# US 9,437,003 B2 · Method, apparatus, and system for correcting medical image according to patient's pose variation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,437,003 B2 - Document ID: US9437003B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/861,778 - Filed: 2013-04-12 - Published: 2014-04-24 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2012-10-24 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Dong-ryeol Park; Hyung-joo Kim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9437003B2 ## CPC - G06T 7/74: {involving reference images or patches} - G06T 7/33: using feature-based methods - G06T 2207/10012: Stereo images - G06T 2207/10068: Endoscopic image - G06T 2207/10081: Computed x-ray tomography [CT] - G06T 2207/10088: Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] - G06T 2207/30004: Biomedical image processing - G06T 2207/30204: Marker - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract Provided is a method of correcting a medical image according to a patient's pose variation. The method includes attaching a marker to an object, generating a first non-real-time image and a first real-time image when the object is in a first pose, generating a second real-time image when the object is in a second pose, and correcting the first non-real-time image based on shift information of the marker when the object is changed from the first pose to the second pose. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image correcting method, comprising: attaching a marker to an object, and generating a first non-real-time image, of a first image type, and a first real-time image, of a second image type, including the object's anatomical information about a surrounding region including a position of the marker when the object is in a first pose; generating a second real-time image, of the second image type, of the object about the surrounding region when the object is in a second pose; obtaining shift information of the marker based on the first real-time image and the second real-time image when the object is changed from the first pose to the second pose; correcting, in a processor, the first non-real-time image based on the shift information of the marker; and displaying the corrected first non-real-time image on a monitor; wherein the obtaining of the shift information of the marker comprises: determining a point at which a value measured in data included in the first real-time image exceeds a threshold value, and specifying a first pose relationship between the point and the marker; selecting a point, corresponding to the point determined in the first real-time image, on the second real-time image, and specifying a second pose relationship between the point selected on the second real-time image and the marker; and calculating a shift direction and a shift amount of the marker when the object is changed from the first pose to the second pose using the first pose relationship and the second pose relationship. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the point at which the value exceeds the threshold value is a point selected in a tissue having a fixed position irrespective of the object's pose variation from among tissue in the object's body included in the first or second real-time image, and wherein the first pose relationship or the second pose relationship is specified by representing positions of the point and a position of the marker on the first or second real-time image with coordinates. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the point is a point obtained by segmenting a surface of the tissue having the fixed position in the first or second real-time image into a plurality of pieces and selecting a piece from among the plurality of pieces. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating a third real-time image including the object's anatomical information about the surrounding region by using an imaging apparatus inserted into the object's body when the object is in the second pose; wherein the first non-real-time image, the first real-time image, and the second real-time image are generated by using an imaging apparatus disposed outside the object's body. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: detecting a third pose relationship between the imaging apparatus and the marker and overlaying the third real-time image with the corrected first non-real-time image by using the third pose relationship. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the marker comprises a portion that is discernible in the first non-real-time image and the first and second real-time images, and is also discernible outside the object. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: setting a plurality of points in the corrected first non-real-time image and the first non-real-time image; measuring a distance between corresponding points of the corrected first non-real-time image and the first non-real-time image; and determining whether the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined error value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program for executing the method of claim 1. ### Claim 9 An image correcting apparatus, comprising: a first image generating unit configured to generate a first non-real-time image, of a first image type, including an object's anatomical information about a surrounding region including a position of a marker attached to the object when the object is in a first pose; a second image generating unit configured to generate a first real-time image, of a second image type, including the object's anatomical information about the surrounding region when the object is in the first pose; a third image generating unit configured to generate a second real-time image, of the second image type, of the object about the surrounding region when the object is in a second pose; a shift information obtaining unit configured to obtain shift information of the marker based on the first real-time image and the second real-time image when the object is changed from the first pose to the second pose; and an image correcting unit configured to correct the first non-real-time image based on the shift information of the marker; wherein the shift information obtaining unit comprises: a first pose relationship specifying unit configured to determine a point at which a value measured in data included in the first real-time image exceeds a threshold value, and configured to specify a first pose relationship between the point and the marker; a second pose relationship specifying unit configured to determine a point, corresponding to the point determined by the first real-time image, on the second real-time image, and configured to specify a second pose relationship between the point determined by the second pose relationship specifying unit and the marker; and a shift amount and shift direction calculating unit configured to calculate a shift direction and a shift amount of the marker when the object is changed from the first pose to the second pose using the first pose relationship and the second pose relationship. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the point at which the value exceeds the threshold value is a point that is selected in a tissue having a fixed position irrespective of the object's pose variation from among tissue in the object's body included in the first or second real-time image, and wherein the first pose relationship or the second pose relationship is a relationship specified by representing positions of the point and the marker on the first or second real-time image with coordinates. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the point is a point obtained by segmenting a surface of the tissue having the fixed position on the first or second real-time image into a plurality of pieces and selecting a piece from among the plurality of pieces. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising: a fourth image generating unit configured to generate a third real-time image including the object's anatomical information about the surrounding region by using an imaging apparatus inserted into the object's body when the object is in the second pose; wherein the first non-real-time image, the first real-time image, and the second real-time image are images generated by using an imaging apparatus disposed outside the object's body. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising: an image overlaying unit configured to specify a third pose relationship between the imaging apparatus and the marker, and configured to overlay the third real-time image with the corrected first non-real-time image by using the third pose relationship. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the marker comprises a portion that is discernible in the first non-real-time image and the first and second real-time images, and also is discernible outside the object. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the image correcting unit further comprises an evaluation unit configured to set a plurality of points in the corrected first non-real-time image and the first non-real-time image, configured to measure a distance between corresponding points of the corrected first non-real-time image and the first non-real-time image, and configured to determine whether the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined error value. ### Claim 16 An image correcting system, comprising: at least one imaging apparatus configured to generate a first non-real-time image, of a first image type, and first through third real-time images including anatomical information of an object to which a marker has been attached; and an image processing apparatus configured to obtain shift information of the marker using the first real-time image, of a second image type, and the second real-time image, of the second image type, of the object generated by the imaging apparatus, and configured to correct the first non-real-time image based on the shift information of the marker; wherein the image processing apparatus comprises: a first pose relationship specifying unit configured to determine a point at which a value measured in data included in the first real-time image exceeds a threshold value, and configured to specify a first pose relationship between the point and the marker; a second pose relationship specifying unit configured to determine a point, corresponding to the point determined by the first real-time image, on the second real-time image, and configured to specify a second pose relationship between the point determined by the second pose relationship specifying unit and the marker; and a shift amount and shift direction calculating unit configured to calculate a shift direction and a shift amount of the marker when the object is changed from the first pose to the second pose using the first pose relationship and the second pose relationship.