X-ray identification of interventional tools
A system and method enhance the visibility of medical devices shown in internal images. A medical device may be inserted into a patient. Internal images of the patient may then be acquired via various medical imaging techniques. However, the medical device may only be partially visible in the images, if at all. For instance, the images may be acquired with minimal radiation exposure to the patient and/or the medical device may be thin or made of translucent material. Model data may be associated with the geometry or other characteristics of the medical device. The model data may be adapted, such as rotated, resized, bent, or otherwise modified, to form a “best fit” with the medical device as actually shown in the internal images. The adapted model data may be superimposed onto a display of the medical device as shown in the internal images to enhance visibility of the medical device.
1. A method of automatic image enhancement, the method comprising:
using at least one computer system for,
acquiring an image of an implanted medical device internal to a patient;
identifying the type of medical device in the image and selecting the medical device from model data of a plurality of predetermined stored different types of medical device as having a best fit and in response to at least one of,
(a) user selection command selecting between said plurality of different types of medical device and
(b) analysis of said image of said medical device;
determining model data associated with the identified and selected medical device based upon the identification of the medical device type; and
enhancing visibility of the medical device as shown in the image as a function of model data associated with the medical device by using the model data to enhance visibility of the medical device by automatically fitting the model data to the medical device as shown in the image using geometric parameters comprising at least one of, length, width and position.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein
said medical device comprises an implanted therapeutic medical device of said patient and said model data geometric parameters of said medical device comprise at least one of, position of struts, and non-expanded or expanded status of a stent.
3. A method of automatic image enhancement, the method comprising:
using at least one computer system for,
acquiring an image of a medical device internal to a patient comprising an implanted therapeutic medical device of said patient;
identifying the type of medical device in the image from a plurality of different types of medical device in response to at least one of,
(a) user selection command selecting between said plurality of different types of medical device and
(b) analysis of said image of said medical device;
determining model data associated with the medical device based upon the identification of the medical device type, said model data comprises geometric parameters of said medical device; and
enhancing visibility of the medical device as shown in the image as a function of model data associated with the medical device by using the model data to enhance visibility of the medical device using a best fit algorithm to fit the model data onto the medical device as shown in the image and said geometric parameters comprise at least one of, length, width, position of struts, and non-expanded or expanded status of a stent.
4. The method of claim 1 , including identifying the position of the medical device within the image wherein using the model data to enhance visibility of the medical device includes redrawing the model data to fit the medical device as shown in the image.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein redrawing the model data includes rotating or translating the model data to match at least a portion of the image associated with the medical device.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein redrawing the model data includes resizing the model data to match at least a portion of the image associated with the medical device.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image is acquired using a C-arm imaging device.
8. The method of claim 1 , the method comprising using organ model data to alter the image, the organ model data associated with a model of at least a portion of a heart.
9. A method of automatic image enhancement, the method comprising:
employing at least one computer system for,
identifying a type of implanted therapeutic medical device and selecting the medical device from model data of a plurality of predetermined stored different types of medical device as having a best fit and in response to at least one of,
(a) user selection command selecting between said plurality of different types of medical device and
(b) analysis of an image of said medical device;
acquiring model data associated with the identified and selected medical device based upon the identification of the medical device type;
acquiring an image of the medical device within a patient; and
enhancing visibility of the medical device as shown in the image as a function of the model data to alter a display of the image by using the model data to enhance visibility of the medical device by automatically fitting the model data to the medical device as shown in the image using geometric parameters comprising at least one of, length, width and position.
10. The method of claim 9 , the method comprising:
acquiring organ model data that models a bodily structure shown in the image; and
using the organ model data to alter the display of the image such that visibility of the bodily structure as shown in the image is enhanced.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein an image of the medical device is acquired using a bi-planar imaging device.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein-an image of the medical device is generated from a plurality of x-ray images of the medical device taken at different angles.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein a virtual medical device represented by the model data is adjusted to fit onto the medical device as shown in the image and then the adjusted virtual medical device is superimposed onto the medical device as shown in an image of the medical device.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the virtual medical device is bent to align with the medical device as shown in an image of the medical device.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the virtual medical device is rotated or resized to align with the medical device as shown in an image of the medical device.
16. The method of claim 9 , the method comprising accepting a user input that identifies a localized area of an image of the medical device that shows the medical device.
17. A data processing system for automatic image enhancement, the system comprising:
at least one computer system including,
means for acquiring an image of an implanted medical device within a patient;
means for identifying the type of medical device in the image and selecting the medical device from model data of a plurality of predetermined stored different types of medical device as having a best fit and in response to at least one of,
(a) user selection command selecting between said plurality of different types of medical device and
(b) analysis of said image of said medical device;
means for determining model data associated with the identified and selected medical device based upon the identification of the medical device type; and
a processor operable to alter a display of the image based upon an identification of the medical device such that visibility of the medical device as shown on the display is enhanced by using the model data to enhance visibility of the medical device by automatically fitting the model data to the medical device as shown in the image using geometric parameters comprising at least one of,length, width and position.
18. The data processing system of claim 17 , wherein the processor is operable to perform operations on model data associated with the medical device to align a virtual medical device with the medical device as shown on the display.
19. The data processing system of claim 17 , wherein the processor is operable to resize or rotate a virtual medical device onto the medical device as shown on the display.
20. The data processing system of claim 17 , wherein the processor is operable accept a user input identifying a localized portion of the image in which the medical device is displayed and alter the localized portion identified to enhance visibility of the medical device.
21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions thereon executable on a computer, the instructions comprising:
acquiring an image of a medical device internal to a patient;
identifying the type of medical device in the image and selecting the medical device from model data of a plurality of predetermined stored different types of medical device as having a best fit and in response to at least one of,
(a) user selection command selecting between said plurality of different types of medical device and
(b) analysis of said image of said medical device;
determining model data associated with the identified and selected medical device based upon the identification of the medical device type; and
fitting a virtual medical device onto a corresponding actual medical device shown in an internal image of the actual medical device by using the model data to enhance visibility of the medical device by automatically fitting the model data to the medical device as shown in the image using geometric parameters comprising at least one of, length, width and position; and increasing visibility of the actual medical device as shown on a display.
22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the virtual medical device is fitted onto the actual medical device using a best fit algorithm.
23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 , the instructions comprising:
said medical device comprises an implanted therapeutic medical device of said patient and said model data geometric parameters of said medical device comprise at least one of position of struts, and non-expanded or expanded status of a stent.
24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 , wherein the medical device is a stent and the identification includes whether the stent is expanded or un-expanded.