CT Image Alignment via Segmented Positioning and Automatic Target Designation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical practitioners face difficulties in accurately comparing changes in lesion areas across CT images taken at different times due to variations in patient position and breathing timing, leading to misalignment and misregistration.
Innovation Solution
An image display apparatus that simultaneously displays two CT images taken at different time periods, using a combination of large-area and local-area positioning techniques to align them accurately, and a synchronization display program to designate and enlarge corresponding target points automatically.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If CT images taken in different time periods are displayed side by side for comparison, then medical practitioners can check changes in lesion areas, but misalignment due to patient position and breathing timing variations makes it difficult to accurately recognize corresponding locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the image alignment process into two distinct stages: large-area positioning that handles overall image registration, and local-area positioning that refines specific region alignment. This segmentation allows each stage to focus on particular aspects of alignment, improving overall precision while keeping each processing stage manageable in complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs large-area positioning as a preliminary step before local-area positioning. By pre-aligning the overall image regions based on prominent features, the system establishes a foundation that reduces the complexity of subsequent local refinement, solving the alignment problem in a structured sequence
2Measurement precision
If manual alignment methods are used for CT images, then device complexity is reduced, but alignment accuracy and productivity are significantly compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automatic positioning systems that perform both large-area and local-area alignment without manual intervention. The system uses image processing algorithms to automatically identify features, calculate transformations, and align images, thereby maintaining high accuracy while significantly improving processing efficiency compared to manual methods
3Measurement precision
If automatic positioning is implemented for both large-area and local-area alignment, then alignment accuracy is improved, but calculation complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the positioning task into large-area positioning handled by a dedicated program and local-area positioning handled by another program. This segmentation allows each program to optimize its calculation approach for its specific scope, reducing overall processing time while maintaining high accuracy through specialized algorithms for each stage
Solution Approach 2:
By performing large-area positioning first as a preliminary step, the system reduces the scope and complexity of subsequent local-area positioning calculations. This sequential approach minimizes total processing time while ensuring both stages contribute to final alignment accuracy
4Ease of operation
If CT images are displayed without automatic target point designation, then device complexity is reduced, but it becomes difficult to efficiently compare lesion area changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automatic target point designation functionality that identifies and marks corresponding lesion areas across aligned images without requiring manual input from medical practitioners. The system automatically detects and designates target points based on the alignment transformation, greatly easing the comparison operation while the software manages the complexity of the automatic designation algorithm
Data Source
AI summary
An image display apparatus includes a display device and a computer configured to execute a program to cause the computer to serve as a display controlling part. The display part displays a first CT image and a second CT image simultaneously. The first CT image and the second CT image represent the same object but taken in different time periods. The display controlling part performs: displaying the first and second CT images simultaneously on the display device according to a first display mode; determining a target portion designated in the first CT image; and changing a display mode of a corresponding portion of the second CT image from the first display mode into a second display mode, the corresponding portion corresponding to the target portion designated in the first CT image.