Needle-plane determination module for ultrasound imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical imaging technologies face challenges in accurately visualizing thin needles during procedures like echo-guided loco-regional anesthesia due to misalignment between the needle and the ultrasound field, leading to difficulties in capturing the needle tip, especially for inexperienced practitioners.
Innovation Solution
A system with a needle-plane determination module that aligns a plane parallel to and intersecting the image data volume of the needle, ensuring the physician views the needle from a consistent direction, utilizing techniques like data projection and directional spectral transformations to enhance needle visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an echo-transducer device is used to guide needle injection, then the physician can visualize the local region of the body, but the needle tip may not be captured due to misalignment between the needle and ultrasound field
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary computational processing system that acts as a mediator between the raw ultrasound data and the physician's interpretation. The system automatically detects needle orientation, determines the optimal needle-plane, and generates aligned cross-sectional views, thereby bridging the gap between the ultrasound field and needle position without requiring direct physician manipulation of alignment parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical alignment process (where the physician physically adjusts the ultrasound probe and interprets 2D echograms) with an automated computational system. The system uses image processing algorithms to automatically orient the ultrasound data along the needle's long axis, substituting the physician's manual alignment skills with automated computational orientation.
2Area of stationary object
If the acquisition plane is not parallel with the needle, then the ultrasound field can cover a broader area, but the tip of the needle may be missed on the visualization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from viewing ultrasound data in the original acquisition plane to reorienting it along a new dimension - specifically, the needle's long axis. By determining the needle-plane that contains the needle's orientation and displaying cross-sectional views along this new dimensional reference, the system ensures the needle tip is captured while maintaining broad area coverage through volumetric ultrasound data acquisition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the orientation parameter of the ultrasound data display from the fixed acquisition plane to a dynamically determined needle-plane. The system calculates the needle's orientation parameters from the volumetric data and reorients the cross-sectional views accordingly, ensuring optimal visualization of the needle tip while preserving the comprehensive area coverage provided by the volumetric scan.
3Ease of manufacture
If a physician manually positions the needle based on echogram visualization, then the procedure can be performed with standard equipment, but the accuracy depends heavily on physician expertise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service system where the computational algorithms automatically perform tasks that would otherwise require skilled physician intervention. The system autonomously detects needle orientation, determines the optimal viewing plane, and generates aligned cross-sectional images, allowing standard equipment to achieve high precision without requiring expert manual alignment skills.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a feedback mechanism where the system continuously analyzes the volumetric ultrasound data, detects the needle's position and orientation, and adjusts the display orientation accordingly. This closed-loop feedback ensures that the needle tip remains visible and accurately positioned in the visualization, providing real-time guidance that enhances precision while using standard equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for processing an image data volume acquired with a medical imaging acquisition device 100 from a body comprising a needle is provided. It has been realized it is advantageous to display 150 a plane intersecting the image data volume showing the needle to a user of the system. This allows better positioning of the needle. The system comprises a needle-plane determination 110 module for determining a plane being parallel to and intersecting a representation in the image data volume of the needle and being parallel to a viewing direction. The needle plane determination module may make use of pixel processing and/or spectral transformation, in particular the Gabor transform.