Apparatus and method for detecting an interventional tool
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.
InventorsMaarten Petrus Joseph Kuenen, Nenad Mihajlovic, Arash Pourtaherian
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Abstract
An apparatus that detects a tip of an interventional tool based on at least two ultrasound images reconstructed for different beam steering angles within a volumetric region that includes the tool. The apparatus includes an image processor. The image processor includes a tip detection module used to perform a tip tool detection procedure. The tip tool detection procedure involves identifying shadow regions of the tool in the at least two ultrasound images and determining the position of the tip of the tool within the volumetric region.
Claims21
An apparatus for detecting a location of a tool including a tip of the tool in a volumetric region, said apparatus comprising:
- an image processor adapted to receive from an ultrasound array an ultrasound image data of the volumetric region, said image processor coupled to a memory that stores instructions, which when executed by the image processor, cause the image processor to:
- reconstruct from the ultrasound image data a first ultrasound image having a first tool shadow region, wherein the first ultrasound image corresponds to a first steering angle of an ultrasound beam with respect to a surface of the ultrasound array, and a second ultrasound image having a second tool shadow region, wherein the second ultrasound image corresponds to a second steering angle of the ultrasound beam being different from the first steering angle;
- identify a first differential shadow region (ACB) within the volumetric region based on a relative difference between the first tool shadow region and the second tool shadow region;
- and
- determine based on the first differential shadow region the location of the tip of the tool.
A method for detecting a tool including a tip of the tool in a volumetric region, comprising:
- obtaining an ultrasound image data of the volumetric region;
- reconstructing from the ultrasound image data a first ultrasound image having a first tool shadow region, wherein the first ultrasound image corresponds to a first steering angle of an ultrasound beam with respect to a surface of an ultrasound array, and a second ultrasound image having a second tool shadow region, wherein the second ultrasound image corresponds to a second steering angle of the ultrasound beam being different from the first steering angle;
- identifying a differential shadow region (ACB) within the volumetric region based on a relative difference between the first tool shadow region and the second tool shadow region;
- and
- determining based on the differential shadow region a location of the tip of the tool.
A tangible non-transitory computer readable medium that stores instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
- obtain an ultrasound image data of a volumetric region;
- reconstruct from the ultrasound image data a first ultrasound image having a first tool shadow region, wherein the first ultrasound image corresponds to a first steering angle of an ultrasound beam with respect to a surface of an ultrasound array, and a second ultrasound image having a second tool shadow region, wherein the second ultrasound image corresponds to a second steering angle of the ultrasound beam being different from the first steering angle;
- identify a differential shadow region (ACB) within the volumetric region based on a relative difference between the first tool shadow region and the second tool shadow region;
- and
- determine based on the differential shadow region a location of a tip of a tool.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.