Patent Application
20060155577
The present disclosure relates generally to medical imaging techniques. More particularly, the present disclosure describes a system and/or method for processing medical information corresponding to one or more imaging modalities based upon anatomical considerations.
Medical imaging technologies can provide detailed information useful for differentiating, diagnosing, or monitoring the condition, structure, and/or extent of various types of tissue within a patient's body. In general, medical imaging technologies detect and record manners in which tissues respond to the presence of applied signals and/or injected or ingested substances, and generate visual representations indicative of such responses.
A variety of medical imaging modalities exist, including Computed Tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Ultrasound (US), X-ray, Mammography, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). During a medical imaging procedure, a medical imaging system may scan one or more portions of a patient's body, and generate a corresponding medical imaging data set.
During an imaging session associated with a single imaging modality, a patient may be subjected to multiple scans in order to enhance diagnostic accuracy and/or reduce a likelihood of diagnostic error. Successive scans may exhibit image acquisition variations, for example, differences in scan device position and/or patient orientation.
In addition to the foregoing, a patient may be subjected to imaging sessions across different timeframes and/or multiple imaging modalities in order to further enhance diagnostic accuracy and/or reduce a likelihood of diagnostic error. Thus, for any given patient, a large or very large amount of imaging data may be generated. Some or all of this imaging data may be analyzed or evaluated during a diagnostic procedure. Unfortunately, the manner in which a medical imaging system captures or acquires imaging data may not facilitate efficient and/or effective imaging data analysis in view of diagnostically useful or relevant anatomical considerations. Therefore, it can be appreciated that there is a significant need for a system and method to facilitate efficient multi-modal imaging data analysis. The present invention provides this, and other benefits as will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying figures.
The present disclosure describes a system and/or method for processing medical imaging information and/or generating anatomically based data sets, where the medical imaging information may correspond to one or more imaging modalities. An anatomically based data set may represent and/or correspond to an anatomical region and/or structure of interest that is defined or determined in accordance with diagnostically relevant and/or diagnostically driven criteria and/or parameters. Systems and/or methods in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention may facilitate enhanced accuracy and/or enhanced efficiency medical information analysis, for example, for patient screening and/or diagnosis procedures.
In various embodiments, imaging information may comprise or correspond to data and/or signals that have been generated, scanned, acquired, captured, recorded, received, retrieved, transferred, and/or transmitted by one or more imaging devices or systems in association with a set of imaging procedures. Imaging information may comprise, for example, pixels and/or voxels corresponding to portions of one or more images, image slices, animations, videos or movies, and/or other information.
Portions of the following description detail manners in which certain embodiments of the present invention may acquire and/or anatomically process imaging information corresponding to particular imaging modalities. Imaging information may be acquired, for example, in the context of imaging breast tissue using MRI, mammography, ultrasound, PET, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) and/or other techniques. As another example, imaging information may be acquired in the context of imaging vasculature through Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA) techniques. Various embodiments of systems and/or methods in accordance with the present invention may facilitate anatomically based processing of information associated with essentially any set of medical imaging modalities, which may be based upon or related to one or more of MRI; functional MRI (fMRI); Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS); Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI); MRA; CT; Computerized Tomographic Angiography (CTA); Medical Optical Imaging (MOI) such as Computed Optical Tomography (COT); PET; SPECT; Neutron Stimulated Emission Computed Tomography (NSECT); x-ray; dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA); digital radiography; mammography; ductography; ultrasonography; thermography; electrical impedance tomography; magnetoencephalography (MEG); and/or one or more other imaging modalities, technologies, and/or techniques.
In various embodiments, imaging information may be generated, acquired, represented, encapsulated, stored, transferred, and/or exchanged in the form of one or more imaging data sets. Particular imaging data sets may at least partially conform to one or more logical and/or physical formats or standards.
In general, during a patient imaging procedure, a given type of medical imaging system or device generates an imaging data set associated with, corresponding to, and/or representing one or more patient anatomical regions and/or structures. This “as-imaged” imaging data set may span and/or correspond to additional or fewer anatomical regions than are actually of interest, primary interest, relevance, and/or primary relevance in a particular diagnostic or evaluative situation. Thus, an as-imaged imaging data set may include less relevant or even irrelevant imaging data, and/or exclude diagnostically important or relevant imaging data.
In various embodiments, an anatomically based data set comprises imaging data spanning, representing, and/or corresponding to one or more anatomical regions and/or structures of particular interest and/or relevance in a given diagnostic, analytic, or evaluative situation. An anatomically based data set may at least partially omit or exclude as-imaged imaging data spanning and/or corresponding to anatomical regions of lesser or no interest or relevance. An anatomically based data set may comprise some or possibly all of the as-imaged imaging data corresponding to one or more previously acquired, captured, and/or generated imaging data sets, as further described below. In some embodiments, a given anatomically based data set may comprise some or possibly all of the imaging data corresponding to one or more other anatomically based data sets.
An anatomically based data set may comprise imaging data spanning, representing, and/or corresponding to an anatomical region and/or structure that is anatomically subsumed by, is an anatomical subregion of, and/or is smaller or more spatially limited than an anatomical region and/or structure associated with a particular imaging data set used to generate the anatomically based data set. Alternatively or additionally, an anatomically based data set may comprise imaging data spanning, representing, and/or corresponding to an anatomical region and/or structure that anatomically subsumes, is an anatomical superregion of, and/or is larger or has a greater spatial extent than an anatomical region and/or structure associated with a particular imaging data set used to generate the anatomically based data set.
In addition to imaging information, a system and/or method in accordance with particular embodiments of the invention may process adjunctive information corresponding to one or more adjunctive modalities. Depending upon embodiment details, adjunctive information may comprise data and/or signals that have been generated, scanned, acquired, received, captured, recorded, transferred, and/or transmitted by an adjunctive information source, device, or system in association with or based upon an imaging procedure. Adjunctive information may comprise, for example, biopsy data, microscopy data, electrophysiologically based data, audio data, patient treatment history, patient monitoring and/or diary data, and/or other information.
In a manner analogous to that described above, adjunctive information may be generated, acquired, represented, encapsulated, stored, transferred, and/or exchanged as one or more adjunctive data sets, possibly in accordance with one or more logical and/or physical formats or standards.
The processing unit 310 may comprise one or more microprocessors capable of executing stored program instructions. An input device 330 may comprise a keyboard and a pointing and/or data selection device (e.g., a mouse or trackball), in a manner understood by those skilled in the art. Those skilled in the art will further understand that the presentation unit 340 may comprise a set of display devices, for example, one or more computer monitors or electronic displays.
In general, the data storage unit 320 and/or the memory 360 may comprise one or more portions of computer readable media that store program instructions and/or data. The data storage unit 320 may comprise one or more types of fixed and/or removable hard disk, optical, and/or magneto-optical drives and/or other devices configured to receive, store, and/or transfer medical imaging information, adjunctive information, and/or other information. The memory 360 may comprise one or more types of Random Access Memory (RAM) and/or Read Only Memory (ROM).
In one embodiment, an operating system 370 and an anatomically based processing module 380 reside within the memory 360. The operating system 370 may comprise software that manages access to MIPP hardware and/or software resources, in a manner understood by those skilled in the art. In certain embodiments, portions of an anatomical processing database 385 may reside within the memory 360, the data storage unit 320, and/or another MIPP 300. The anatomical processing database 385 may store configuration settings, operational parameters, functions, procedures, and/or instruction sequences, and/or data that facilitate anatomically based processing of medical information.
At any given time, one or more portions of particular imaging data sets and/or adjunctive data sets may reside within the memory 360. In various embodiments, the anatomically based processing module 380 may comprise software that performs or manages anatomically based processing of medical information and/or operations associated therewith in accordance with particular embodiments of the invention to generate, process, present, store, and/or transfer one or more imaging data sets, anatomically structured data sets, and/or adjunctive data sets, as described in detail hereafter.
The procedure 400 may additionally comprise a transfer setup procedure 420. In one embodiment, a transfer setup procedure 420 may involve issuing a set of information transfer requests directed toward one or more medical imaging systems 210, medical information repositories, adjunctive information sources 212, and/or MIPPs 300. An information transfer request may specify or indicate one or more setup parameters, which may comprise a set of patient names, physician names, date ranges, and/or other parameters. Setup parameters may correspond to file and/or data structure header information. Additionally or alternatively, a transfer setup procedure 404 may involve issuing a set of replies in response to transfer notifications received from one or more medical imaging systems 210, medical information repositories, adjunctive information sources 212, and/or MIPPs 300.
The procedure 400 may further comprise an acquisition procedure 430 that involves acquiring imaging information and possibly adjunctive information. Such information may be retrieved and/or received from one or more medical imaging systems 210, medical information repositories, adjunctive information sources 212, and/or MIPPs 300 at one or more times. In embodiments that include a transfer setup procedure 420, the imaging and/or adjunctive information acquired may be filtered in accordance with one or more setup parameters.
The acquired imaging information may comprise a set of imaging data sets, that is, at least one and possibly multiple imaging data sets, which may exhibit multiple types of spatial and/or temporal organizations relative to one another. For example, the imaging information may comprise one or more MRA image series, where any given MRA series may correspond to particular patient leg segments imaged upon a particular date by a given MRA system at a specific resolution in accordance with a particular patient and/or imaging orientation. In one embodiment, the acquired imaging information may additionally or alternatively comprise one or more previously generated anatomically based data sets.
In addition to the foregoing, different imaging data sets may correspond to different imaging modalities and/or modality fusions. For example, the imaging information may comprise one or more breast MR image series, one or more mammography data sets, and/or one or more ultrasound data sets (e.g., ultrasound video signals). Any given MR image series may correspond to one or both patient breasts imaged upon a particular date by a given MR system at a specific resolution in accordance with a particular patient and/or breast coil orientation to generate and/or capture a sequence of time dependent or dynamic images. In an analogous manner, any particular mammography data set may correspond to a given mammography system, a specific image resolution, a particular breast, a specific breast orientation, and/or a given patient orientation. Similar considerations may apply to ultrasound data.
The procedure 400 may further comprise a modality sorting procedure 440 that involves categorizing, sorting, and/or organizing acquired imaging data sets based upon imaging modality parameters specified or indicated within the imaging data sets; data file type (e.g., as indicated by file extension information); and/or acquisition source information. In some embodiments, the modality sorting procedure 440 may also involve categorizing, sorting, or organizing acquired adjunctive data sets in an identical, essentially identical, analogous, or related manner.
In certain embodiments, the procedure 400 may also comprise a positional structuring procedure 500 that involves associating, aligning, and/or generating imaging data sets that spatially match or correspond to each other within the scope or context of any given modality, as further described below with reference to
In some embodiments, the procedure 400 may additionally comprise one or more postprocessing procedures 450 that involve performing particular types of operations upon one or more anatomically structured data sets. In one embodiment, a postprocessing procedure may involve feature extraction, reconstruction, identification, analysis, classification, and/or evaluation operations to facilitate, for example, tissue characterization and/or lesion diagnosis procedures. Finally, in various embodiments, the procedure 400 may comprise a presentation procedure 700 that involves presenting and/or displaying one or more anatomically structured data sets and/or associated adjunctive data sets, as further described below with reference to
The positional structuring procedure 500 may further comprise a positional data volume generation procedure 520 that within the scope or context of a modality currently under consideration involves associating positionally equivalent or compatible imaging data sets with each other to define a positional data volume. In certain embodiments, positional equivalence or compatibility between different imaging data sets may exist in the event that particular image acquisition parameters match or adequately correspond. In one embodiment, different imaging data sets or references thereto may be assigned to or sorted into the same positional data volume in the event that each imaging data set exhibits or corresponds to an identical pixel spacing, number of rows and columns, slice thickness, image orientation, patient orientation, and patient position.
Within some positional data volumes, imaging data sets may be sorted or ordered in accordance with increasing image position, image location, or slice location relative to a particular reference direction or axis. In one embodiment, imaging data sets having matching image acquisition parameters and an identical image position or image slice location may be assigned to or sorted into separate positional data volumes.
In certain embodiments, the procedure 500 may also comprise a spatial alignment procedure 530 that involves spatially aligning imaging data sets within a positional data volume such that any given voxel within the positional data volume corresponds to an identical physical or anatomical location. Particular imaging data sets may be padded with blank data during a spatial alignment procedure 530.
In the event that another modality requires consideration, the procedure 500 may return to the modality selection procedure 510; otherwise, the procedure 500 may end.
In certain embodiments, the anatomical structuring procedure 600 comprises a volume analysis procedure 610, which in one embodiment involves determining which positional data volumes include imaging data sets that may be split and/or merged to form one or more anatomically based data sets corresponding to particular anatomical regions. For example, if a positional data volume includes an imaging data set comprising MRI or PET data for both left and right breasts, the volume analysis procedure 610 may determine that this data set may be split into a left breast data set and/or a right breast data set. In various embodiments, an anatomically based data set corresponding to a single left or right breast would typically comprise fewer voxels or pixels than the imaging data set corresponding to both breasts together. Similarly, if a positional data volume includes separate imaging data sets corresponding to separate left and right breast MRI or PET data, the volume analysis procedure 610 may determine that the separate left and right breast MRI or PET data may be merged into a single data set corresponding to both breasts. In various embodiments, an anatomically based data set corresponding to both breasts together would typically comprise a greater number of voxels or pixels than either of the individual left breast or right breast data sets.
As another example, if a positional data volume includes a first imaging data set comprising MRA data corresponding to both upper legs and a second imaging data set comprising MRA data corresponding to both lower legs, the volume analysis procedure 610 may determine that portions of the first and second imaging data sets may be merged to form a first anatomically based data set corresponding to the entire left leg, and/or a second anatomically based data set corresponding to the entire right leg.
The volume analysis procedure 610 may utilize one or more anatomical region identifiers specified in a medical information processing request, and/or anatomical reference information stored within an anatomical processing database 385 to automatically and/or semiautomatically determine one or more manners in which imaging data sets under consideration may be split and/or merged. In one embodiment, the anatomical reference information may associate an anatomical region identifier with one or more rules, functions, and/or procedures that specify or indicate manners in which particular types of imaging data sets may be split and/or merged in view of anatomically relevant or useful diagnostic criteria.
Depending upon embodiment details, anatomical region identifiers may correspond to one or more of a slice location; an image orientation; an image position; a study description that specifies or indicates a body location; and/or an imaging system descriptor such as an MRI coil type. In general, the relevance of particular anatomical region identifiers may depend upon an imaging modality under consideration.
The creation of a rule, function, and/or procedure may involve the association of anatomical region identifiers with particular operations or operation sequences that may facilitate the separation of imaging data sets into a set of images corresponding to specific anatomical regions. New or updated rules, functions, and/or procedures may be created manually, semiautomatically, or automatically, possibly based upon templates and/or existing rules, functions, and/or procedures. Representative types of rules, functions, and/or procedures directed toward automatically identifying anatomical locations and splitting and/or merging imaging data sets based upon the identified anatomical locations are described hereafter.
In one representative example, if a study description is BREAST, and imaging data was acquired in a SAGITTAL orientation, a SPLIT procedure may partition the imaging data into LEFT and RIGHT data sets based upon the value of an IMAGE POSITION identifier. For example, the LEFT imaging data set may comprise imaging data for which IMAGE POSITION is less than zero; and the RIGHT imaging data set may comprise imaging data for which IMAGE POSITION is greater than or equal to zero.
In another representative example, if a study description is MRA RUNOFF and a first imaging data set has a study description of LOWER LEG, then a FIND procedure may acquire, search for, find, and/or retrieve a second corresponding imaging data set having a study description of UPPER LEG. A MERGE procedure may subsequently merge the LOWER LEG and the UPPER LEG imaging data sets, which may involve a FIND of overlapping slice locations, a DISCARD of one half of the overlapping slice locations from one imaging data set, a DISCARD of the other half of the overlapping slice locations from the other imaging data set, and a COMBINE operation to form a single anatomically based data set.
Additional and/or other rules, functions, and/or procedures may perform more complicated registration and/or segmentation operations as required. Certain embodiments may apply particular rules, functions, and/or procedures automatically, semiautomatically, or manually in response to user input.
The procedure 600 may further comprise a data set generation procedure 620 that involves splitting or dividing and/or merging portions of particular imaging data sets to generate one or more anatomically based data sets, possibly in accordance with a volume analysis procedure 610. An anatomically based data set may span, represent, and/or correspond to a different anatomical extent and/or a different number of anatomical regions and/or structures than at least one or each of the imaging data sets used to generate the anatomically based data set. Thus, an anatomical region spanning, represented by, and/or corresponding to an anatomically based data set may subsume or be subsumed by an anatomical region spanning, represented by, and/or corresponding to an imaging data set used to generate the anatomically based data set. In certain embodiments, data set splitting or dividing and/or merging may occur based upon geometric considerations. For example, one or more data set midpoints, boundaries, borders, and/or sizes with respect to a set of reference dimensions. Data set merging may additionally or alternatively involve a registration procedure, in a manner understood by those skilled in the art.
The data set generation procedure 620 may create, instantiate, copy, and/or modify the data structure 100 for storing anatomically based imaging data and corresponding header information. The header information may identify the anatomically based imaging data as unique, for example, through an anatomical region identifier and/or one or more other types of ID (e.g., a data volume ID in accordance with a DICOM standard). One or more portions of the header information may originate or be derived from header information for the source imaging data from which the anatomically based imaging data is generated.
In some embodiments, the procedure 600 may also comprise a labeling procedure 630 that involves associating a label and/or an identifier with an anatomically based data set. Depending upon embodiment details, a label may comprise one or more portions of a file name, and/or identifying and/or descriptive information (e.g., “L and R breasts,” “R leg only,” or other information) corresponding to the anatomically based data set. In one embodiment, identifying and/or descriptive information (e.g., textual, numeric, graphical, and/or iconic information) may be stored as a portion of the anatomically based data set. In one embodiment, identifying and/or descriptive information may be written into a set of data locations associated with or defined as an image border. Additionally or alternatively, identifying and/or descriptive information may be merged, integrated, and/or written into a subset of the anatomically based data set's imaging data, typically in a nonintrusive or minimally intrusive manner relative to potentially important or relevant imaging data (e.g., a textual label may be written into an anatomically based data set at a data location that maps or corresponds to a small corner region of a displayed image). One or more portions of a labeling procedure 630 may be performed in association with or as a part of a data set generation procedure 620 and/or another procedure.
In certain embodiments, the procedure 600 may additionally comprise an archival and/or transfer procedure 640 that involves storing particular anatomically based data sets upon one or more data storage units 320, and/or transferring such data sets to one or more remote locations such as a remote MIPP 300 and/or a medical information repository.
In one embodiment, the procedure 700 comprises an anatomical region selection procedure 710 that involves the generation and/or display of a list, menu, or selection of anatomical region identifiers for which imaging data sets, anatomically based data sets, and/or adjunctive data sets corresponding to one or more anatomical regions of interest, which may be associated with a medical information processing request.
Once an anatomical region has been selected, decision 720 is YES. The procedure 700 may further comprise a data set selection procedure 730 that involves the generation and/or display of a list, menu, or selection of imaging data sets, anatomically based data sets, and/or adjunctive data sets that correspond to a selected anatomical region identifier. When a data set is selected, decision 740 is YES. Finally, the procedure 700 may comprise an output procedure 750 that involves the presentation, display, or output of a selected data set.
In various embodiments, the presentation procedure 700 may facilitate or provide for one or more types of display operations or functions, possibly in response to user input. Such display operations may comprise, for example, selection or identification of particular pixel or voxel subsets, zoom, rotation, and/or perspective variation operations, contrast and/or color adjustment, image annotation, and/or other operations.
In some embodiments, an item, selection, or element displayed within the first menu 820 may comprise an alphanumeric label 822 and/or a visual identifier 824 (e.g., an icon or a thumbnail image). Similarly, within the second menu 830, a displayed menu item may comprise an alphanumeric label 832 and/or a visual identifier 834. In certain embodiments, the second menu 830 may include one or more menu elements 836, 838 that correspond to adjunctive data sets. In particular embodiments, access to and/or presentation of adjunctive data sets may be facilitated through another menu 840.
The graphical window 810 may provide one or more menu bars 812, control bars 814, and/or other GUI elements in a manner understood by those skilled in the art. In other embodiments, the GUI 800 may comprise other and/or additional windows, menus, submenus, lists, and/or GUI elements.
In certain situations, the value of an MRA related diagnostic procedure may be enhanced in the event that MRA imaging information corresponding to one or more portions of a particular leg can be evaluated in a manner that is a) contiguous or generally contiguous; and b) separate from the other leg. Particular embodiments of the invention may facilitate such MRA imaging information analysis through the generation of one or more anatomically based MRA data sets.
Each of the anatomically based MRA data sets 950, 960 may facilitate enhanced efficiency and/or accuracy evaluation or analysis of the vascular characteristics of one or more portions of the leg to which it corresponds. Depending upon clinical requirements and/or embodiment details, one or both of the first and second anatomically based MRA data sets 950, 960 may be generated and/or analyzed.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, various embodiments of the invention may generate anatomically based data sets corresponding to anatomical regions and/or structures other than those described above (e.g., various internal organs considered together and/or separately; and/or one or more portions of the central and/or peripheral nervous system). Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
