CN114098780A

CN114098780A - CT scanning method, device, electronic device and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN114098780A
Application number: CN202111392498.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李真林; 祝雨雷
Original assignee: Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co Ltd; West China Hospital of Sichuan University
Current assignee: Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co Ltd; West China Hospital of Sichuan University
Priority date: 2021-11-19
Filing date: 2021-11-19
Publication date: 2022-03-01

Abstract

The application relates to a CT scanning method, wherein the CT scanning method comprises the following steps: acquiring a real-time monitoring image of an interested area after contrast agent injection, wherein the interested area at least comprises a first target area and a second target area; acquiring the change situation of the CT value of the region of interest based on the real-time monitoring image; and carrying out CT scanning on the region of interest based on the change situation of the CT value. By the method and the device, the problem that in multi-phase or multi-part enhanced scanning in the related technology, the traditional threshold tracking technology can only measure the CT value of one part or phase to determine the scanning time, and other parts or phases can only be determined by experience and are not accurate is solved. The method and the device ensure that the trigger scanning time point with the best scanning effect of each part is accurately determined in multi-part or multi-phase enhanced scanning to obtain the best image data, and avoid the risk of dose increase caused by repeated scanning due to inaccurate trigger scanning time points.

Description

CT scanning method, device, electronic device and storage medium

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of medical imaging technologies, and in particular, to a CT scanning method, a CT scanning device, an electronic device, and a storage medium.

Background

Computed Tomography (CT) is a cross-sectional scan around a certain part of a human body with a detector having extremely high sensitivity one by using an accurately collimated X-ray beam, gamma rays, ultrasonic waves, etc., and has the characteristics of fast scan time, clear image, etc., and can be used for the examination of various diseases; the following can be classified according to the radiation used: x-ray CT (X-CT), and gamma-ray CT (gamma-CT).

CTA is short for CT angiography (CT angiography), spiral CT scanning is carried out after intravenous injection of contrast medium, structures which do not need to be displayed, such as skin, muscle, bones and the like, are removed during three-dimensional reconstruction, only three-dimensional vascular structures and visceral structures are displayed, the CTA is widely applied to clinic, such as coronary artery CTA, cerebral vessel CTA, neck artery CTA, pulmonary artery CTA and the like, the image is clear, and the diagnosis is accurate.

CTA protocols generally require a scan to obtain the best image results when the contrast agent concentration in the target vessel is at a peak. However, the time for the contrast medium to reach the maximum concentration is not completely consistent among blood vessels of different patients and different parts, and the problem is generally solved by adopting a threshold tracking technology at present, namely, the change of the CT value of the interested region of the same target part is monitored after the contrast medium is injected, and when the CT value reaches a preset threshold value, the contrast medium concentration can meet the requirement, and then CT scanning is triggered. However, in multi-phase or multi-phase enhanced scanning, the conventional threshold tracking technique can only measure the CT value of one of the regions or phases to determine the scanning time, and the other regions or phases can only be determined empirically and are not accurate enough.

Aiming at the problems that in the related art, in multi-phase or multi-part enhanced scanning, the traditional threshold tracking technology can only measure the CT value of one interested area to determine the scanning time, and the interested areas of other parts or phases can only be judged by experience and are not accurate enough, an effective solution is not provided at present.

Disclosure of Invention

In the present embodiment, a CT scanning method, a CT scanning apparatus, an electronic apparatus, and a storage medium are provided to solve the problem that, in multi-phase or multi-phase enhanced scanning in the related art, the conventional threshold tracking technology can only measure the CT value of one region of interest to determine the scanning time, and the regions of interest of other parts or phases can only be determined empirically and are not accurate.

In a first aspect, a CT scanning method is provided in this embodiment, including:

acquiring a real-time monitoring image of an interested area after contrast agent injection, wherein the interested area at least comprises a first target area and a second target area;

acquiring the change situation of the CT value of the region of interest based on the real-time monitoring image;

and carrying out CT scanning on the region of interest based on the change situation of the CT value.

In one embodiment, the CT scanning the region of interest based on the change in the CT value includes: if the CT value of the first target area reaches a first preset threshold value, carrying out CT scanning on the first target area; and if the CT value of the second target area reaches a second preset threshold value, carrying out CT scanning on the second target area.

In one embodiment, the acquiring real-time monitoring images of the region of interest after the contrast agent injection comprises: and carrying out CT tracking scanning on the region of interest injected with the contrast agent to obtain the real-time monitoring image.

In one embodiment, the acquiring a change in CT value of the region of interest based on the real-time monitoring image includes: and acquiring a time density curve of the region of interest based on the real-time monitoring image.

In one embodiment, the real-time monitored image of the first target area comprises a real-time monitored image of the first area during an arterial phase, and the second target area comprises a real-time monitored image of the first area during a portal phase.

In one embodiment, the first target region comprises a region of interest of a first target site and the second target region comprises a region of interest of a second target site.

In one embodiment, the acquiring the real-time monitored image of the region of interest after the contrast agent injection further comprises: acquiring a positioning image of a scanning target; obtaining a locator image based on the positioning image; determining a region of interest based on the locator image.

In a second aspect, there is provided a CT scanner comprising:

the system comprises an image acquisition module, a monitoring module and a monitoring module, wherein the image acquisition module is used for acquiring a real-time monitoring image of an interested area after the contrast agent is injected, and the interested area at least comprises a first target area and a second target area;

the change acquisition module is used for acquiring the change condition of the CT value of the region of interest based on the real-time monitoring image;

and the scanning module is used for carrying out CT scanning on the region of interest based on the change situation of the CT value.

In a third aspect, in the present embodiment, there is provided an electronic apparatus, which includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, the CT scanning method of the first aspect is implemented.

In a fourth aspect, in the present embodiment, a storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored, which when executed by a processor, implements the CT scanning method according to the first aspect.

Compared with the related art, the CT scanning method, the CT scanning apparatus, the CT scanning electronic apparatus and the CT scanning storage medium provided in this embodiment acquire a real-time monitoring image of a region of interest after a contrast medium is injected, where the region of interest at least includes a first target region and a second target region; acquiring the change situation of the CT value of the region of interest based on the real-time monitoring image; the mode of carrying out CT scanning on the interested regions based on the change condition of the CT value ensures that the triggering scanning time point with the best scanning effect of each interested region is accurately determined in multi-part or multi-phase enhanced scanning, the best image data is obtained, and the risk of dose increase caused by repeated scanning due to inaccurate triggering scanning time points is avoided.

The details of one or more embodiments of the application are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below to provide a more thorough understanding of the application.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the application and together with the description serve to explain the application and not to limit the application. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a block diagram of a hardware structure of a terminal of a CT scanning method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a CT scanning method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a CT scanning method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a block diagram of a CT scanner according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

For a clearer understanding of the objects, aspects and advantages of the present application, reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawings.

Unless defined otherwise, technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the same general meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The use of the terms "a" and "an" and "the" and similar referents in the context of this application do not denote a limitation of quantity, either in the singular or the plural. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," and any variations thereof, as referred to in this application, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions; for example, a process, method, and system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or modules (elements) is not limited to the listed steps or modules, but may include other steps or modules (elements) not listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Reference throughout this application to "connected," "coupled," and the like is not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Reference to "a plurality" in this application means two or more. "and/or" describes an association relationship of associated objects, meaning that three relationships may exist, for example, "A and/or B" may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In general, the character "/" indicates a relationship in which the objects associated before and after are an "or". The terms "first," "second," "third," and the like in this application are used for distinguishing between similar items and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order.

The method embodiments provided in the present embodiment may be executed in a terminal, a computer, or a similar computing device. For example, the terminal is operated on, and fig. 1 is a block diagram of a hardware structure of the terminal of the CT scanning method according to the embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 1, the terminal may include one or more processors 102 (only one shown in fig. 1) and a memory 104 for storing data, wherein the processor 102 may include, but is not limited to, a processing device such as a microprocessor MCU or a programmable logic device FPGA. The terminal may also include a transmission device 106 for communication functions and an input-output device 108. It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the structure shown in fig. 1 is merely an illustration and is not intended to limit the structure of the terminal described above. For example, the terminal may also include more or fewer components than shown in FIG. 1, or have a different configuration than shown in FIG. 1.

The memory 104 can be used for storing computer programs, for example, software programs and modules of application software, such as a computer program corresponding to the CT scanning method in the present embodiment, and the processor 102 executes various functional applications and data processing by running the computer programs stored in the memory 104, so as to implement the above-mentioned method. The memory 104 may include high speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memory. In some examples, the memory 104 may further include memory located remotely from the processor 102, which may be connected to the terminal over a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

The transmission device 106 is used to receive or transmit data via a network. The network described above includes a wireless network provided by a communication provider of the terminal. In one example, the transmission device 106 includes a Network adapter (NIC) that can be connected to other Network devices through a base station to communicate with the internet. In one example, the transmission device 106 may be a Radio Frequency (RF) module, which is used to communicate with the internet in a wireless manner.

CTA angiography, also called non-invasive angiography, is an interventional procedure in which a contrast agent is injected into the blood vessel because X-rays do not penetrate the contrast agent, and it is this property that is used to diagnose vascular lesions from the X-ray displayed image of the contrast agent. The group injection tracking method CTA, also called Bolus tracking, is a detection method for automatically or manually triggering tomography scanning by setting monitoring points in target blood vessels in a pre-scanned fixed layer to monitor the change of CT values in the blood vessels after group injection of a contrast agent in real time.

CTA protocols generally require a scan to obtain the best image results when the contrast agent concentration in the target vessel is at a peak. However, the time for the contrast agent to reach the maximum concentration is not completely consistent among different patients and blood vessels of different parts, the current single-ROI (region of interest) bolus tracking technology can only measure the contrast agent peak-reaching time of one scanning sequence in the primary scanning of the same part or multi-part combined CTA scanning, and other scanning sequences set the scanning time by experience, so that the precision and individuation of the image enhancement examination cannot be realized.

In addition, another method of determining the time to peak of the contrast agent is a low dose testing technique. According to the technology, 10-20 ml of iodine contrast agent is injected into a patient in advance before CT scanning, time density curves of different time phases after the iodine contrast agent is injected are obtained by adopting same-layer dynamic CT scanning, and the time-to-peak of the iodine contrast agent enhanced by the patient CT is calculated.

In the present embodiment, a CT scanning method is provided, and fig. 2 is a flowchart of the CT scanning method according to the embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 2, the flowchart includes the following steps:

step S201, acquiring a real-time monitoring image of a region of interest after contrast agent injection, wherein the region of interest at least comprises a first target region and a second target region.

Specifically, Contrast agents, also known as Contrast agents and Contrast Media (Contrast Media), are chemicals injected into human tissues or organs to enhance the image viewing effect. In one embodiment, the contrast agent may also be administered to the patient orally. Contrast agents are one of the most commonly used drugs in interventional radiology procedures, and are mostly iodine-containing agents. These articles, which are denser or less dense than the surrounding tissue, can be captured by certain medical instruments in their contrast images, i.e., the monitoring images described above. These modalities are primarily medical image scanning devices, such as Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance (MR), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), or other modality scans and combinations thereof. Preferably, in this embodiment, a bolus-tracking (BT) scan is performed by using a CT apparatus to obtain a real-time monitoring image of the region of interest after the contrast agent is injected. The region of interest comprises at least two different target regions. The region of interest is known by the English name of imaging, abbreviated as ROI. The real-time monitoring image of the region of interest can refer to a real-time monitoring image of a target region corresponding to a certain body part, and can also refer to a real-time monitoring image of a certain phase corresponding to the target region. Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of different target regions of the same target site in the patient body may be used as the regions of interest, or one or more target regions on different target sites in the patient body may be used as the regions of interest. In addition, the obtained real-time monitoring images of the interested area can be real-time monitoring images of different target areas, and can also be real-time monitoring images of different phases of the same target area. The existing medical image scanning equipment is limited by factors such as equipment performance, a single ROI bolus tracking technology is adopted in the actual detection process, the technology generally performs primary scanning only aiming at a single part, the CT value of a single target region or phase is measured to determine the scanning time, and other target regions or phases are only judged by experience. In the CT scanning method of the embodiment of the present application, the real-time monitoring images of a plurality of different regions of interest are obtained, so that the monitoring of CT values of a plurality of different target regions can be realized, and the diagnosis scanning time of different target regions or phases can be further determined.

And S202, acquiring the change situation of the CT value of the region of interest based on the real-time monitoring image.

Specifically, the CT value is a measure of the density of a local tissue or organ in the human body, and is commonly called Hounsfield Unit (HU). The density of the contrast agent is generally higher or lower than that of the surrounding human tissues, and under the action of the contrast agent, the density of the target region is measured through tracking scanning to obtain a time-density curve, namely time-density curve, of the target region. Over time, if the density of the target region is higher, the higher the concentration of the intravascular contrast agent is, the higher the CT value is; the lower the density of the target region, the lower the concentration of the intravascular contrast medium, and the lower the CT value. According to the time density curve of the target area, the change situation of the CT value can be obtained. In this embodiment, the CT value changes of different target regions can be determined based on real-time monitoring images of different target regions, and the CT value changes of each target region can be visually displayed to an operating physician through a time-density curve.

Step S203, carrying out CT scanning on the region of interest based on the change situation of the CT value.

Specifically, in order to obtain the best image effect, the tracking scanning process is generally finished and CT tomography scanning is started when the intravascular contrast medium concentration of the target region is high, that is, the CT value is at a high level. The starting of CT tomography scanning is divided into automatic triggering and manual triggering. The automatic triggering is that after the CT value of the target area reaches a threshold or exceeds a set threshold, the CT automatically stops detection, enters a scanning preparation stage, and then automatically finishes scanning, and the automatic triggering is realized completely according to the mode that the scanning time is automatically selected by a scanning protocol. Under the premise that the injection scheme and the scanning parameters are relatively fixed, the automatic triggering can reduce the human factors of the operation and is beneficial to ensuring the consistency of the CTA (computed tomography angiography) inspection effect, so that the automatic triggering mode is often selected during routine inspection. The manual triggering means that before the CT value of the target region reaches a threshold value, monitoring is forcibly ended in advance and immediately enters a preparation scanning stage through manual operation, and then CT tomography scanning is performed, and the manual intervention mode is called manual triggering. Timely manual triggering can avoid examination failure when conditions such as threshold setting is too high or the patient moves to affect the monitoring process of the target area. Preferably, in the present embodiment, an automatic triggering manner is adopted, in order to ensure accuracy of automatic triggering, a preset threshold manner may be set, and when the CT value reaches a preset threshold, CT tomography scanning is triggered. In one embodiment, the CT tomography scan may be triggered when the CT value is determined to decrease with time by determining a trend of the time density curve.

Through the steps, the embodiment provides a real-time multi-interest-region bolus tracking technology in CT enhanced multi-phase scanning or multi-region imaging, which is used for accurately triggering CT tomography scanning. Compared with the existing bolus tracking technology, the method solves the problem of inaccurate CT tomography scanning starting time caused by monitoring the concentration of the contrast agent in a single target region, realizes the detection of the concentration of the contrast agent in multiple regions of interest, and realizes the CT tomography scanning of the target region according to different concentrations of the contrast agent in different parts.

Specifically, in the field of image processing, there are cases where moving images of the same subject (i.e., image sequences at different times) are studied. During the study, it is usually necessary to define a region of interest, i.e. ROI (region of interest), and then to take care of the changes in the image data within the region of interest. The region of interest is also referred to as a monitoring spot, which refers to a monitoring location set for monitoring the filling of the contrast agent in the blood vessel in real time. Common monitoring points are the vena cava, pulmonary artery, ascending aorta, descending aorta, etc. The shape of the region of interest ROI is typically oval, circular, irregular, punctiform, etc. The location, shape and size of the monitoring points all affect and determine the setting of the threshold. The region of interest can be calibrated on a monitoring image acquired by an operating doctor in the tracking scanning process, or the monitoring image of the target part can be input into a pre-trained deep learning model, and the region of interest can be calibrated by a machine. By calibrating the region of interest, the change conditions of the CT values of the designated layer and the designated part can be monitored, so that the starting time of CT diagnostic scanning is determined, and the optimal diagnostic image is obtained.

It is emphasized that in a tracking scan of CT angiography, the location of the region of interest differs for different target sites, e.g. the region of interest for the head and neck artery is usually located in the descending aorta at the aortic arch; the location of the region of interest of the pulmonary artery is typically at the right pulmonary artery trunk; the location of the region of interest of the coronary arteries is typically at the ascending arteries; the region of interest of the thoracic aorta usually descends the aorta at the organ bifurcation; the region of interest of the abdominal aorta is typically at the descending aorta at the level of the renal arteries; the region of interest of the renal artery is typically at the level of the renal artery; the region of interest of the lower extremities is usually in the upper part of the abdominal aortic bifurcation; the region of interest of the upper limb is typically at the aortic arch.

Further, since the CT values of different target regions are not necessarily all at a higher level at the same time, in the embodiment of the present application, different preset thresholds are set for different target regions, and when the CT value of each target region reaches the corresponding preset threshold, the CT scan is triggered. By the method, the defect that the traditional threshold tracking technology can only measure the CT value of one target part or target phase to trigger scanning and cannot determine the CT scanning starting time of other target parts or target phases is overcome, different CT scanning starting times are determined for different target areas, CT scanning refinement control of different target areas or phases is realized, and the image quality obtained by the obtained CT tomography scanning is improved.

In one embodiment, a method for determining a region of interest is provided, the method comprising: acquiring the geometric information of the region of interest to be positioned and the target pixel value of each pixel in the current image; inputting the geometric information of the region and the pixel values of each target into a target region-of-interest positioning model, and determining the target position information of the region-of-interest in the current image, thereby realizing the accurate positioning of the region-of-interest in each image in the monitoring image sequence. The region geometric information may be vertex position coordinates of the target region detection box, and the positioning model of the target region of interest is a depth learning model of the positioning region of interest, which is trained in advance based on each training pixel value in the training image and the training region of interest. The machine recognition is carried out on the region of interest through the pre-trained deep learning model, and the positioning efficiency of the region of interest is improved.

Specifically, the CT tracking scan is also called a contrast agent tracking scan, and is performed while a contrast agent is injected, and a normal examination scan is performed when the contrast agent concentration reaches a certain value. Prior to a contrast agent tracking scan, the patient is typically panned, i.e., scanned without contrast agent injection. Then, a target blood vessel region is selected on the scanned image of the flat scan, and a threshold value of a CT value is set for the target blood vessel region, and then, tracking scan is performed. Specifically, while injecting the contrast agent, the target blood vessel region is scanned at regular intervals until the CT value of the target blood vessel region reaches the threshold value. The scanning image obtained in the tracking scanning process is used as a real-time monitoring image, the concentration of the contrast agent can be monitored based on the real-time monitoring image, and then a clearer CT tomography scanning image is obtained, so that blood vessels in the image are clearer, and the blood supply condition of the blood vessels and peripheral tissues can be better known.

Specifically, the time density curve of the region of interest is a contrast agent concentration curve, which is a curve formed by various contrast agent concentration values during a contrast agent tracking scan and can represent the change process and the change trend of the contrast agent concentration value.

Specifically, in the process of acquiring a medical image, the medical image generally includes four sequences of a flat scanning period, an arterial period, a portal period and a balance period, wherein the arterial period refers to an examination image obtained by performing CT scanning within a blood injection time period of an examination part; the portal phase refers to an examination image obtained when blood passes through the portal vein after about 40 seconds after the arterial phase. In some multi-phase enhancement scans, such as hepatic arterial phase and portal phase scans, the current single-ROI bolus tracking technique can only measure the peak arrival time of the arterial phase, while the trigger time of the portal phase is set by experience. Since the blood circulation state and the affected disease between different individuals have an influence on the peak arrival time, there are often cases where the image quality is affected by inaccurate trigger time setting, which is set empirically, resulting in the optimal contrast time not being captured. In the embodiment, the image of the region of interest in the arterial phase and the image of the region of interest in the portal phase are acquired, so that the accuracy of capturing the optimal contrast time is greatly improved.

In one embodiment, the first target region comprises a region of interest of a first target site and the second target region comprises a region of interest of a second target site. Specifically, the different target regions may be different regions of interest corresponding to the same target region, or regions of interest corresponding to different target regions. The tracking monitoring of the CT value concentration of different parts is realized.

In one embodiment, a concentration value threshold line corresponding to the preset concentration value, that is, a preset concentration line, may be simultaneously displayed in the contrast agent concentration curve, and if the contrast agent concentration curve reaches the preset concentration line, it indicates that the current contrast agent concentration value reaches the clinical requirement, the contrast agent concentration tracking scanning process may be stopped, and the subsequent clinical diagnosis scanning may be triggered. If the contrast agent concentration curve in the contrast agent concentration curve graph does not reach the preset concentration line, which indicates that the current contrast agent concentration cannot meet the clinical requirement, the monitoring of the contrast agent concentration needs to be continued, at this time, the next tracker scanning is triggered to obtain the next concentration tracking image, and the next concentration tracking image is used as a new current image to update the current image until the contrast agent concentration curve in the contrast agent concentration curve graph reaches the preset concentration line.

In one embodiment, the acquiring the monitored image of the region of interest after the contrast agent injection further comprises: acquiring a positioning image of a scanning target; obtaining a locator image based on the positioning image; determining a region of interest based on the locator image.

Specifically, the CT scout image is a digital photographed image obtained by scanning at the beginning of a CT examination, and can provide an auxiliary effect for an operating physician to position a crosswalk scan. The positioning image can define the scanning range, angle, scanning parameters, delay time and the like, and the target part can be accurately positioned through the positioning image, so that a detailed scanning plan is made, and an accurate diagnosis result is guaranteed. CT, i.e. electronic computed tomography, uses precisely collimated rays or ultrasound, etc. to perform cross-sectional scans one by one around a certain part of the human body together with a detector with extremely high sensitivity, and a locator image, i.e. a detected image of a target location layer obtained by a computer according to the scans, can determine a region of interest based on the locator image.

In the related art, a region of a target portion required for monitoring the change of the concentration of a contrast agent in the contrast agent concentration tracking scanning process is a static region, and the region does not change along with the movement of a scanning object in the scanning process, so that the corresponding region of the target portion in each concentration tracking image changes, and therefore, errors exist in the detection of the concentration of the contrast agent, and the image quality of a reconstructed image of a subsequent clinical diagnosis scanning is affected. In view of this, in this embodiment, a method of tracking the target portion in the tracker loop scanning process is adopted, and the dynamic tracking method needs to reposition the target portion in each density tracking image according to the related information of the initial image of the target portion obtained at the Locator scanning stage and the pixel value of each image in the density tracking image.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a CT scanning method according to another embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 3, the flowchart includes the following steps:

step S301, registering the patient needing CT enhanced multi-phase scanning or multi-part combined CTA.

Specifically, the patient to be scanned is registered, and the identity information of the patient to be scanned is confirmed.

In step S302, a reference image is acquired.

Specifically, a scout image scan is performed on the patient, and the obtained scout image is used as a reference image. In the current scout scan, a laser light is usually used to determine the starting position of the scout scan, and the scan length is roughly estimated, for example, when the starting position of the scout scan is set, firstly, the operator, i.e. the operating physician of CT, will preset a starting position according to the anatomical structure of the patient to be detected, then the operating physician will use a laser light in the frame to move the scanning bed to make the projection of the light beam emitted by the laser light on the starting point or the ending point of the region to be scanned substantially coincide with the preset starting position, then the operating physician selects the moving direction of the scanning bed on the scanning console according to the region to be scanned and sets the scan length, so that the CT system performs the scout scan on the patient to be detected during the process of moving the scanning bed from the starting position along the moving direction by the distance of the scan length, a reference image is obtained.

Step S303, based on the reference image, the physician is operated to plan the localization level and the large-scale level of the scan.

Specifically, the positioning image has information of a positioning level. For example, the slice information includes slice position and slice direction. The position of the layer is the position of the layer on the axial plane (i.e. transverse, sagittal, coronal), and the direction of the layer reflects the angle between the layer and the axial plane (i.e. transverse, sagittal, coronal). The cross section is a plane dividing the human body into an upper part and a lower part, and the included angle between the layer surface and the cross section can be zero, or the included angle between the layer surface and the cross section can be non-zero, such as 5 degrees and 10 degrees. The operating physician can plan a positioning layer according to the positioning image, and the like.

In step S304, a plurality of positioning level locator scans are performed.

Step S305, selecting ROI from each positioning level as monitoring level of contrast agent enhancement degree, and marking as ROI1 and ROI2 respectively.

Specifically, the number of the selected regions of interest is two or more, and the positions of the regions of interest can be set on different monitoring levels and different target parts.

Step S306, setting corresponding ROI labels and trigger thresholds in each bolus tracking sequence, wherein the trigger thresholds are 100HU if the first bolus tracking sequence detects the ROI 1; the second bolus tracking sequence detects ROI2, triggering threshold 120 HU.

Specifically, the trigger threshold may be set according to known medical experience, for example, the threshold for scanning the pulmonary artery CTA is generally 100HU, the threshold for the coronary CTA is generally 180HU, and the like, and the specific values depend on different target portions to be scanned of different patients, and are not particularly limited in this embodiment.

Step S307, the scan and reconstruction parameters of each sequence in the multi-part CTA scan protocol are confirmed.

Specifically, by setting different scanning sequences and reconstruction parameters, when the intravascular contrast medium at the target part is full, the CT device can acquire high-speed and continuous volume data, and then the reconstruction of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image is completed through a proper image reconstruction algorithm.

Step S308, starting to execute scanning, simultaneously displaying a time density curve of a first ROI on an interface, and automatically triggering a scanning sequence related to the time density curve after a threshold value is reached; then the system automatically moves to the second ROI layer for scanning, simultaneously displays the time density curve of the second ROI area on the interface, and automatically triggers the scanning sequence related to the threshold value after the threshold value is reached until the scanning is completely finished.

In step S309, a reconstructed image is generated.

Specifically, the generated reconstructed image can be displayed to a doctor as a diagnosis basis of a corresponding patient to assist the doctor in performing routine medical diagnosis.

Through the steps, the embodiment provides a real-time multi-interest-region bolus tracking technology in CT enhanced multi-phase scanning or multi-region imaging for accurately triggering enhanced scanning. Compared with the existing bolus tracking technology, the method can realize the concentration monitoring of the contrast agent in multiple interested areas, guarantee the accurate capture of the trigger scanning time point with the best reinforcing effect of each part, acquire the best image data and avoid the risk of dose increase caused by repeated scanning due to inaccurate trigger scanning time. In addition, compared with a small-dose bolus injection testing technology requiring two injections, the method only needs one injection, is simple to operate, has small using amount of the contrast agent and high treatment efficiency, and can greatly improve the diagnosis efficiency when applied in an emergency.

It should be noted that the steps illustrated in the above-described flow diagrams or in the flow diagrams of the figures may be performed in a computer system, such as a set of computer-executable instructions, and that, although a logical order is illustrated in the flow diagrams, in some cases, the steps illustrated or described may be performed in an order different than here.

In this embodiment, a CT scanning apparatus is further provided, and the apparatus is used to implement the above embodiments and preferred embodiments, which have already been described and are not described again. The terms "module," "unit," "subunit," and the like as used below may implement a combination of software and/or hardware for a predetermined function. Although the means described in the embodiments below are preferably implemented in software, an implementation in hardware, or a combination of software and hardware is also possible and contemplated.

Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a CT scanner according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 4, the CT scanner includes:

the image acquisition module 10 is configured to acquire a real-time monitoring image of a region of interest after contrast agent injection, where the region of interest at least includes a first target region and a second target region;

a change acquiring module 20, configured to acquire a change situation of a CT value of the region of interest based on the real-time monitoring image;

a scanning module 30, configured to perform a CT scan on the region of interest based on the change of the CT value.

The scanning module 30 is further configured to perform CT scanning on the first target region if the CT value of the first target region reaches a first preset threshold; and if the CT value of the second target area reaches a second preset threshold value, carrying out CT scanning on the second target area.

The image acquisition module 10 is further configured to perform CT tracking scanning on the region of interest where the contrast agent is injected, so as to obtain the real-time monitoring image.

The change acquisition module 20 is further configured to acquire a time density curve of the region of interest based on the real-time monitoring image.

The image acquisition module 10 is further configured to acquire a scout image of the scanning target; obtaining a locator image based on the positioning image; determining a region of interest based on the locator image.

The above modules may be functional modules or program modules, and may be implemented by software or hardware. For a module implemented by hardware, the modules may be located in the same processor; or the modules can be respectively positioned in different processors in any combination.

There is also provided in this embodiment an electronic device comprising a memory having a computer program stored therein and a processor arranged to run the computer program to perform the steps of any of the above method embodiments.

Optionally, the electronic apparatus may further include a transmission device and an input/output device, wherein the transmission device is connected to the processor, and the input/output device is connected to the processor.

Optionally, in this embodiment, the processor may be configured to execute the following steps by a computer program:

s1, acquiring a real-time monitoring image of the interested area after the contrast agent is injected, wherein the interested area at least comprises a first target area and a second target area.

And S2, acquiring the change situation of the CT value of the region of interest based on the real-time monitoring image.

S3, carrying out CT scanning on the region of interest based on the change of the CT value.

It should be noted that, for specific examples in this embodiment, reference may be made to the examples described in the foregoing embodiments and optional implementations, and details are not described again in this embodiment.

In addition, in combination with the CT scanning method provided in the foregoing embodiment, a storage medium may also be provided to implement in this embodiment. The storage medium having stored thereon a computer program; the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements any of the CT scanning methods in the above embodiments.

It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of this application and are not intended to be limiting. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the examples provided herein without any inventive step, shall fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

It is obvious that the drawings are only examples or embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present application can be applied to other similar cases according to the drawings without creative efforts. Moreover, it should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another.

The term "embodiment" is used herein to mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is to be expressly or implicitly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described in this application may be combined with other embodiments without conflict.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express several embodiments of the present application, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but not construed as limiting the scope of the patent protection. It should be noted that, for a person skilled in the art, several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, which falls within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of CT scanning, comprising:

2. The CT scanning method according to claim 1, wherein the CT scanning the region of interest based on the CT value variation comprises:

if the CT value of the first target area reaches a first preset threshold value, carrying out CT scanning on the first target area;

and if the CT value of the second target area reaches a second preset threshold value, carrying out CT scanning on the second target area.

3. The CT scanning method of claim 1, wherein said acquiring real-time monitored images of the region of interest after the contrast agent injection comprises:

and carrying out CT tracking scanning on the region of interest injected with the contrast agent to obtain the real-time monitoring image.

4. The CT scanning method according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring the change of the CT value of the region of interest based on the real-time monitoring image comprises:

and acquiring a time density curve of the region of interest based on the real-time monitoring image.

5. The CT scanning method of claim 1, wherein the real-time monitored image of the first target region comprises a real-time monitored image of the first region during an arterial phase, and the second target region comprises a real-time monitored image of the first region during a portal phase.

6. The CT scanning method of claim 1, wherein the first target region comprises a region of interest of a first target site and the second target region comprises a region of interest of a second target site.

7. The CT scanning method of claim 1, wherein said acquiring real-time monitored images of the region of interest after the contrast agent injection further comprises:

acquiring a positioning image of a scanning target;

obtaining a locator image based on the positioning image;

determining a region of interest based on the locator image.

8. A CT scanner, comprising:

9. An electronic device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory has stored therein a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the computer program to perform the CT scanning method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored which, when being executed by a processor, carries out the steps of the CT scanning method of any one of claims 1 to 7.