person to be detected to complete the positioning of the oral and maxillofacial area to be scanned within the predetermined scan area of the CBCT device.

[0012] The CBCT device is used to perform pre-scan and formal scan tasks.

[0013] The intelligent scan module establishes communication with the CBCT device; the intelligent scan module is used to automatically set the formal scan plan and the image reconstruction plan according to the pre-scan results and feedback them to the CBCT device for execution according to the plan.

[0014] The sensing control module establishes communication with the CBCT device and the intelligent scan module respectively; the sensing control module is used to confirm the occlusal state of the person to be detected and automatically start the exposure program of the CBCT device.

[0015] The display and output module establishes communication with the sensing control module; the display and output module displays and prints the final CBCT image of the oral and maxillofacial area to be scanned after the correct exposure of the CBCT device.

[0016] In a further embodiment, the CBCT device includes a C-arm, as well as an X-ray tube and an imaging detector mounted on the C-arm. The X-ray tube is used to generate an X-ray source, and the imaging detector is used to acquire sagittal and coronal images of the subject to be examined.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: Improve shooting efficiency: The automated process reduces the operation time of technicians and improves the shooting efficiency.

[0018] Improve image quality: Precise personalized shooting parameter settings and image reconstruction algorithms for different disease categories ensure high-quality images, which contribute to more accurate clinical diagnosis and at the same time reduce the radiation dose to patients.

[0019] Reduce the difficulty of patient cooperation: The intelligent guidance system makes it easier for patients to understand and cooperate with the shooting process, reducing shooting failures caused by patient non-cooperation.

[0020] Reduce the burden on technicians: The automated process reduces the operation difficulty and workload of technicians and improves work efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 It is a flowchart of the automatic CBCT intelligent shooting method of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 It is the structural form of the piezoresistive sensor in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the piezoresistive sensor.

[0024] Figure 4 It is a decision diagram for automatically setting the optimal scanning scheme with personalization of the automatic CBCT intelligent shooting method of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0025] In the following description, numerous specific details are given to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, some well-known technical features are not described to avoid confusion with the present invention.

[0026] See Figure 1 , this embodiment discloses the specific process of an oral and maxillofacial CBCT intelligent shooting method from the perspective of the subject to be examined: 1. The person to be tested scans the code by themselves and enters the scanning console: After the person to be tested scans the code by themselves and enters the scanning room, the system automatically connects to the hospital's electronic medical record system to obtain the basic information (such as name, age, gender, etc.) and electronic medical record information (such as past medical history, examination purpose, etc.) of the person to be tested. The system displays the obtained information on the screen and uses voice broadcast to prompt the person to be tested to confirm whether the information is correct. The person to be tested can confirm or modify the information through the touch screen or voice commands.

[0027] 2. The person to be tested enters the scanning area according to the voice broadcast system: After confirming that the information is correct, the voice broadcast system prompts the person to be tested to enter the scanning area. There are obvious signs and guiding lines in the scanning area, and the person to be tested enters the designated position according to the voice prompts and signs.

[0028] 3. The intelligent voice broadcast system guides the person to be tested to perform preliminary positioning through the cursor positioning system: After the person to be tested enters the scanning area, the voice broadcast system prompts the person to be tested to place their head at the position specified by the cursor positioning system. The cursor positioning system uses infrared positioning technology to monitor the head position of the person to be tested in real time and adds a real-time image feedback function. The person to be tested can see the comparison between their head position and the target position on the display screen of the scanning console and adjust the head position more intuitively. Then, the voice broadcast system prompts the person to be tested to adjust the head position until the best positioning is achieved.

[0029] 4. The person to be tested bites the bite bar on the CBCT device: After the positioning is completed, the voice broadcast system prompts the person to be tested to bite the bite bar on the CBCT device. There are sensors on the bite bar. When the person to be tested bites, the sensors send signals to the scanning console through a wireless Bluetooth device. After the console receives the signal, it automatically starts the pre-scanning program.

[0030] 5. Pre-scanning to obtain the maxillofacial anatomical information of the person to be tested: The pre-scanning program obtains the coronal and sagittal images of the person to be tested's maxillofacial region through rapid scanning and calculates anatomical information such as the soft tissue thickness and hard tissue volume of the person to be tested. This information will be used for subsequent scanning plan settings to ensure the quality of the scanned images and reduce the radiation dose of the person to be tested.

[0031] 6. The intelligent voice broadcast system prompts the person to be tested to relax: After the pre-scanning is completed, the voice broadcast system prompts the person to be tested to relax and avoid unnecessary movements caused by tension, which may affect the shooting effect.

[0032] 7. CBCT machine automatically sets scanning plan: The system automatically calculates and sets the best scanning plan based on the information in the electronic medical record of the patient (age, gender, examination purpose, medical history, etc.) and the pre-scan results. The scanning plan includes CBCT image reconstruction algorithm, scanning field of view, scanning voxel, scanning voltage and scanning current to ensure that the image can meet clinical diagnosis needs and reduce the radiation dose of the patient as much as possible.

[0033] 8. The subject bites the bite bar again to start the automatic exposure: The subject bites the bite bar again according to the prompt of the voice broadcast system. The sensor on the bite bar sends a signal to the scanning console again to start the automatic exposure program of the CBCT device.

[0034] 9. After the exposure is completed, the voice broadcast system prompts the person to be tested that the scanning is completed: After the exposure is completed, the voice broadcast system prompts the person to be tested that the scanning is completed. The person to be tested can click the confirmation button on the touch screen of the scanning console to confirm the end of the scan and exit the scanning area.

[0035] An exception handling mechanism has been added to the automatic CBCT intelligent shooting method: the system can monitor in real time the abnormal situations that may occur during the shooting process, such as unnecessary movement of the person to be tested, equipment failure, etc. When an abnormal situation is detected, the system will automatically pause the shooting and prompt the person to be tested and the technician to take corresponding measures through the voice broadcast system.

[0036] As a preferred embodiment, a feasible form of a sensor on a bite bar is disclosed. That is, a carbon film piezoresistive sensor is used, and its structural schematic diagram is shown in Figure 2 , see the working principle diagram Figure 3 (As pressure increases, the contact area between the electrode and the carbon film increases, and the resistance decreases.) The carbon film piezoresistive sensor produces a change in resistance due to the bite force applied. This piezoresistive sensor uses a patterned laser-induced graphene layer as the resistance layer and spray-printed silver interdigitated electrodes as the conductor path.

[0037] In order to prevent the collapse of graphene fibers from affecting working durability, the laser-induced graphene layer needs to be elastomer-coated and peeled off during the preparation process so that the contact surface with the silver electrode presents a flat morphology.

[0038] At the same time, after the printed electrode layer is covered with the carbon film layer, the device needs to be encapsulated with an integrally molded elastomer to ensure complete waterproofing.

[0039] By leading out the two ends of the silver finger electrode, it is possible to measure whether the applied force reaches the scanning trigger condition by measuring the resistance change caused by the increase in the contact area between the graphene fibers and between the graphene and silver when the silver electrode-carbon film structure is compressed.

[0040] In addition, wireless Bluetooth transmission is one of the important functions of the sensor, which allows the sensor to transmit measurement signals to the CBCT device in real time, initiating the pre-scan and automatic exposure procedures.

[0041] Another embodiment of the present invention discloses an automatic CBCT imaging system, which includes: Subject information acquisition module: used to dock with the hospital electronic medical record system through an automatic barcode scanning device to automatically obtain the basic information and disease category of the subject to be examined.

[0042] Intelligent voice broadcast module: used to guide the subject to be examined to complete the preparations before imaging, including entering the scanning area, autonomously positioning through the cursor and adjusting the body position, biting the bite bar, etc.

[0043] Cursor positioning module: used to assist the subject to be examined in autonomous positioning, ensuring that the region of interest of the subject is within the scanning field of view, and at the same time ensuring the proper body position of the subject.

[0044] CBCT scanning device: includes a retention bracket, a "C" arm, an X-ray tube, and an image detector, and is used to perform pre-scan and formal scan tasks.

[0045] Sensing control module: includes a bite bar, a sensor, a sensing circuit, and a Bluetooth output device, and is used to confirm the biting state of the subject and automatically initiate the exposure program of the CBCT device.

[0046] Intelligent scanning module: used to set a personalized scanning plan according to the basic information and disease category of the subject to be examined and the pre-scan image, and design a personalized image reconstruction plan for the original images taken by the CBCT device. The specific plan is as follows: set the scanning field of view according to the disease category of the patient: small field of view, small voxel (≤0.15mm), high filtration algorithm for endodontic diseases, medium field of view, medium voxel (0.2 - 0.3mm), low filtration algorithm for dental implants, large field of view (0.25 - 0.4mm), normal filtration algorithm for orthodontics and maxillofacial bone tumor diseases; set the voltage according to the age of the patient: age ≤ 6 years: 70kV, 6 years < age ≤ 12 years: 80 kV, 12 years < age ≤ 50 years: 90 - 110 kV, age > 50 years: 90 kV; male and 18 years ≤ age ≤ 50 years: 100 - 110 kV; calculate the scanning current according to the soft tissue thickness and hard tissue volume of the patient in the pre-scan image, and the current range is 3 - 25mA.

[0047] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the subject information acquisition module mainly executes the following process: The subject to be examined enters the scanning console through the self-service barcode scanning device to obtain the index information; Based on the index information, a query request is sent to the hospital electronic medical record background management system; Receive the response of the electronic medical record system to the query request, and obtain basic information such as the name, age, and gender of the person to be tested, as well as disease category information.

[0048] The information obtained is associated with and corresponds one-to-one with the index information. After confirmation with the person to be tested, proceed to the next step.

[0049] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the intelligent voice broadcast module adopts advanced speech synthesis technology to generate clear and natural voice prompts and supports multiple languages.

[0050] The intelligent voice broadcast module guides the person to be tested into the CBCT shooting area; The infrared sensing module equipped in the system identifies the distance and body posture between the person to be tested and the device. The intelligent voice broadcast module prompts the person to be tested to perform positioning and body position adjustment through the cursor positioning on the CBCT device. The intelligent voice broadcast module prompts the person to be tested to bite the bite bar to start the pre-scan; After the person to be tested completes the pre-scan, the voice prompts the person to be tested to relax; After the CBCT sets the scanning plan, the intelligent voice broadcast module prompts the person to be tested to bite the bite bar again and keep still to complete the formal scan; When the exposure ends, the voice broadcast system prompts the person to be tested that the scan is over. After confirmation, the person can leave the examination room.

[0051] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the cursor positioning module adopts infrared cursor technology to assist the person to be tested in nose tip positioning, and the positioning accuracy reaches ±1mm. This high-precision positioning technology is similar to the precise positioning of the scanned part of the person to be tested in CBCT scanning, ensuring that the person to be tested is in the correct scanning area before scanning.

[0052] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the CBCT scanning device automatically sets a personalized optimal scanning plan and the best reconstruction algorithm according to the gender, age, disease type of the person to be tested, and the pre-scan image, ensuring that the captured image meets the clinical diagnosis and treatment needs, and at the same time minimizing the radiation dose of the person to be tested. The decision diagram is shown in Figure 4 .

[0053] In practical applications, an executable instruction set can be written for the operation logic of the shooting method disclosed in the above embodiments. The executable instructions are written into a storage medium and run on an electronic device. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium mentioned in this embodiment may include, but are not limited to: electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the above. The computer-readable storage medium may include a data signal propagated in a baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries the readable program code. Such a propagated data signal may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. The readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than the readable storage medium, which can send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0054] As described above, although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to specific preferred embodiments, it should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention itself. Various changes may be made in its form and details without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An oral and maxillofacial CBCT intelligent shooting method, characterized in that: The steps include: The subject to be examined enters the predetermined scanning area of ​​the CBCT device, and the cursor positioning system guides the subject to complete the positioning of the oral and maxillofacial area to be scanned; After the positioning of the oral and maxillofacial area to be scanned is completed, the subject bites the bite bar on the CBCT device, and the sensor on the bite bar sends a signal to the scanning console to start the pre-scan, so as to obtain the anatomical information of the oral and maxillofacial area to be scanned as the pre-scan result; Automatically set a formal scanning plan and an image reconstruction plan based on the pre-scan results and the age, gender, and disease type of the subject to be tested; When the subject bites the bite bar again, automatic exposure is triggered; After the exposure is completed, the final CBCT image of the oral and maxillofacial area to be scanned is output.

2. The oral and maxillofacial CBCT intelligent shooting method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cursor positioning system monitors the head position of the person to be detected in real time through a predetermined number of infrared rays, and displays the real-time head position and target position of the person to be detected, guiding the person to be detected to adjust the head position until it is within a preset range of the target position.

3. The oral and maxillofacial CBCT intelligent shooting method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor on the bite bar is a carbon film piezoresistive sensor; The carbon film piezoresistive sensor generates a resistance change due to the application of a bite force. The carbon film piezoresistive sensor uses a patterned laser-induced graphene layer as a resistance layer and spray-printed silver interdigitated electrodes as a conductor path.

4. The oral and maxillofacial CBCT intelligent shooting method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The sensor further comprises a Bluetooth transmission module for establishing real-time wireless communication between the sensor and a scanning console of the CBCT device.

5. The oral and maxillofacial CBCT intelligent shooting method according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The pre-scanning specifically includes: The X-ray source and the image detector are rotated around the subject to be examined to obtain sagittal and coronal images; According to the sagittal image and the coronal image, the soft tissue thickness and the hard tissue volume of the maxillofacial region within the scanning field of view of the subject to be tested are calculated respectively.

6. The oral and maxillofacial CBCT intelligent shooting method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The formal scanning plan and image reconstruction plan are formulated based on the age, gender, disease type of the subject to be examined, and the thickness of the maxillofacial soft tissue and the volume of the hard tissue in the pre-scanned image.

7. An oral and maxillofacial CBCT intelligent photography system, used to execute the oral and maxillofacial CBCT intelligent photography method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The CBCT intelligent imaging system includes: The cursor positioning module is used to guide the subject to be examined to complete the positioning of the oral and maxillofacial region to be scanned within the predetermined scanning area of ​​the CBCT device; CBCT equipment, used to perform pre-scan and formal scan tasks; An intelligent scanning module establishes communication with the CBCT device; the intelligent scanning module is used to automatically set a formal scanning plan and an image reconstruction plan according to the age, gender, disease type and pre-scan results of the person to be tested, and feed back to the CBCT device for execution according to the plan; A sensor control module establishes communication with the CBCT device and the intelligent scanning module respectively; the sensor control module is used to confirm the occlusal state of the person to be tested and automatically start the exposure program of the CBCT device; The display and output module establishes communication with the sensor control module; the display and output module displays and prints the final CBCT image of the oral and maxillofacial region to be scanned after the CBCT device is correctly exposed.

8. The oral and maxillofacial CBCT intelligent imaging system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The CBCT device includes a C-arm, and a tube and an image detector mounted on the C-arm; The tube is used to generate an X-ray source, and the image detector is used to collect and generate sagittal and coronal images of the subject to be examined.

Images