Augmenting a medical image with an intelligent ruler
Disclosed is a computer-implemented method of overlaying a representation of a medical instrument over a two-dimensional medical image. It finds at least one feature point along a detection line which is defined relative to the medical instrument in the medical image, calculates a geometrical quantity based on this feature point and adds the geometrical quantity to the two-dimensional medical image.
1. A method of augmenting a two-dimensional medical image showing at least a part of an associated patient, the method comprising:
acquiring a spatial position of an associated medical instrument;
calculating the two-dimensional medical image from a three-dimensional medical image dataset of the associated patient based on the acquired spatial position of the associated medical instrument;
overlaying a representation of the associated medical instrument over the two-dimensional medical image;
finding at least one feature point along a detection line defined relative to the associated medical instrument in the two-dimensional medical image based on the acquired spatial position of the associated medical instrument;
calculating a numerical value representing one or more of a length, an area, and/or an angle from a position of the at least one feature point in the two-dimensional medical image; and
overlaying the calculated numerical value over the two-dimensional medical image.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one feature point comprises one or more of an edge point, a bright point, and/or a dark point.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the overlaying the calculated numerical value comprises overlaying the calculated numerical value over the two-dimensional medical image at a position of a corresponding feature point.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the finding the at least one feature point comprises finding the at least one feature point along a line that corresponds to a longitudinal axis of the associated medical instrument.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the finding the at least one feature point comprises finding the at least one feature point along a line that is perpendicular to a border of a shape associated with the associated medical instrument at a predetermined position relative to the associated medical instrument.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the calculating the numerical value comprises calculating a numerical value that represents a distance between a distal end of the associated medical instrument and the position of the at least one feature point.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the finding the at least one feature point along the detection line comprises finding two feature points being points on contours of one or more structures shown in the two-dimensional medical image; and
the calculating the numerical value comprises calculating the numerical value as the distance between the two feature points.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the calculating the numerical value comprises calculating a numerical value that represents a size of an area occupied by a structure of the associated patient in the two-dimensional medical image through which the detection line runs.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the finding the at least one feature point along the detection line comprises finding two feature points being points on a contour of a structure shown in the two-dimensional medical image; and
the calculating the numerical value comprises calculating the numerical value as a length of the contour of the structure shown in the two-dimensional medical image between the two feature points.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the finding the at least one feature point comprises finding a feature point that lies in a gap between two edges of at least one structure of the associated patient shown in the two-dimensional medical image; and
the calculating the numerical value comprises calculating the numerical value as a distance of the feature point that lies in the gap from another edge of a structure of the associated patient in a direction perpendicular to an image plane of the two-dimensional medical image.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
selecting one of the at least one feature points as a first feature point;
finding at least one second feature point along a detection line defined relative to the associated medical instrument in the two-dimensional medical image;
calculating a second numerical value representing a distance between the first feature point and the second feature point; and
overlaying the calculated second numerical value over the two-dimensional medical image.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the finding at least one feature point along the detection line comprises finding a plurality of feature points; and
the calculating the numerical value comprises:
calculating a plurality of partial numerical values based on the plurality of feature points; and
combining the plurality of partial numerical values in the numerical value.
13. A computer apparatus comprising:
a processor;
non-transient computer-readable storage medium operably coupled with the processor; and
computer-readable program instructions stored in the non-transient computer-readable storage medium, wherein the processor is operable to execute the computer-readable program instructions to perform a method of augmenting a two-dimensional medical image showing at least a part of an associated patient comprising:
acquiring a spatial position of an associated medical instrument;
calculating a two-dimensional medical image from a three-dimensional medical image dataset of the associated patient based on the acquired spatial position of the associated medical instrument;
overlaying a representation of the associated medical instrument over the two-dimensional medical image;
finding at least one feature point along a detection line defined relative to the associated medical instrument in the two-dimensional medical image based on the acquired spatial position of the associated medical instrument;
calculating a numerical value representing one or more of a length, an area, and/or an angle from a position of the at least one feature point in the two-dimensional medical image; and
overlaying the calculated numerical value over the two-dimensional medical image.
14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program that when executed by a processor performs a method of augmenting a two-dimensional medical image showing at least a part of an associated patient comprising:
acquiring a spatial position of an associated medical instrument;
calculating a two-dimensional medical image from a three-dimensional medical image dataset of the associated patient based on the acquired spatial position of the associated medical instrument;
overlaying a representation of the associated medical instrument over the two-dimensional medical image;
finding at least one feature point along a detection line defined relative to the associated medical instrument in the two-dimensional medical image based on the acquired spatial position of the associated medical instrument;
calculating a numerical value representing one or more of a length, an area, and/or an angle from a position of the at least one feature point in the two-dimensional medical image; and
overlaying the calculated numerical value over the two-dimensional medical image.
15. The computer apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the processor is operable to execute the computer-readable program instructions to:
find the at least one feature point along a line that corresponds to a longitudinal axis of the associated medical instrument.
16. The computer apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the processor is operable to execute the computer-readable program instructions to:
find the at least one feature point along a line that is perpendicular to a border of a shape associated with the associated medical instrument at a predetermined position relative to the associated medical instrument.
17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 14 wherein the computer program when executed by the processor performs a method further comprising:
finding the at least one feature point by finding at least one feature point along a detection line that corresponds to a longitudinal axis of the associated medical instrument.
18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 14 wherein the computer program when executed by the processor performs a method further comprising:
finding the at least one feature point by finding at least one feature point along a detection line that is perpendicular to a border of a shape associated with the associated medical instrument at a predetermined position relative to the associated medical instrument.