Automated C-Arm Orbit Control for Stent Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional X-ray diagnostic apparatuses face difficulties in reliably and efficiently imaging the state of implanted stents in blood vessels, requiring manual operation of the C-arm, which is cumbersome and prolongs examination time, and alternative methods like IVUS impose additional burdens on patients.
Innovation Solution
An X-ray diagnostic apparatus that uses processing circuitry to identify the three-dimensional running direction of blood vessels from multiple images, controlling the X-ray source and detector to image the target position from different angles, allowing for automated positioning and imaging of the stent along a calculated circumferential orbit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual rotation and movement of the C-arm is used to image the implanted stent, then the stent state can be checked, but the operation becomes cumbersome and examination time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical operation of the C-arm with an automated control system. The processing circuitry automatically calculates the circumferential orbit around the stent based on imaging data, and the C-arm is automatically positioned and rotated along this calculated orbit without manual intervention. This substitution of manual mechanical operation with automated computer-controlled operation resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable stent verification while dramatically reducing examination time and operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the C-arm from manual, arbitrary positioning to automated positioning along a mathematically calculated circumferential orbit. The system determines optimal imaging angles and positions by calculating the orbit center and radius based on stent location and blood vessel geometry, then automatically adjusts the C-arm's position, angle, and rotation path. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction by ensuring reliable stent imaging through systematic coverage of the circumferential orbit while minimizing examination time through efficient path planning.
2Reliability
If manual rotation and movement of the C-arm is used to image the implanted stent, then the stent state can be checked, but the operation becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical operation of the C-arm with an automated control system. The processing circuitry automatically calculates the circumferential orbit around the stent based on imaging data, and the C-arm is automatically positioned and rotated along this calculated orbit without manual intervention. This substitution of manual mechanical operation with automated computer-controlled operation resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable stent verification while dramatically reducing examination time and operational complexity.
3Reliability
If IVUS is used to image the stent from inside the blood vessel, then the stent state can be checked, but patient burden increases and examination time becomes longer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses external X-ray imaging to create a detailed visual representation (copy) of the stent's state without requiring internal imaging devices. By automatically positioning the C-arm along the calculated circumferential orbit and capturing multiple projection images from different angles, the system reconstructs comprehensive stent verification data externally. This copying approach resolves the contradiction by providing reliable stent state verification through external imaging, eliminating the need for invasive IVUS procedures and thereby reducing patient burden while maintaining examination efficiency.
4Measurement precision
If multiple images from different angles are taken to verify stent placement, then imaging accuracy improves, but the complexity of positioning increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the C-arm from manual, arbitrary positioning to automated positioning along a mathematically calculated circumferential orbit. The system determines optimal imaging angles and positions by calculating the orbit center and radius based on stent location and blood vessel geometry, then automatically adjusts the C-arm's position, angle, and rotation path. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction by ensuring reliable stent imaging through systematic coverage of the circumferential orbit while minimizing examination time through efficient path planning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the processed imaging data to automatically adjust and optimize the C-arm positioning. The processing circuitry analyzes the initial imaging data to calculate the circumferential orbit parameters, then uses this information to control the C-arm's movement and imaging angles. This closed-loop feedback approach resolves the contradiction by automatically determining the precise positioning parameters needed for accurate stent verification, eliminating the need for complex manual positioning while ensuring high measurement precision through data-driven control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables rapid and reliable imaging of the stent's condition by automating the positioning of the X-ray source and detector, reducing examination time and patient burden while improving the accuracy of stent placement verification.
Implementation Method 1
an X-ray source and an X-ray detector, which supports the X-ray detector and the X-ray source
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, an X-ray diagnostic apparatus includes an X-ray source, an X-ray detector, an arm, and processing circuitry. The arm supports the X-ray source and the X-ray detector. The processing circuitry identifies a three-dimensional running direction of a blood vessel of an object from a plurality of images that are obtained by using the X-ray source and the X-ray detector to image the object from at least two different angles, and controls positions of the X-ray source and the X-ray detector by using the arm in such a manner that a target position of the blood vessel is imaged from the at least two different directions determined depending on the three-dimensional running direction.