Method and apparatus for visualizing a blood vessel

1. A method for visualizing a blood vessel of a patient during an intervention, the blood vessel including a thrombosed section, the method comprising:

capturing, by an imaging device after administration of a contrast agent, a first contrasted volume data set;

locating a proximal end and a distal end of the thrombosed section of the blood vessel within the first contrasted volume data set;

defining a data capture region area for a second volume data set based on the located proximal end and the located distal end of the thrombosed section of the blood vessel that has been located within the first contrasted volume data set such that the data capture region for the second volume data set includes only an extract of a spatial region covered by the first contrasted volume data set;

capturing, by the imaging device, the second volume data set, wherein capturing the second volume data set is limited to the data capture region defined based on the located proximal end and the located distal end of the thrombosed section of the blood vessel;

segmenting the thrombosed section of the blood vessel out of the second volume data set;

capturing, after the second volume data set is captured, live fluoroscopic images during the intervention; and

superimposing the segmented thrombosed section of the blood vessel with the live fluoroscopic images, wherein superimposing comprises displaying, by a display, an image of the segmented thrombosed section of the blood vessel not otherwise shown in the live fluoroscopic images, the image of the segmented thrombosed section of the blood vessel being based on a three-dimensional image of the data capture region reconstructed using projection images from only the second volume data set.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second volume data set is captured using different energies.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second volume data set is a non-contrasted volume data set.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein defining the data capture region for the second volume data set further comprises defining a mid-point in the data capture region, the mid-point being set in a region of the thrombosed section of the blood vessel.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data capture region for the second volume data set is defined as a spherical region area with a predetermined radius.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein capturing the second volume data set comprises capturing the second volume data set in a targeted manner in the defined data capture region.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a length, a course, or the length and the course of the thrombosed section of the blood vessel are determined from the second volume data set.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein an intervention device for treating the thrombosed section of the blood vessel is designated based on the length, the course, or the

length and the course of the thrombosed section of the blood vessel that have been determined.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the segmented, thrombosed section of the blood vessel is superimposed with the first volume data set or with a projected image reconstructed therefrom.

10. An apparatus for representing a blood vessel including a thrombosed section of the blood vessel in a patient during an intervention, a proximal end and a distal end of the thrombosed section of the blood vessel in the patient being located with the aid of a first contrasted volume data set, the apparatus comprising:

a data capture device operable to capture a first contrasted volume data set, a second volume data set limited to a data capture region defined based on the located proximal end and the located distal end of the thrombosed section of the blood vessel, and live fluoroscopic images, the live fluoroscopic images being captured after the second volume data set;

a control and computation device configured to control the data capture device to:

define the data capture region for the second volume data set based on the located proximal end and the located distal end of a thrombosed section of the blood vessel that has been located within the first contrasted volume data set such that the data capture region for the second volume data set includes only an extract of a spatial region area covered by the first contrasted volume data set;

segment the thrombosed section of the blood vessel out of the second volume data set; and

superimpose the segmented thrombosed section of the blood vessel with the live fluoroscopic images; and

a display device configured to display an image of the superimposed segmented thrombosed section of the blood vessel not otherwise shown in the live fluoroscopic images, the image of the superimposed segmented thrombosed section of the blood vessel being based on a three-dimensional image of the data capture region reconstructed using projection images from only the second volume data set.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the second volume data set is captured using different energies.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the second volume data set is a non-contrasted volume data set.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the data capture region for the second volume data set is defined as a spherical region with a predetermined radius.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the control and computation device is further configured to determine a length, a course, or the length and the course of the thrombosed section of the blood vessel from the second volume data set.