Medical Image Overlap Analysis for Motion Artifact Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Medical imaging procedures like CT or MRI acquisitions face motion artifacts due to breathing, heartbeat, peristalsis, or patient movements, which can render data unusable for radiotherapy planning or other purposes, especially when breath-holding is not feasible.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method to detect motion artifacts by generating a difference map from overlapping medical imaging datasets and identifying connected regions exceeding a threshold, allowing for detection, localization, and classification of these artifacts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple shorter acquisitions are made at different breathing phases and stitched together, then time-resolved data can be acquired without breath-holding, but motion artifacts occur due to relative motion between acquisitions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveability to acquire data without breath-holdingVSAvoidquality of imaging data

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by acquiring multiple datasets at different breathing phases before stitching them together. The motion artifact detection is performed on the stitched image before final clinical use, allowing early identification and potential correction of motion-related issues in the composite image.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The motion artifact detection method provides feedback by identifying and highlighting motion artifacts in the stitched image. This feedback allows the system to determine whether the acquisition needs to be repeated or if the artifacts are acceptable, enabling iterative improvement of data quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Area of stationary object

If multiple acquisitions are stitched together to cover larger regions, then complete anatomical coverage is achieved, but motion artifacts appear at boundaries due to patient movement

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimaged region coverageVSAvoidmotion artifacts at boundaries

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The method extracts and isolates motion artifacts from the stitched image by detecting regions where pixel values differ significantly between overlapping areas. The artifact detection specifically targets boundary regions where motion artifacts are most likely to occur, separating them from genuine anatomical features.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The motion artifact detection utilizes changes in pixel intensity values (analogous to color changes) to identify artifacts. By comparing pixel values in overlapping regions of the stitched image, the method detects significant intensity differences that indicate motion artifacts, highlighting them for further processing or rejection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #32Color changes

Data Source

PatentUS20260044960A1Methods for detecting a motion artifact in medical imaging data

Publication Date: 2026.02.12 SIEMENS HEALTHINEERS AG

AI summary

A method for detecting a motion artifact in medical imaging data is provided. The method comprises generating a first image representing at least an overlap region based on a first acquired dataset and generating a second image representing at least the overlap region based on a second acquired dataset; generating a difference map for the overlap region by subtracting the first image and the second image from each other; and detecting the motion artifact by determining a connected region in the difference map, wherein absolute values of the difference map are equal to or greater than a predefined threshold value within the connected region.