Motion estimation in treatment planning

1. A method comprising:

correlating functional imaging projection data acquired during an examination of an object with a measured motion of the object to generate correlated functional imaging projection data;

filtering the correlated functional imaging projection data to select data which intersects a first region of interest of the object;

using the correlated selected functional imaging projection data to generate a model of a time varying feature of the first region of interest, including a vector analysis of the correlated selected functional imaging projection data to generate a collection of points comprising a point cloud, and further including determining a characteristic feature of the point cloud and using the determined characteristic point cloud feature to generate the model; and

supplying the model to a treatment apparatus that applies a treatment to the object.

2. The method of claim 1 including

measuring a motion of the object during the applied treatment; and

using the measured motion and the motion model to adjust an operation of the treatment apparatus during the applied treatment.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the measured motion is periodic and the method includes grouping the correlated selected functional imaging projection data according to a phase of the motion during which the correlated selected functional imaging projection data was acquired.

4. The method of claim 1 including displaying a trajectory of the time varying feature in a human readable form.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the model of the time varying feature of the first region of interest serves as a proxy for a time varying feature of a second region of interest.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the projection data includes list mode data indicative of radionuclide decays in the object.

7. The method of claim 1 including grouping the functional imaging projection data into temporal groups according to a motion of the object, and performing a locally constrained reconstruction of each temporal group to generate a partial image corresponding to the temporal group.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the functional imaging projection data is comprised of voxels, the method further including applying a threshold which discards voxels having a value which is less than a minimum value before application of the using step.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the functional imaging projection data includes lines of response, and the vector analysis includes determining spatial relationships between the lines of response and using the determined spatial relationships to generate the point cloud.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a grouper that groups functional imaging projection data indicative of an interior of an object according to a motion of the object measured during an acquisition of the projection data;

a filter that selects functional imaging projection data that is indicative of a first region of interest of the object;

a characteristic processor that uses the selected functional imaging projection data to identify a characteristic feature of the first region of interest, wherein the characteristic processor includes:

a vector analysis component adapted to receive the selected functional imaging projection data and to perform a vector analysis on the selected functional imaging projection data to generate a collection of points comprising a point cloud; and

a characteristic feature generator adapted to identify the characteristic feature of the first region of interest by determining a characteristic feature of the point cloud; and

a position determiner that determines a position of the identified feature as a function of the measured motion.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 including a hybrid modality scanner that generates the functional imaging projection data.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 including an external radiotherapy apparatus that modulates a therapy applied to the object as a function of the determined position and a motion of the object measured during the applied therapy.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the measured motion is a physiological motion and the functional imaging projection data includes time of flight positron emission tomography data.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 including means for displaying a motion of the identified feature.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 including a simplified reconstruction system that performs a locally constrained reconstruction of each group of data generated by the grouper.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the functional imaging projection data is comprised of voxels, and the simplified reconstruction system assigns a weight value to each voxel corresponding to a number of image projections which intersect the voxel, and applies a threshold which discards voxels having a weight value which is less than a minimum value before the reconstruction.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the functional imaging projection data includes lines of response, and the vector analysis includes determining spatial relationships between the lines of response and using the determined spatial relationships to generate the point cloud.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed by a computer cause the computer to carry out a method that includes:

grouping functional imaging projection data indicative of radionuclide decays in an object according to a motion the object;

selecting the functional imaging projection data that is indicative of radionuclide decays occurring in a first region of interest of the object;

using the selected functional imaging projection data to identify a characteristic feature of the first region of interest, including a vector analysis of the selected functional imaging projection data to generate a collection of points comprising a point cloud, and including determining a characteristic feature of the point cloud and using the determined characteristic point cloud feature to identify the characteristic feature of the first region of interest; and

using the grouped functional imaging projection data to determine a position of the identified feature of the first region of interest as a function of the motion.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the determined position of the first region of interest serves as a proxy for a position of a second region of interest.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the method includes plotting a trajectory of the determined position on an image which includes the first region of interest.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the method includes storing the determined position in a non-transitory computer readable memory accessible to a treatment apparatus.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the method includes performing a locally constrained reconstruction of each group of data.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the functional imaging projection data is comprised of voxels, the method further including applying a threshold which discards voxels having a value which is less than a minimum value before identifying a characteristic feature of the first region of interest.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18 wherein the functional imaging projection data includes lines of response, and the vector analysis includes determining spatial relationships between the lines of response and using the determined spatial relationships to generate the point cloud.

25. A method for correcting for motion in an image reconstructed from functional imaging raw data, the method comprising:

identifying a first region of an object in the functional imaging raw data;

identifying a second region of the object in the functional imaging raw data;

using the functional imaging raw data to estimate a characteristic feature of the first region, including a vector analysis of the first region functional imaging raw data to generate a collection of points comprising a point cloud, and including determining a characteristic feature of the point cloud and using the determined characteristic point cloud feature to estimate the characteristic feature of the first region;

using the estimated characteristic feature of the first region to correct functional imaging raw data indicative of the second region to compensate for a motion of the second region; and

using the corrected raw data to reconstruct a motion-corrected image of the second region.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein using the functional imaging raw data includes

grouping the functional imaging raw data into a plurality of temporal groups; and

using the grouped functional imaging raw data to perform locally constrained reconstructions of the first region.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the functional imaging raw data includes lines of response and the vector analysis includes

determining spatial relationships between the lines of response; and

using the determined spatial relationships to generate the point cloud.

28. The method of claim 25 wherein the method includes concurrently presenting an image of the second region and a motion of the estimated characteristic feature in human readable form.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein the functional imaging raw data includes raw data representative of decays of a first radioactive tracer having an affinity for the first region and decays of a second, different tracer having an affinity for the second region.

30. The method of claim 25 including

correlating the functional imaging raw data with a measured motion of the object;

using the correlated functional imaging raw data to generate a motion model; and

supplying the motion model to a treatment apparatus.

31. The method of claim 25 wherein the functional imaging raw data includes lines of response representative of radionuclide decays and using the estimated characteristic feature includes

generating a motion model that models a motion of the characteristic point cloud feature;

identifying lines of response that intersect the second region; and

using the motion model to vary a position of the identified lines of response.

32. The method of claim 25 wherein the functional imaging raw data is list mode projection data.