IP Library Granted Patent US 12,127,816
Granted Patent B2
US 12,127,816 · App. 17/830,799 · Granted Oct 29, 2024

Medical image processing apparatus

Inventor: Takuma Igarashi (Nasushiobara, JP)
Assignee: CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
A61B5/02007A61B5/021A61B5/026A61B5/7278A61B6/032A61B6/486A61B6/503A61B6/504A61B6/507A61B6/5217G06T7/62A61B2034/105G06T2207/10081G06T2207/30048G06T2207/30104G06T2207/30172
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,127,816
App. No.
17/830,799
Granted
Oct 29, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to one embodiment, a medical image processing apparatus includes first specifier, second specifier, determiner and display controller. First specifier collates an ischemic region calculated from a blood vessel visualized into a three-dimensional image in a plurality of phases with a dominating region of the blood vessel, and specifies a culprit vessel in the ischemic region. Second specifier specifies a culprit stenosis in the culprit vessel based on a pressure index calculated from the blood vessel. Determiner determines a connection position to connect a bypass vessel that makes a detour around the culprit stenosis. Display controller displays the determined connection position on a display.

Claims (46)

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

acquiring, based on a coronary artery in three-dimensional volume data, a distribution of a blood flow index corresponding to a pressure ratio between two points in the coronary artery;

specifying an inappropriate bypass portion of the coronary artery, where forming a bypass connection is inappropriate, based on information acquired based on the coronary artery in three-dimensional volume data, the information comprising an elasticity coefficient of a blood vessel wall of the coronary artery;

writing, into a memory, a position distribution of the inappropriate bypass portion in a three-dimensional space, the position distribution being obtained based on threshold processing of the elasticity coefficient of the blood vessel wall;

calculating a rendering pixel value for a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image based on the position distribution written into the memory;

generating the two-dimensional or three-dimensional image using the calculated rendering pixel value; and

causing a display to display a location of the specified inappropriate bypass portion together with a marker superimposed on the two-dimensional or three-dimensional image, the specified inappropriate bypass portion being displayed in a distinguishable manner, wherein

the specifying comprises specifying, as the inappropriate bypass portion, a portion of the coronary artery where the elasticity coefficient of the blood vessel wall is higher than a first threshold and lower than a second threshold.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein

the three-dimensional volume data is of a patient of ischemic heart disease who is treated with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , wherein

the causing causes the display to display the location of the specified inappropriate bypass portion together with the marker superimposed on the two-dimensional or three-dimensional image, as well as display the distribution of the blood flow index.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

acquiring the blood flow index through computer simulation; and

calculating a spatial distribution of blood vessel elasticity by analyzing a voxel value of the three-dimensional volume data.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including computer executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

acquiring, based on a coronary artery in three-dimensional volume data, a distribution of a blood flow index corresponding to a pressure ratio between two points in the coronary artery;

specifying an inappropriate bypass portion of the coronary artery, where forming a bypass connection is inappropriate, based on information acquired based on the coronary artery in three-dimensional volume data, the information comprising an elasticity coefficient of a blood vessel wall of the coronary artery;

writing, into a memory, a position distribution of the inappropriate bypass portion in a three-dimensional space, the position distribution being obtained based on threshold processing of the elasticity coefficient of the blood vessel wall;

calculating a rendering pixel value for a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image based on the position distribution written into the memory;

generating the two-dimensional or three-dimensional image using the calculated rendering pixel value; and

causing a display to display a location of the specified inappropriate bypass portion together with a marker superimposed on the two-dimensional or three-dimensional image, the specified inappropriate bypass portion being displayed in a distinguishable manner, wherein

the specifying comprises specifying, as the inappropriate bypass portion, a portion of the coronary artery where the elasticity coefficient of the blood vessel wall is higher than a first threshold and lower than a second threshold.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 5 , wherein

the three-dimensional volume data is of a patient of ischemic heart disease who is treated with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 5 , wherein

the causing causes the display to display the location of the specified inappropriate bypass portion together with the marker superimposed on the two-dimensional or three-dimensional image, as well as display the distribution of the blood flow index.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 5 , further comprising:

acquiring the blood flow index through computer simulation; and

calculating a spatial distribution of blood vessel elasticity by analyzing a voxel value of the three-dimensional volume data.

9. A device, comprising:

processing circuitry configured to

acquire, based on a coronary artery in three-dimensional volume data, a distribution of a blood flow index corresponding to a pressure ratio between two points in the coronary artery,

specify an inappropriate bypass portion of the coronary artery, where forming a bypass connection is inappropriate, based on information acquired based on the coronary artery in three-dimensional volume data, the information comprising an elasticity coefficient of a blood vessel wall of the coronary artery,

write, into a memory, a position distribution of the inappropriate bypass portion in a three-dimensional space, the position distribution being obtained based on threshold processing of the elasticity coefficient of the blood vessel wall,

calculate a rendering pixel value for a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image based on the position distribution written into the memory,

generate the two-dimensional or three-dimensional image using the calculated rendering pixel value, and

cause a display to display a location of the specified inappropriate bypass portion together with a marker superimposed on the two-dimensional or three-dimensional image, the specified inappropriate bypass portion being displayed in a distinguishable manner, wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to specify the inappropriate bypass portion of the coronary artery by specifying, as the inappropriate bypass portion, a portion of the coronary artery where the elasticity coefficient of the blood vessel wall is higher than a first threshold and lower than a second threshold.

10. The device according to claim 9 , wherein

the three-dimensional volume data is of a patient of ischemic heart disease who is treated with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

11. The device according to claim 9 , wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to cause the display to display the location of the specified inappropriate bypass portion together with the marker superimposed on the two-dimensional or three-dimensional image, as well as display the distribution of the blood flow index.

12. The device according to claim 9 , wherein the processing circuitry is configured to

acquire the blood flow index through computer simulation; and

calculate a spatial distribution of blood vessel elasticity by analyzing a voxel value of the three-dimensional volume data.