Medical diagnostic method for the two-dimensional imaging of structures
AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation
InventorsChristian Lorenz, Jürgen Weese
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a medical diagnostic method in which a two-dimensional image can be derived from a data set representing a three-dimensional examination zone while especially emphasizing given structures. The data set is subjected to a filtering operation and from the voxels which are projected onto the same pixel in the two-dimensional image a voxel is selected in dependence on its image value in the second data set. This voxel is reproduced with its original image value in the two-dimensional image.
Claims9
A medical diagnostic method for the two-dimensional imaging of structures present in an object comprising:
- acquiring a first data set (I(x,y,z)) from the object in order to define voxel image values for the voxels within a three-dimensional examination zone,
- generating a second data set (F(x,y,z)) from the first data set by a filtering operation which emphasizes the structures,
- determining voxels (x,y,z) which are projected onto the same pixel (u,v) in a two-dimensional image,
- selecting of at least one of these voxels (x,y,z) in dependence on its voxel image value (F(x,y,z)) in the second data set, and
- generating the two-dimensional image (B1(u,v)), the image value for the pixel (u,v) being derived from the voxel image value (I(x,y,z)) of the selected voxel in the first data set.
A medical diagnostic image processing method for the two-dimensional imaging of structures in an object which is defined by a first data set with voxel image values for the voxels within a three-dimensional examination zone, the method comprising:
- generating a second data set from the first data set by a filtering operation which emphasizes the structures,
- determining voxels (x,y,z) which are projected onto the same pixel (u,v) in a two-dimensional image,
- selecting at least one of these voxels (x,y,z) in dependence on its voxel image value (F(x,y,z)) in the second data set, and
- generating the two-dimensional image.
A medical diagnostic system for the two-dimensional imaging of structures present in an object comprising:
- means for the acquisition of a first data set from the object in order to define voxel image values for the voxels within a three-dimensional examination zone,
- means for generating a second data set from the first data set by a filtering operation which emphasizes the structures,
- means for determining voxels which are projected onto the same pixel in a two-dimensional image,
- means for selecting at least one of these voxels in dependence on its voxel image value in the second data set, and
- means for generating a two-dimensional image, the image value (B1(u,v)) for the pixel (u,v) being derived from the voxel image value (I(x,y,z)) of the selected voxel in the first data set.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.