X-ray Fluoroscopy Image Enhancement via Motion Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional x-ray fluoroscopy systems produce images with marginal quality for archiving, necessitating additional high-dose radiography exposures, which increase patient radiation and require multiple procedure repetitions due to delays in transitioning from fluoroscopy to radiography.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for enhancing x-ray fluoroscopy images through motion correction and temporal image accumulation, generating a single enhanced image from a subset of frames, allowing for improved image quality at lower doses without additional radiation exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If fluoroscopy LIH is used for archiving, then the procedure is simple and quick, but the image quality is marginal for diagnostic purposes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple fluoroscopy frames through temporal accumulation and merges them into a single enhanced image. This merging process integrates information from multiple low-dose frames to produce an image with diagnostic quality comparable to or exceeding traditional radiography, while maintaining the simplicity and speed of fluoroscopy archiving.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temporal parameter by accumulating multiple frames over time rather than using a single frame. This parameter change transforms low-quality individual frames into a high-quality composite image through temporal integration, resolving the contradiction between archiving efficiency and image quality.
2Manufacturing precision
If additional radiography exposure is acquired to record anatomical information, then the image quality is improved, but the patient is exposed to substantially higher radiation dose
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of motion during fluoroscopy into a benefit by using temporal accumulation. The same motion that traditionally degrades image quality is leveraged to gather information from multiple frames, which when properly integrated, produces a motion-corrected enhanced image with diagnostic quality at low radiation dose.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces motion correction algorithms as an intermediary process between frame acquisition and final image generation. This intermediary step removes motion artifacts and enables the temporal accumulation of frames to produce high-quality images without requiring additional radiography exposure, thus avoiding higher radiation doses.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple radiography exposures are needed, then complete anatomical information is obtained, but multiple procedure repeats are required due to transition delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains continuous fluoroscopy acquisition throughout the procedure, allowing temporal accumulation of frames without interruption. This continuous action eliminates the need to stop and restart for multiple radiography exposures, completing anatomical information gathering in a single continuous procedure and reducing overall procedure time.
4Manufacturing precision
If fluoroscopy frames are accumulated temporally, then image quality is enhanced, but motion artifacts may degrade the accumulated image
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces motion correction algorithms as an intermediary process between frame acquisition and final image generation. This intermediary step detects and corrects motion artifacts, ensuring that temporal accumulation produces accurate, reliable images without the degradation caused by patient or anatomical motion during the fluoroscopy procedure.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for generating and archiving x-ray fluoroscopy images are provided. The method includes obtaining x-ray fluoroscopy data comprising a plurality of image frames and performing image enhancement, including motion correction, based on a subset of the acquired plurality of x-ray fluoroscopy image frames to generate a single enhanced x-ray image.