Method and apparatus for ECG-synchronized optically-based image acquisition and transformation

An apparatus for acquiring and combining a plurality of slice images of a vessel, comprising the steps of:

• an ECG system adapted to interact with a subject to obtain an ECG signal from the subject;
• an optically-based slice imaging system having an optical probe adapted for insertion in a vessel of the subject to allow a pullback of an optical probe through a vessel of a subject while simultaneously acquiring said ECG signal of the subject with said ECG system, thereby acquiring a plurality of optically-based slice images of the vessel registered with said ECG signal;
• a computer that combines slice images, from among said plurality of slice images, acquired at a selected cardiac phase, represented by said ECG signal, into a scene, each slice image in said scene being comprised of data and each having an image center, and that subjects each slice image in said scene to a first data transformation to shift a midpoint of the vessel in each slice image in the scene to coincide with the image center of each slice image, and that, after said first data transformation, subjects each slice image in the scene to a second data transformation to obtain an image dataset of said vessel;
• and
• a display supplied with said image dataset that displays an image of said vessel corresponding to said image dataset.

A storage medium encoded with a computer-readable program, loadable into a processor of a computerized system that includes an optically-based slice imaging system with an optical probe to acquire slice images from a subject and an ECG acquisition system to acquire an ECG signal from the subject, allowing a physician to execute a pullback of an optical probe through a vessel of a subject while simultaneously acquiring an ECG signal of the subject, thereby acquiring a plurality of optically-based slice images of the vessel registered with said ECG signal;

• said program causing said processor to:
• combine slice images, from among said plurality of slice images, acquired at a selected cardiac phase, represented by said ECG signal, into a scene, each slice image in said scene being comprised of data and each having an image center;
• subject each slice image in said scene to a first data transformation to shift a midpoint of the vessel in each slice image in the scene to coincide with the image center of each slice image;
• after said first data transformation, subject each slice image in the scene to a second data transformation to obtain an image dataset of said vessel;
• and
• to display at a monitor an image of the vessel corresponding to the image dataset.