The present invention generally relates to nuclear medicine, and systems for obtaining nuclear medicine images. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for optimizing SPECT trajectory data from CT data.
Nuclear medicine is a unique medical specialty wherein radiation is used to acquire images which show the function and anatomy of organs, bones or tissues of the body. Radiopharmaceuticals are introduced into the body, either by injection or ingestion, and are attracted to specific organs, bones or tissues of interest. Such radiopharmaceuticals produce gamma photon emissions which emanate from the body and are captured by scintillation crystals with which the photons interact to produce flashes of light or events. In SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography), events are detected by one or more collimated gamma photon detectors, which are typically rotated about a patient's body at a number of different view angles to collect projection data from each view angle. Using the projection data that is collected, three-dimensional images of the organs of the body, which have been taken up the radiopharmaceuticals, e.g. the heart, can be reconstructed.
While SPECT is a powerful tool in the clinician's toolbox, it suffers from at least one drawback—SPECT imaging can be time consuming when compared with other types of imaging procedures. For example, whereas CT (Computed Tomography) x-ray scanning procedures can take as little as a minute to complete, SPECT procedures can take more than fifteen minutes to complete. This is problematic because it can result in patient discomfort which can make it difficult for a patient to remain still during scanning procedures, which can ultimately affect image quality. Similarly, some patients may be unwilling to undergo scanning procedures that take long periods of time.
The amount of time that it takes to scan a patient using SPECT is dependent upon a number of factors. Most significantly, however, is the fact that SPECT detectors include collimating devices that only allow gamma photons traveling along precise trajectories to interact with the detectors. As a result, it can take extended time periods for a sufficient number of gamma photons to interact with the detectors to produce an image. Other factors affecting SPECT scanning time include, but are not limited to, the distance between the object being scanned and the detector(s), the amount of tissue between the object and the detector(s), and the number of different angles of orientation of the SPECT detectors with respect to the object being studied needed to acquire a sufficient number of planar image data from which to reconstruct tomographic images. Further factors affecting SPECT scanning time is that, in many cases, the scanning trajectory is often manually determined by measuring the position of the detector(s) relative to the patient. Such manual processes can be cumbersome and can take several minutes to perform. Finally, manually calculated trajectories may not be optimal or geometrically efficient for the particular scan that is to be performed and/or the specific object that is to be scanned, which can further negatively effect scan time and image quality.
What is needed then is a method for optimizing the trajectory of a SPECT detector(s) about an object or patient to be scanned so as to reduce the overall scan time and patient-on-bed time to thereby enhance image quality.
The present invention broadly comprises a method for acquiring images within a radiation field, preferably using SPECT and CT scanning systems.
In one embodiment, the method includes optimizing the scanning trajectory of a radiation detector device, e.g., a SPECT scanning device, about an object generally by obtaining object image data using a different radiation detecting modality, e.g., a CT scanning device, determining a maximum object boundary based on the image data, calculating an optimal scan trajectory of the SPECT device relative to the object based on the maximum object boundary, scanning the object with the SPECT scanning device along the optimal scan trajectory to detect gamma photons emanating from the object, and preparing an image from the detected gamma photons. Preferably, the SPECT detector device includes at least two detector heads arranged at a pre-selected angle relative to one another and the optimal scan trajectory minimizes the distance between the detector heads and the object while maximizing the geometric efficiency of the detectors relative to the object.
In another embodiment, the method includes filtering image data corresponding to a plurality of images obtained by the CT device, summing the image data corresponding to the plurality of images, and preparing an edge image from the summed image which corresponds to the maximum object boundary of the object.
In an embodiment, the optimal scan trajectory is calculated by describing the sum of the weighted distances from the edge image to an ellipse in a first pass unconstrained optimization of x according to the equation:
wherein,
({right arrow over (r)}−{right arrow over (r)}i){right arrow over (r)}′=0(i=0,1, . . . , n−1); (3)
t
i=({right arrow over (r)}−{right arrow over (r)}i)×{right arrow over (r)}′; (4)
x=(x0, y0, a, b);
n is the number of data points extracted from the edge image;
the initial value of x is described using a bounding box of the edge image data wherein,
x
0=(max(xi)+min(xi))/2,y0=(max(yi)+min(yi))/2; (7)
a=(max(xi)−min(xi))/2,b=(max(yi)−min(yi))/2; and, (8)
F is minimized; and,
describing the sum of the weighted distances from the edge image to an ellipse in a second pass constrained optimization of x according to the equation:
wherein,
t
i≦0,(i=0,1, . . . , n−1); and, (10)
y
i
=I
1(xi),yi<I2(xi); and (11)
I2 and I2 represent the at least two detectors.
In embodiments of the invention, the first radiation device comprises a SPECT scanning device having at two detector heads disposed at a 90° angle with respect to one another. In some embodiments, the at least two detector heads are disposed at a 180° angle with respect to one another. In other embodiments, the at least two detector heads are disposed at a 76° angle with respect to one another. In other embodiments, the trajectory comprises arcuate portions and/or line portions and/or portions of an ellipse. In still other embodiments, image data obtained from a CT scanning device is converted to filtered image data and the filtered image data is converted into binary image data. In some embodiments, the binary image data is compared with the original image data derived from the CT scanning device.
In some embodiments, the instant methods for optimizing the scanning trajectory of a first radiation detector device can be combined with the systems and methods for reducing nuclear imaging scanning time as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,408,162, which patent is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The invention will now be more fully described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
a is an image of an object slice produced using a CT scan;
b is the image shown in
c is the image shown in
d is the image shown in
a-4c are images of object slices taken from the volume described in
d-4f are threshold images of the object slices shown in
g is a summation of the images shown in
h is an “OR” image of
i is an illustration of an edge map derived from
The present invention will now be described and disclosed in greater detail. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention and that the invention may be embodied in various and alternative forms. Therefore, specific structural and/or functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the claims, but are merely provided as an example to teach one having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention.
As illustrated in
As shown in
Referring now to
The steps for processing image data 70 are best described, visually, by reference to
Referring now to
Reference is now made to
Referring now to
and the tangent vector of the ellipse, {right arrow over (r)}′=(x′, y′), can be expressed as:
and the distance from a point on the maximum object boundary 220 to ellipse 210 can be described as the perpendicular distance to the tangent line of the ellipse and is determinable by:
({right arrow over (r)}−{right arrow over (r)}i){right arrow over (r)}′=0(i=0,1, . . . , n−1); (3)
substituting equation (1) and equation (2) into equation (3) provides an equation in terms of ellipse parameter θ, which is a quadratic equation having two roots wherein the root that minimizes |{right arrow over (r)}| is the solution. Where t defines the cross product:
t
i=({right arrow over (r)}−{right arrow over (r)}i)×{right arrow over (r)}′; (4)
then, a weighting function can be defined as:
where w is a positive number. The weighting function serves to penalize those points of the maximum object boundary 220 falling outside the ellipse 210. The objective function can be described by:
where x=(x0, y0, a, b), and n is the number of data points extracted from edge image 140 data. The initial value of x can be determined using a bounding box of the edge image data set, that is,
x
0=(max(xi)+min(xi))/2,y0=(max(yi)+min(yi))/2; and, (7)
a=(max(xi)−min(xi))/2,b=(max(yi)−min(yi))/2. (8)
Minimizing F provides the first pass of x. Because the first pass optimization is unconstrained, there is the possibility that data points of edge image 140 (see
and the constraints are:
t
i≦0,(i=0,1, . . . , n−1); and, (10)
y
i
=I
1(xi),yi<I2(xi). (11)
The geometrical relevance of equations (10) and (11) is that data points of edge image 140 all fall within the ellipse (and outside of the maximum object boundary) and that the data points are bound by detector 2 (at position 1) and detector 1 (at position 2) of
Finally, as shown in
It should be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art that while the present invention has been illustrated and described in what is deemed to be the preferred embodiments, various changes and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed herein.
This application claims benefit of under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of U.S. Provisional Pat. App. No. 60/995,721, filed Sep. 28, 2007, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60995721 | Sep 2007 | US |