X-ray CT Optimal Cardiac Phase Determination via Local Rhythm Harmony
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current X-ray CT apparatus methods struggle to accurately determine the optimal cardiac phase for cardiac scanning, as they do not adequately consider the varying heart rhythms across different locations, leading to large motion artifacts and difficulty in specifying the optimal phase, especially for unhealthy hearts.
Innovation Solution
An X-ray CT apparatus that includes an X-ray irradiation unit, detection unit, electrocardiographic information acquisition, image creation, and display unit, with a tomographic data creation unit, region data generation, variation distribution calculation, and degree-of-harmony calculation to determine the optimal cardiac phase by analyzing the harmony of rhythms across different locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the entire heart motion is used to determine the optimal cardiac phase, then the determination process is simple, but large motion artifacts occur locally even when the entire heart moves the slowest
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the heart into multiple local regions and calculates motion variations for each region separately. This segmentation allows identification of regions with different motion characteristics, enabling selection of optimal cardiac phase for each region rather than using a single global phase determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by evaluating motion variations specifically in the region of interest rather than uniformly across the entire heart. This allows the determination of optimal cardiac phase based on local motion characteristics, improving image quality in critical areas even when overall heart motion is not minimal.
2Device complexity
If the motion of a local region other than the region of interest is used to determine the optimal cardiac phase, then the determination is simplified, but large motion occurs in the region of interest
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the heart into multiple regions including the region of interest and other areas, then calculates motion variations for each segment independently. This enables selective evaluation of region-specific motion characteristics rather than relying on motion from unrelated areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by focusing the optimal cardiac phase determination on the motion characteristics of the region of interest itself. This ensures that the selected cardiac phase truly reflects the rhythm of the target area, improving measurement precision for that specific region.
3Device complexity
If the rhythm of each region of the heart is not considered, then the determination process is simpler, but it becomes difficult to specify the optimal cardiac phase for unhealthy hearts with significantly different regional rhythms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the heart into multiple regions and calculates motion variations for each region independently. This segmentation enables the system to handle cases where different regions have significantly different rhythms, such as in unhealthy hearts, by evaluating each region's optimal phase separately.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by determining optimal cardiac phase based on local motion characteristics in the region of interest rather than global heart motion. This approach increases adaptability to various heart conditions, including unhealthy hearts with regional rhythm variations, by focusing on the specific rhythm of the target area.
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 the specification of the optimal cardiac phase in various cases, providing clear diagnostic images by considering the harmony of heart rhythms at different locations, thus improving image quality and accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
an X-ray irradiation unit that irradiates X-rays from periphery of an object, an X-ray detection unit that detects information of X-rays transmitted through the object
Implementation Method 2
an electrocardiographic information acquisition unit that acquires electrocardiographic information of the object
Data Source
AI summary
In order to provide an X-ray CT apparatus and the like that can specify an optimal cardiac phase in a wide variety of cases, an X-ray CT apparatus collects X-ray information and electrocardiographic waveform data 5 by performing cardiac scanning using an scanning unit 1 (step S11). Then, reconstructed images of a plurality of cardiac phases are created (step S12), and a region-of-interest image is generated by extracting a region of interest for each of the reconstructed images of the plurality of cardiac phases (step S13). Then, a variation distribution image is generated by calculating a variation for each region-of-interest image (step S14). Then, the degree of harmony of each cardiac phase is calculated using the variation distribution image (step S15). Then, an optimal cardiac phase is determined on the basis of at least the degree of harmony (step S16).