CT Respiratory Surrogate Detection for Phase-Correlated Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current CT imaging processes are influenced by patient respiratory movements, which are not accurately accounted for in standard scans, leading to potential artifacts and the need for re-scans due to patients not following pre-recorded breathing commands, and the complexity of external respiratory surrogate devices.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize an intrinsic respiratory surrogate derived from CT imaging data to adapt the CT imaging process in real-time, allowing for precise determination of respiratory phases and movements, enabling phase-correlated reconstructions and optimizing scan processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If external respiratory surrogate devices (optical systems or tension-based systems) are used to measure breathing motion, then measurement precision of respiratory movement is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to complicated attachment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The CT imaging system itself serves as the respiratory surrogate measurement device by analyzing motion of anatomical structures within the CT data. The system uses its own imaging capability to detect respiratory movement through tracking anatomical landmarks, eliminating the need for separate external measurement devices and their complex attachments.
Solution Approach 2:
The respiratory surrogate measurement function is extracted from external dedicated devices and integrated into the CT imaging system's data processing pipeline. By deriving respiratory information directly from the CT scan data itself, the solution removes the dependency on external optical cameras or tension belts while maintaining measurement capability.
2Productivity
If pre-recorded breathing commands are given to patients during CT scans, then productivity is improved by enabling standard scanning protocols, but reliability deteriorates because there is no way to detect whether patients are following the commands
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors respiratory movement during the scan by analyzing sequential CT data frames and provides real-time feedback on breathing phase detection. This allows the system to verify whether the patient is following breathing commands and to adapt the scanning protocol accordingly, ensuring reliable data acquisition without sacrificing productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical attachment of external respiratory surrogate devices is replaced by a software-based detection method that uses image processing algorithms to track anatomical motion within the CT data. This substitution maintains reliability while improving ease of operation and reducing device complexity.
3Measurement precision
If respiratory surrogate data is only collected in dedicated 4D scan modes, then measurement precision is improved for phase-correlated reconstruction, but adaptability deteriorates because standard non-respiratory scans cannot utilize this information
Solution Approach 1:
The CT imaging system is designed to perform multiple functions: it both images the patient and simultaneously measures respiratory movement from the same data. The respiratory surrogate extraction methodology works across different scan protocols (standard, cardiac, dual energy, contrast-enhanced, non-contrast), making the system universally applicable rather than limited to dedicated 4D scan modes only.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for performing a CT imaging process based on an individual respiration behaviour of a patient, comprises: recording a respiratory movement of the patient by monitoring an intrinsic respiratory surrogate. In the context of recording the intrinsic respiratory surrogate, CT raw data are acquired from an examination volume of the patient, and 3D-CT images of subsequent stacks of the examination volume at different z-positions are reconstructed. An automatic organ segmentation is performed based on the reconstructed 3D-CT images of the subsequent stacks, wherein at least a portion of the examination volume is segmented. Furthermore, a respiratory movement of at least the portion of the examination volume is detected and determined as the intrinsic respiratory surrogate. The CT imaging process is then adapted based on the intrinsic respiratory surrogate of the patient.