Fiducial Markers, Systems, and Methods of Registration
AssigneesCanon U.S.A., Inc., The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.
InventorsJunichi Tokuda, Nobuhiko Hata, Takahisa Kato, Brian Ninni, Laurent Chauvin
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Abstract
Exemplary methods, apparatus, and systems are provided for automated detection and registration of medical images using fiducial markers and processing algorithms. By either clustering fiducial markers having a different number, size, shape, configuration, or material property or by using fiducial markers arranged in a ring shape, wherein their arrangement is asymmetric, and then applying a feature extraction to extract the fiducial marker objects, and registering the fiducial marker objects with a model of the fiducial frame, automatic registration can be achieved.
Claims20
A method of automatic registration, comprising:
- obtaining image data of a medical device, the medical device comprising a plurality of fiducial markers arranged as a fiducial frame on the medical device, said fiducial frame comprising:
- (a) at least two clusters of fiducial markers, each cluster comprising a different number, size, shape, configuration, or material property of fiducial marker(s),
- (b) at least three fiducial markers arranged in a ring shape, wherein their arrangement is asymmetric, or
- (c) a combination of (a) and (b);
- detecting fiducial marker objects within the image data by:
- applying a feature enhancement to enhance the fiducial marker objects,
- applying a feature extraction to extract the fiducial marker objects,
- for image data of a medical device comprising at least two clusters of fiducial markers, applying a clustering algorithm to define clusters of fiducial marker objects, and
- defining a representative point for each fiducial marker object or for each cluster of fiducial marker objects;
- and
- registering the fiducial marker objects with a model of the fiducial frame, the step comprising:
- (a) for image data of a medical device comprising at least two clusters of fiducial markers, point to point matching of the representative points for each cluster with the model of the fiducial frame, or
- (b) for image data of at least three fiducial markers arranged in a ring shape, rotating the ring shape until the representative points of the fiducial marker objects match the model of the fiducial frame.
A system comprising:
- a medical device comprising a fiducial frame, wherein the fiducial frame comprising:
- (a) at least two clusters of fiducial markers, each cluster comprising a different number, size, shape, configuration, or material property of fiducial marker(s),
- (b) at least three fiducial markers arranged in a ring shape, wherein their arrangement is asymmetric, or
- (c) a combination of (a) and (b);
- a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program for performing a method of fiducial registration the method comprising:
- detecting fiducial marker objects within the image data by:
- applying a feature enhancement to enhance the fiducial marker objects,
- applying a feature extraction to extract the fiducial marker objects,
- for image data of a medical device comprising at least two clusters of fiducial markers, applying a clustering algorithm to define clusters of fiducial marker objects, and
- defining a representative point for each fiducial marker object or for each cluster of fiducial marker objects;
- and
- registering the fiducial marker objects with a model of the fiducial frame, the step comprising:
- (a) for image data of a medical device comprising at least two clusters of fiducial markers, point to point matching of the representative points for each cluster with the model of the fiducial frame, or
- (b) for image data of at least three fiducial markers arranged in a ring shape, rotating the ring shape until the representative points of the fiducial marker objects match the model of the fiducial frame.
An apparatus for use with tomography comprising a medical device and a plurality of fiducials markers arranged as a fiducial frame on the medical device, said fiducial frame comprises at least two clusters of fiducial markers, each cluster comprising a different number, size, shape, configuration, or material property of fiducial marker(s).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.