X-ray Image Overlay Using Adjusted Geometric Models
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Solution Overview
Problem
X-ray images poorly visualize internal structures of organs, making it difficult for physicians to identify them during medical interventions, and expose patients and radiographers to harmful radiation through repeated fluoroscopy.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that enhance the visibility of internal structures in X-ray images by determining their dimensions from non-X-ray images, retrieving and adjusting geometric models from a database to match these dimensions, and superimposing these models onto the X-ray images, using the organ's periphery for alignment, thereby improving the clarity and accuracy of internal structure depiction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If fluoroscopy is used repeatedly to visualize internal structures during intervention, then visibility of internal structures is improved, but radiation exposure to patient and radiographers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary imaging using non-X-ray modalities (CT, MRI, ultrasound) to obtain three-dimensional anatomical data and create virtual models of internal structures before the intervention begins. These pre-acquired images and models are then registered and overlaid onto the live fluoroscopic images during the procedure, eliminating the need for repeated fluoroscopic shots to visualize internal anatomy, thereby reducing radiation exposure while maintaining visibility.
2Measurement precision
If X-ray images are used to visualize organs, then bones and hard tissues are clearly visible, but internal structures of organs remain poorly identifiable
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges X-ray fluoroscopic images (which provide excellent visibility of bones and hard tissues) with three-dimensional anatomical data from non-X-ray imaging modalities (CT, MRI, or ultrasound) that reveal internal organ structures. By registering these different data sources in a common coordinate system and overlaying them, the system simultaneously preserves the strength of X-ray imaging for bone visualization while adding complementary information about internal organ anatomy that was previously lost.
3Manufacturing precision
If geometric models are adjusted to match determined dimensions, then accuracy of internal structure representation is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates simplified virtual copies or geometric models of internal structures based on three-dimensional imaging data. These virtual models are then adjusted and registered to match the patient's actual anatomy by aligning them with visible anatomical landmarks in the fluoroscopic images. This copying approach allows accurate representation of internal structures without requiring direct physical measurement or complex real-time imaging, thereby managing system complexity while maintaining precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and a method for indicating at least one of the internal structures of an organ on an X-ray image are proposed. The system includes an interface adapted to receive the X-ray image and a non-X-ray image pertaining to the organ. The system also includes a database having a geometric model of the internal structures of the organ, a first module for determining at least a dimension of one of the internal structures of the organ from the non-X-ray image, and a second module for indicating the at least one of the internal structures of the organ in the X-ray image based on the geometric model adjusted by the at least one dimension.