Contextual Picking for Medical Image Position Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical imaging technologies face challenges in accurately determining positions of interest in 3D volumetric data, particularly due to self-occlusion and the complexity of synchronizing interactions across multiple views, which hinders efficient anatomical structure analysis.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for 'contextual picking' that generates a viewing ray profile from a 3D volumetric view and matches it with pre-defined ray profile templates stored in a knowledge base to determine the position of interest, allowing for reliable identification of anatomical structures like vessels, the aorta, or vertebrae, by analyzing similarities in intensity and gradient values along the ray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If ray casting is performed for each pixel on the screen to determine position in 3D volumetric view, then position determination is possible, but the process is computationally expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-calculates and stores ray profiles for various anatomical structures in a knowledge base before actual interaction. When a user clicks on a structure, the system retrieves and compares these pre-defined profiles instead of performing complex ray casting calculations in real-time, significantly reducing computation time while maintaining position determination accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates simplified representations (copies) of anatomical structures in the form of ray profiles that capture essential characteristics. These profile copies are stored in a knowledge base and used for rapid matching and position determination, avoiding the need for full-scale ray casting operations during interaction
2Loss of information
If multiple views of volumetric data are synchronized for comprehensive analysis, then better anatomical insights are achieved, but the complexity of determining position changes and synchronizing views increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a transfer function as an intermediary that automatically translates position information from one view to other views. When a user clicks on a structure in any view, the transfer function calculates and applies the appropriate transformation to keep all views synchronized, reducing the complexity of manual synchronization while maintaining information completeness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal position determination system that works across multiple views and data types. The ray profile matching approach and transfer function are view-independent, allowing the same mechanism to handle 2D slices, 3D volumetric views, and other representations, simplifying the overall synchronization architecture
3Ease of operation
If first-hit position is used for picking in volumetric view, then position determination is simplified, but self-occlusion and ambiguity prevent reliable identification of anatomical structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system compares the ray profile obtained from user clicking against a knowledge base of pre-defined anatomical structure profiles. This comparison provides feedback that confirms whether the clicked position corresponds to the intended structure, resolving ambiguity and self-occlusion issues while maintaining operational simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the first-hit position as a starting point but performs additional partial actions by comparing ray profiles and analyzing intensity patterns along the ray. This goes beyond simple first-hit selection to verify structure identity, improving reliability while building upon the simplified picking operation
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a corresponding apparatus for determining a position in an image, in particular a medical image enables a reliable determination of positions of interest in images of a variety of structures by displaying a volume rendering of image data acquired from an object, in particular a patient, pointing at a structure of interest displayed in the volume rendering of the image data, generating a viewing ray profile comprising information characterizing a ray running through said structure of interest, selecting a contextual profile from various contextual profiles, each of said contextual profiles comprising a representative ray profile representing a viewing ray profile of a structure, in particular an anatomical structure, and comprising profile information, and determining a position within said structure of interest based on said profile information of said selected contextual profile in the case that the representative ray profile of said selected contextual profile is matching with at least a part of said viewing ray profile.