Heart Image Registration via Vessel Segmentation and Muscle Contour Correlation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical imaging technologies face challenges in effectively registering and correlating anatomical and nuclear medicine images of the heart, which limits the accurate diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases by not providing a comprehensive view of both structural and functional aspects.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system for registering intravital anatomical imaging modality image data and nuclear medicine image data of the heart, involving segmentation of heart vessels, correlation with heart muscle contours, and registration to form a unified image, allowing for the calculation of physiological parameters and visualization of stenotic lesions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If anatomical and nuclear medicine images are registered and correlated, then the comprehensiveness of heart health assessment is improved, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges anatomical image data (from intravital imaging modalities like fluoroscopy) with nuclear medicine image data (from SPECT imaging) into a single registered and correlated visual representation. This combining of different imaging modalities allows physicians to simultaneously assess both structural anatomy and functional perfusion information, eliminating the need to separately analyze multiple images and thereby reducing information loss while managing system complexity through automated processing.
2Measurement precision
If segmentation of heart vessels and correlation with muscle contours is performed, then the precision of diagnosis is improved, but the difficulty of detection and measurement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation techniques to divide the heart vessel network into distinct, identifiable components within the anatomical image data. By segmenting vessels and separately identifying muscle wall contours from nuclear medicine images, the system creates discrete, measurable elements that can be precisely correlated with each other, thereby improving diagnostic precision while managing the complexity of detection through automated image processing algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a method for registration of intravital anatomical imaging modality image data and nuclear medicine image data of a patient's heart comprising: obtaining anatomical image data including a heart of a patient outputted by an anatomical intravital imaging modality; obtaining at least one nuclear medicine image data outputted by a nuclear medicine imaging modality, the nuclear medicine image data including the heart of the patient; identifying a segmentation of a network of vessels of the heart in the anatomical image data; identifying a contour of at least part of the heart in the nuclear medicine image data, the contour including at least one muscle wall border of the heart; correlating between the segmentation and the contour; registering the correlated segmentation and the correlated contour to form a registered image of the anatomical image data and the nuclear medicine image data; and providing the registered image for display.