Workstation Spatially Registering Biopsy Samples with Medical Images
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical imaging and biopsy workflows do not effectively integrate imaging and biopsy information, leading to separate processing and manual combination by physicians, which can result in incomplete or inaccurate assessments of cancer conditions.
Innovation Solution
An imaging visualization workstation that spatially registers biopsy samples with medical images, combining graphical representations of biopsy information onto medical images for integrated display, allowing for synergistic integration and spatial mapping of biopsy data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If medical imaging and biopsy procedures are performed separately with manual combination of results, then diagnostic workflow flexibility is maintained, but diagnostic accuracy and integration completeness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges medical imaging and biopsy workflows into a single integrated system. The imaging system and biopsy system are combined such that the imaging device can guide biopsy needle placement in real-time, and biopsy results are immediately correlated with imaging data. This integration eliminates the need for separate manual combination of results, thereby improving diagnostic accuracy while managing complexity through unified system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a computer processing system as an intermediary that automatically correlates imaging data with biopsy results. This mediator system handles the complex integration tasks by automatically registering biopsy sample locations with imaging data, analyzing molecular markers, and generating integrated diagnostic reports. This intermediary approach improves diagnostic accuracy while reducing the burden on clinicians.
2Loss of information
If comprehensive molecular analyses are performed on biopsy samples, then cancer characterization improves, but analysis time and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary molecular analysis on biopsy samples immediately after extraction, before samples are processed through conventional lengthy workflows. The integrated system includes on-site or near-site molecular testing capabilities that can rapidly analyze molecular markers, genetic sequences, and protein expressions. This preliminary action captures critical diagnostic information early, improving cancer characterization completeness while reducing overall analysis time by parallelizing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical and manual biopsy processing methods with automated molecular analysis systems. Instead of manual tissue sectioning, staining, and microscopic examination, the system employs automated molecular testing platforms that can concurrently assess dozens or hundreds of molecular markers using microarray or similar high-throughput technologies. This substitution dramatically reduces analysis time while maintaining or improving characterization completeness.
3Measurement precision
If biopsy samples are processed through conventional histopathology, then tissue identification accuracy is achieved, but spatial information correlation with imaging deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback loop where biopsy results are immediately correlated with the original imaging data through spatial registration. The computer processing system registers the precise location of each biopsy sample with the corresponding region in the medical image, creating a feedback mechanism that allows clinicians to visualize exactly where tissue was sampled and what molecular characteristics were found at that location. This feedback approach maintains tissue identification accuracy while preserving and enhancing spatial information correlation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a molecular dimension to traditional imaging by overlaying molecular marker data, genetic information, and protein expression profiles onto the spatial imaging data. This multi-dimensional integration allows clinicians to view both the physical location of tissue samples in the body and their molecular characteristics simultaneously. The system creates composite visualizations that combine anatomical imaging with molecular data layers, preserving spatial correlation while enriching diagnostic information.
Data Source
AI summary
An imaging visualization workstation (30) includes a graphical display device (32) and an electronic data processor, and is configured to perform a method including: spatially registering a biopsy sample extracted from a medical subject with a medical image (12) of the medical subject; combining the medical image with a graphical representation of information (20, 22) generated from the biopsy sample to generate a combined image in which the graphical representation is spatially delineated based on the spatial registration of the biopsy sample; and displaying the combined image on the graphical display device of the imaging visualization workstation. A method comprises extracting a biopsy sample spatial sample from a medical subject, processing the biopsy sample to generate biopsy information, acquiring a medical image of the subject, spatially registering the biopsy sample with the medical image, and displaying the medical image modified to include an annotation generated from the biopsy information.