Motion Adaptive 3D Medical Imaging Visualization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current 3D medical imaging systems face challenges in visualizing moving anatomical structures due to out-of-plane motion, making it difficult to track objects of interest over time, especially in live visualization modes where manual adjustment of cross-sections is impractical.
Innovation Solution
An image reconstruction apparatus that automatically tracks the trajectory of a selected point of interest within a 3D medical image sequence, generating dynamically adjusted 2D view planes to maintain a consistent cross-section of the anatomical structure, thereby compensating for out-of-plane motion and enhancing visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual adjustment of cross-sections is performed during live visualization, then the viewer can focus on objects of interest, but the operation becomes tedious and impractical in real-time
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically tracks the point of interest through the 3D volume and dynamically adjusts the 2D cross-sections without requiring manual user input. The tracking unit continuously monitors the position of the selected point and the slice generator automatically repositions the orthogonal planes to maintain the point of interest at their intersection, enabling self-adjusting visualization that eliminates manual operation time consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static cross-sections to dynamic, moving cross-sections that automatically follow the point of interest through the 3D volume. The 2D view planes are no longer fixed but dynamically reposition themselves in real-time based on the tracked trajectory, allowing the visualization to adapt automatically to the motion of anatomical structures
2Reliability
If the viewer manually adjusts cross-sections at each frame, then the object of interest can be maintained in view, but the task becomes tedious and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a closed-loop feedback mechanism where the tracking unit continuously monitors the position of the point of interest, the slice generator uses this information to adjust the 2D cross-sections, and the display shows the result. This feedback loop ensures that the cross-sections remain accurately positioned on the object of interest without requiring manual intervention, simplifying the overall operation while maintaining tracking reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The tracking unit acts as an intermediary between the user's initial point selection and the automatic adjustment of cross-sections. It processes the selected point's trajectory through the 3D volume and translates this into automatic positioning commands for the slice generator, mediating between simple user input and complex automated visualization adjustment
3Adaptability or versatility
If 3D image sequence is visualized without automatic tracking, then the system remains simple, but out-of-plane motion causes loss of sight of objects of interest
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary tracking of the point of interest's trajectory through the 3D volume before generating the 2D cross-sections. By pre-determining the path the point of interest will follow, the slice generator can proactively position the 2D cross-sections along this trajectory, ensuring the object of interest remains in view before it potentially moves out of the current cross-section plane
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a an image reconstruction apparatus (10) comprising: a receiving unit (60) for receiving a 3D image sequence (56) of 3D medical images over time resulting from a scan of a body part of a subject (12); a selection unit (64) for selecting a local point of interest (76) within at least one of the 3D medical images of the 3D image sequence (56); a slice generator (66) for generating three 2D view planes (74) of the at least one of the 3D medical images, wherein said three 2D view planes (74) are arranged perpendicularly to each other and intersect in the selected point of interest (76); and a tracking unit (68) for determining a trajectory of the point of interest (76) within the 3D image sequence (56) over time; wherein the slice generator (66) is configured to generate from the 3D image sequence (56) 2D image sequences (72) in the 2D view planes (74) by automatically adapting the intersection of the 2D view planes (74) over time along the trajectory of the point of interest (76).