Metal Artifact Correction in Medical Imaging via Projection Filtering

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Metal implants in medical imaging, such as X-ray scans, cause significant attenuation of rays, leading to incomplete data collection and the formation of severe metal artifacts in reconstructed images, which compromise diagnostic accuracy.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for metal artifacts correction that involves obtaining an image with a metal portion, performing data restoration to determine initial projection data, filtering this data using techniques like low-pass filtering to obtain target projection data, and subsequently generating a target image that removes metal artifacts and avoids high-frequency artifacts.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If data restoration is performed on metal portion to obtain initial projection data, then metal artifacts are removed, but high-frequency artifacts are introduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemetal artifactsVSAvoidhigh-frequency artifacts
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from initial projection data (with high-frequency components) to target projection data (with low-pass filtered frequencies). This frequency domain parameter transformation eliminates high-frequency artifacts while preserving the metal artifact removal效果, achieving a balance between artifact reduction and artifact introduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary filtering step between data restoration and image reconstruction. The low-pass filter acts as a mediator that processes the initial projection data, removing high-frequency components before the data is used for reconstruction, thus preventing high-frequency artifacts from appearing in the final image.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-generated harmful factors

If low-pass filtering is applied to initial projection data, then high-frequency artifacts are removed, but image detail is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvehigh-frequency artifactsVSAvoidimage detail
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the processing of different frequency components in different regions. The low-pass filter is selectively applied to the metal portion regions where high-frequency artifacts are present, while preserving high-frequency details in non-metal regions. This localized filtering approach maintains image detail where needed while removing artifacts where present.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS20240233214A9Methods and systems for metal artifacts correction
Publication Date: 2024.07.11 SHANGHAI UNITED IMAGING HEALTHCARE
  • US20240233214A9 patent drawing
  • US20240233214A9 patent drawing
  • US20240233214A9 patent drawing

AI summary

A method and system for metal artifacts correction are provided. The method may include obtaining an image to be processed including metal portion; determining initial projection data by performing data restoration on the metal portion of the image to be processed; determining target projection data by filtering the initial projection data; and determining a target image based on the target projection data.