System for detecting an invasive anatomical instrument

1. An X-ray imaging system for automatically detecting and indicating location of, an invasive anatomical device in an image, comprising:

an interface for acquiring,

data representing x-ray images of patient vessels including a particular vessel in which a medical device is located at a position in which the medical device was previously deployed during a previous acquiring of earlier images and

data identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device,

wherein the previously deployed medical device was deployed in said particular vessel before said acquiring data representing images of patient vessels and said acquiring data identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device;

an image data processor for,

employing a model of anatomical vessels to select a region of interest in said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device identified by the acquired data identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device and

automatically determining a location of said medical device in said selected region of interest in response to said data identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device by determining at least a portion of an outline of said medical device by detecting a luminance transition in said acquired image using an image edge detector; and

a display processor for initiating generation of data depicting location of said medical device in the acquired image in response to determining said at least a portion of said outline of said medical device.

2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image data processor selects a region of interest in said vessel by determining a region in said vessel using data acquired from a medical record of said patient.

3. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image data processor automatically selects a region of interest in said vessel from a text description identifying a location of a device in said vessel acquired from a patient medical record.

4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image data processor automatically overlays and aligns a medical image indicating a medical device with an X-ray image of said patient vessels and selects a region of interest in said vessel in response to said medical device location in said overlay image.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image data processor automatically determines a location of said medical device in an acquired image by determining at least a portion of an outline of said medical device by detecting image density variation information.

6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said image data processor automatically determines a location of said medical device in an acquired image by determining at least a portion of an outline of said medical device by deriving a histogram indicating numbers of pixels in said acquired image having particular luminance intensity values or ranges of values.

7. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said interface acquires data representing X-ray images of patient vessels having the same degree of rotation and orientation as images that were previously acquired during deployment of said medical device.

8. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said model of anatomical vessels comprises a data representation of segmented linearized vessels including said particular vessel and corresponding three dimensional (3D) coordinates indicating locations of the individual vessel segments in a 3D volume.

9. A system according to claim 1 , wherein

said model enables location of a vessel in a 3 D volume and

said display processor initiates generation of data representing a visual presentation of a vessel in a 3D image representation of the volume and

said system provides a display image prompting a user to enter information identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device.

10. An X-ray imaging system for automatically detecting and indicating location of, an invasive anatomical device in an image, comprising:

an interface for acquiring,

data representing X-ray images of patient vessels including a particular vessel in which a medical device is located at a position in which the medical device was previously deployed during a previous acquiring of earlier images and

data identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device,

wherein the previously deployed medical device was deployed in said particular vessel before said acquiring data representing images of patient vessels and said acquiring data identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device;

an image data processor for,

selecting a region of interest in a vessel identified by the acquired data by determining a region in said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device from data acquired from a medical record of said patient identifying said vessel containing said previously deployed medical device and

automatically determining a location of said medical device in said selected region of interest in response to said data identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device by determining at least a portion of an outline of said medical device by detecting a luminance transition in said acquired image using an image edge detector; and

a display processor for initiating generation of data depicting location of said medical device in the acquired image in response to determining said at least portion of said outline of said medical device.

11. A system according to claim 10 , wherein

said image data processor automatically selects a region of interest in said vessel from a text description identifying a location of a device in said vessel acquired from said patient medical record.

12. A system according to claim 10 , wherein

said image data processor automatically overlays and aligns a medical image indicating a medical device with an X-ray image of said patient vessels.

13. A method used by an imaging system for automatically detecting and indicating location of, an invasive anatomical device in an image, comprising the activities of:

acquiring,

data representing X-ray images of patient vessels including a particular vessel in which a medical device is located at a position in which the medical device was previously deployed during a previous acquiring of earlier images and

data identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device,

wherein the previously deployed medical device was deployed in said particular vessel before said acquiring data representing images of patient vessels and said acquiring data identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device;

employing a model of anatomical vessels to select a region of interest in said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device identified by the acquired data identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device and

automatically determining a location of said medical device in said selected region of interest in response to said data identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device by determining at least a portion of an outline of said medical device by detecting a luminance transition in said acquired image using an image edge detector; and

initiating generation of data depicting location of said medical device in the acquired image in response to determining said at least a portion of said outline of said medical device.

14. A method according to claim 13 , including the activity of

selecting a region of interest in said vessel by determining a region in said vessel using data acquired from a medical record of said patient.

15. A method according to claim 14 , including the activity of

automatically selecting a region of interest in said vessel from a text description identifying a location of a device in said vessel using data acquired from a patient medical record.

16. A method according to claim 13 , including the activities of

automatically overlaying and aligning a medical image indicating a medical device with an X-ray image of said patient vessels and

selecting a region of interest in said vessel in response to said medical device location in said overlay image.

17. A method according to claim 13 , including the activity of

automatically determining a location of said medical device in an acquired image by determining at least a portion of an outline of said medical device by detecting image density variation information and

prompting a user to enter information identifying said particular vessel containing said previously deployed medical device.

18. A method according to claim 13 , including the activity of

automatically determining a location of said medical device in an acquired image by determining at least a portion of an outline of said medical device by deriving a histogram indicating numbers of pixels in said acquired image having particular luminance intensity values or ranges of values.

19. A system according to claim 10 , wherein

said image data processor selects said region of interest in said particular vessel using a model of anatomical vessels comprising a data representation of segmented linearized vessels including said particular vessel and corresponding three dimensional (3D) coordinates indicating locations of the individual vessel segments in a 3D volume.

20. A method according to claim 13 , wherein

said model of anatomical vessels comprises a data representation of segmented linearized vessels including said particular vessel and corresponding three dimensional (3D) coordinates indicating locations of the individual vessel segments in a 3D volume.