Granted Patent B2

US 12,725,333 · App. 18/519,057 · Granted Sep 1, 2026

Inventors: Yizhang Zhao (Shanghai, CN); Qing Ye (Shanghai, CN)

Assignee: SHANGHAI UNITED IMAGING HEALTHCARE CO., LTD.

G06T12/10G06T7/0012G06T12/20G06T2207/10081G06T2207/10104G06T2211/424

Abstract

Claims (60)

1 . A method for parameter imaging, comprising:

obtaining two scan images of an object, wherein each scan image includes a series of frames, the two scan images correspond to adjacent two bed scans, and scanning ranges of the adjacent two bed scans have an overlapping region;

obtaining frame information by framing the two scan images or two sets of scan data corresponding to the two scan images, wherein the overlapping region corresponds to two sub-images in the two scan images, and the two sub-images are divided into two frames; and

determining one or more kinetic parameters based on the frame information to directly or indirectly reconstruct a parameter image, wherein the one or more kinetic parameters are related to a determination of metabolic information of a tracer inside the object.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the obtaining frame information by framing the two scan images or two sets of scan data corresponding to the two scan images includes:

for each scan image of the two scan images,

dividing the each scan image into the overlapping region and a non-overlapping region;

determining a time point corresponding to the overlapping region and a time point corresponding to the non-overlapping region;

designating a sub-image that corresponds to the overlapping region in the each scan image and the time point corresponding to the overlapping region as information of a frame of the two frames; and

designating a sub-image that corresponds to the non-overlapping region in the each scan image and the time point corresponding to the non-overlapping region as information of another frame of the two frames.

3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the frame information further includes weights of the two frames corresponding to the overlapping region in the two scan images, and the two scan images includes a first scan image and a second scan image, and obtaining the frame information includes:

determining the weight of a first frame corresponding to the overlapping region in the first scan image based on position information of the overlapping region in the first scan image; and

determining the weight of a second frame corresponding to the overlapping region in the second scan image based on position information of the overlapping region in the second scan image.

4 . The method according to claim 3 , wherein the weights are expressed by a weight matrix, and each weight value in the weight matrix corresponds to a pixel in a corresponding frame of the overlapping region.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the weight value in the weight matrix is related to:

a distance along a direction of movement of a scanning bed between the pixel in the corresponding frame of the overlapping region and a central position of a scanning device.

6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining one or more kinetic parameters based on the frame information includes:

determining values of the one or more kinetic parameters using a weighted iterative algorithm based on the frame information and a kinetic model.

7 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the determining values of the one or more kinetic parameters using a weighted iterative algorithm based on the frame information and a kinetic model includes:

determining the values of the one or more kinetic parameters using a weighted expectation-maximization algorithm based on the frame information and the kinetic model.

8 . The method according to claim 6 , wherein the kinetic model includes a compartmental model or a retention model.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining one or more kinetic parameters based on the frame information includes:

using a bounded function to replace at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters in a kinetic model based on physiological significance of the at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters; and

determining values of the one or more kinetic parameters by solving for values of the bounded function in the kinetic model.

10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of a first scan image of the two scan images corresponding to the overlapping region is a first sub-image;

a portion of a second scan image of the two scan images corresponding to the overlapping region is a second sub-image;

the first sub-image and the second sub-image are designated as the two frames;

a first time point is assigned to the first sub-image; and

a second time point different from the first time point is assigned to the second sub-image.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the first time point is determined based on a start scan time and an end scan time of the first scan image; and

the second time point is determined based on a start scan time and an end scan time of the second scan image.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the first time point is a midpoint of the start scan time and the end scan time of the first scan image; and

the second time point is a midpoint of the start scan time and the end scan time of the second scan image.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein a portion of the first scan image corresponding to a non-overlapping region of the first scan image is a third sub-image;

a portion of the second scan image corresponding to a non-overlapping region of the second scan image is a fourth sub-image;

the first time point is assigned to the third sub-image; and

the second time point is assigned to the fourth sub-image.

14 . The method according to claim 5 , wherein the further a physical point of the object corresponding to the pixel in the corresponding frame is from the central position of the scanning device, the smaller a weight value corresponding to the pixel.

15 . A method for parameter imaging, comprising:

obtaining two sets of scan data of an object by performing scanning on the object at adjacent two bed positions, wherein scanning ranges of the adjacent two bed positions have an overlapping region;

obtaining frame information by framing the two sets of scan data or two scan images, wherein the overlapping region corresponds to two sub-images in the two scan images, and the two sub-images are designated as two frames; and

determining one or more kinetic parameters based on the frame information to directly or indirectly reconstruct a parameter image, wherein the one or more kinetic parameters are related to a determination of metabolic information of a tracer inside the object.

16 . A method for parameter imaging, comprising:

obtaining scan data of an object;

obtaining a kinetic model, wherein the kinetic model characterizes a kinetic property of a tracer inside the object through one or more kinetic parameters, and the one or more kinetic parameters indicate metabolic information of the tracer inside the object;

using a bounded function to replace at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters in the kinetic model based on physiological significance of the at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters; and

determining values of the one or more kinetic parameters by solving for values of the bounded function in the kinetic model based on the scan data.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the using a bounded function to replace at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters in the kinetic model based on physiological significance of the at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters includes:

determining a preset range of the at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters based on the physiological significance of the at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters; and

selecting, based on the preset range, the bounded function for replacing the at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters in the kinetic model.

18 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the one or more kinetic parameters includes a plurality of kinetic parameters, and the using a bounded function to replace at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters in the kinetic model based on physiological significance of the at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters includes:

selecting a target kinetic parameter from the plurality of kinetic parameters; and

using the bounded function to replace the target kinetic parameter.

19 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the one or more kinetic parameters includes a plurality of kinetic parameters, and the using a bounded function to replace the at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters in the kinetic model based on physiological significance of the at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters includes:

determining values of the plurality of kinetic parameters by solving the kinetic model based on the scan data;

determining if there is a value of the plurality of kinetic parameters that exceeds a preset range; and

in response to determining that there is the value of the plurality of kinetic parameters that exceeds the preset range, using the bounded function to replace the at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters.

20 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the determining values of the one or more kinetic parameters by solving for values of the bounded function in the kinetic model based on the scan data includes:

determining a value of the bounded function in the kinetic model using a fitting algorithm based on the scan data; and

designating the value of the bounded functions as the value of the at least one of the one or more kinetic parameters.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (27)