US 7,257,245 B2 · Image position matching method and apparatus therefor

Abstract

When position matching is performed on two images in which the soft tissue structures and the bone tissue structures are displaced in different directions, artifacts appearing in the subtraction image are reduced, and it becomes possible to perform the position matching according to the diagnostic objective or the preferences of the operator. A global position matching means that globally matches the positions of the entirety of two inputted images that have been obtained of the same subject, and a local position matching means that locally matches the positions of the two images that have been globally matched by the global position matching means are provided. The global position matching means has a function for performing a bone tissue structure global position matching process and a function for performing a non-bone tissue structure global position matching process. One of these two functions is selected and the global position matching is performed.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An image position matching method comprising the steps of

subjecting two images obtained of the same subject to a global matching process that matches the structural positions of the entirety of said two images, and
further subjecting said two images thus globally matched to a local position matching process, wherein
a selection is made between a position matching process focusing mainly on the bone tissue structures and a position matching process not focusing mainly on the bone tissue structures appearing in said two images, and the global position matching is performed according to the selected position matching process, wherein the two images are original temporal sequential obtained images of the same subject.

An image position matching apparatus comprising

a global position matching means that globally matches the structural positions of the entirety of two images that have been obtained of the same subject, and
a local position matching means that locally matches the structural positions of the two images that have been subjected to the global position matching process by said global position matching means, wherein
the global position matching means is provided with a bone tissue structures position matching function for performing the global position matching process in a manner focusing mainly on the bone tissue structures,
wherein the global position matching means is provided with a non-bone tissue structures position matching function for performing the global position matching process in a manner not focusing mainly on said bone tissue structures, further comprising
a selecting means for selecting between the bone tissue structures position matching function and the non-bone tissue structures position matching function when the global position matching process is to be performed.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Image position matching method and apparatus therefor

Life of this patent

Image position matching method and apparatus therefor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15