Ultrasound image processing to render three-dimensional images from two-dimensional images
AssigneeSt. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
InventorPraveen Dala-Krishna
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods for processing two-dimensional ultrasound images from an intracardiac ultrasound imaging catheter provide improved image quality and enable generating three-dimensional composite images of the heart. Two-dimensional ultrasound images are obtained and stored in conjunction with correlating information, such as time or an electrocardiogram. Images related to particular conditions or configurations of the heart can be processed in combination to reduce image noise and increase resolution. Images may be processed to recognize structure edges, and the location of structure edges used to generate cartoon rendered images of the structure. Structure locations may be averaged over several images to remove noise, distortions and blurring from movement.
Claims11
A system for intracardiac imaging, comprising:
- an ultrasound imaging catheter comprising a phased array ultrasound transducer;
- an ultrasound beamformer circuit electronically coupled to the ultrasound imaging catheter;
- a programmable processor coupled to the ultrasound beamformer circuit;
- and
- computer readable memory electronically coupled to the programmable processor and having stored therein software instructions which adapt and configure the programmable processor to:
- store a plurality of ultrasound image frames in memory;
- store in memory a rotational orientation of the transducer corresponding to each of the plurality of ultrasound image frames;
- detect edges of tissue structures within each of the plurality of image frames;
- determine a spatial location of each of the detected edges in each of the plurality of image frames;
- statistically analyze the spatial locations of the detected edges among a subset of the plurality of image frames with an approximately equal transducer rotational orientation to determine representative spatial locations for the tissue structures imaged from the approximately equal transducer rotational orientation;
- generate a cartoon rendered image frame of the tissue structures based upon the representative spatial locations imaged from the approximately equal transducer rotational orientation;
- repeat the steps of statistically analyzing the spatial locations of the detected edges and generating cartoon rendered image frames for each of a plurality of approximately equal transducer rotational orientations to generate a plurality of cartoon rendered image frames;
- and
- combine the plurality of cartoon rendered image frames using their corresponding approximately equal transducer rotation orientations to generate a three-dimensional cartoon rendering of tissue structure.
A non-transitory computer readable memory having stored therein software instructions which adapt and configure a programmable processor to perform the steps of:
- receiving from memory a plurality of intracardiac ultrasound image frames and data indicating a transducer rotational orientation associated with each one of the plurality of ultrasound image frames;
- detecting edges of tissue structures within each of the plurality of image frames;
- determining a spatial location of each of the detected edges in each of the plurality of image frames;
- statistically analyzing the spatial locations of the detected edges among a subset of the plurality of image frames with an approximately equal transducer rotational orientation to determine representative spatial locations for the tissue structures imaged from the approximately equal transducer rotational orientation;
- and
- generating a cartoon rendered image frame of the tissue structures based upon the representative spatial locations imaged from the approximately equal transducer rotational orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.