Back to results
US 8,275,449 B2Granted
Overlay image contrast enhancement
AssigneeVisualSonics Inc.
InventorsChristopher A. White, Desmond Hirson, Stanley Poon, James Mehi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of creating an image difference overlay comprises identifying a loop of reference images of a subject and identifying a loop of data images of the subject. The loop of image data can be identified after an event, such as the administration of contrast agent to the subject. A reference loop image frame is compared to one or more data loop image frames and the reference loop frame is associated with a data loop image frame which closely resembles the data loop image frame. Each of the associated frames can then be processed and used to create an image difference overlay frame.
Claims57
A method of producing an enhanced medical image of a subject, comprising:
- producing a reference set of medical images of a subject or a portion thereof using a medical imaging modality, wherein the reference set of medical images comprises a plurality of reference set images;
- producing a data set of medical images of the subject or a portion thereof using the medical imaging modality, wherein the data set of medical images comprises a plurality of data set images, each data set image comprising data received from an area of increased contrast;
- comparing each of a plurality of the data set images to each of a plurality of the reference set images to identify a data-reference image pair, wherein the identified data-reference image pair comprises the reference set image that has the smallest difference error as to the data set image versus the other compared reference set images;
- and
- subtracting the identified reference image of the data-reference image pair from the data image of the data-reference image pair to create the enhanced medical image, wherein each reference set image of the reference set is acquired from a portion of the subject undergoing dynamic motion during the acquisition, and each data set image of the data set is acquired from a portion of the subject undergoing dynamic motion during the acquisition, and wherein the area of increased contrast is not created in the subject when the reference images are produced.
2 more elements
A method of producing an enhanced medical image of a subject, comprising:
- producing a reference set of medical images of a subject or a portion thereof using a medical imaging modality, wherein the reference set of medical images comprises a plurality of reference set images;
- producing a data set of medical images of the subject or a portion thereof using the medical imaging modality, wherein the data set of medical images comprises a plurality of data set images, each data set image comprising contrast image data received from an area of increased contrast in the subject;
- comparing each of a plurality of the data set images to each of a plurality of the reference set images to identify a data-reference image pair having a smallest difference error between the compared data set image and reference set image;
- and
- subtracting the reference image of the data-reference image pair from the data image of the data-reference image pair to create the enhanced medical image, wherein each reference set image of the reference set is acquired from a portion of the subject undergoing dynamic motion during the acquisition, and each data set image of the data set is acquired from a portion of the subject undergoing dynamic motion during the acquisition, and wherein the area of increased contrast is not created in the subject when the reference images are produced.
2 more elements
A method of producing an enhanced medical image of a subject, comprising:
- producing a reference set of medical images of a subject or a portion thereof using a medical imaging modality, wherein the reference set of medical images comprises a plurality of reference set images and wherein the reference medical images comprise data received from the subject's tissue;
- producing a data set of medical images using the medical imaging modality, wherein the data set of medical images comprises a plurality of data set images, and wherein the data set of medical images comprises contrast data received from a medical imaging contrast agent administered to the subject and data received from the subject's tissue;
- comparing each of a plurality of the data set images to each of a plurality of the reference set images to identify a data-reference image pair, wherein the data-reference image pair is identified based on having a smallest difference error between the tissue data of the reference image relative to the tissue data of the data image;
- and
- determining the difference between the reference image and the data image of the data-reference image pair to create the enhanced medical image, wherein each reference set image of the reference set is acquired from a portion of the subject undergoing dynamic motion during the acquisition, and each data set image of the data set is acquired from a portion of the subject undergoing dynamic motion during the acquisition, and wherein an area of increased contrast is not created in the subject when the reference images are produced.
2 more elements
A method of producing an enhanced medical image of a subject, comprising:
- producing a reference set of medical images of a subject or a portion thereof using a medical imaging modality, wherein the reference set of medical images comprises a plurality of reference set images;
- producing a data set of medical images of the subject or a portion thereof using the medical imaging modality, wherein the data set of medical images comprises a plurality of data set images, each data set image comprising data received from an area of increased image contrast;
- comparing each of a plurality of the data set images to each of a plurality of the reference set images;
- determining the relative similarity between the data set image and each compared reference set image;
- selecting a data-reference image pair, wherein the selected data-reference image pair comprises a data set image and a reference set image, and wherein the selected data-reference image pair has a smallest difference error between the data set image and the reference set image based on the reference image's determined relative similarity to the data image;
- and
- processing the data-reference image pair to create the enhanced medical image by removing the areas of substantial similarity between the data image and the reference image of the data-reference image pair, wherein each reference set image of the reference set is acquired from a portion of the subject undergoing dynamic motion during the acquisition, and each data set image of the data set is acquired from a portion of the subject undergoing dynamic motion during the acquisition, and wherein the area of increased image contrast is not created in the subject when the reference images are produced.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.