KR20190038042A - Image processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an image processing method. The image processing method comprises: a step of acquiring first image information including a CT image that photographs the body of a patient, a frame mounted on the body of the patient, and a first localizer mounted in the frame; a step of acquiring position information of the first localizer and the frame that are shown on the first image information; a step of acquiring a C-arm image that photographs the body of the patient, the frame, and a second localizer mounted in the frame; a step of acquiring position information of the second localizer and the frame that are shown on the C-arm image; and a step of matching the first image information and the C-arm image based on the position information of the frame acquired from the first image information, and the position information of the frame acquired from the C-arm image. Therefore, the image processing method can display an operation target tissue, planned before an operation, and a route to the tissue on a C-arm image during the operation.

Description

Image processing method

The present invention relates to an image processing method, and more particularly, to an image processing method for displaying a planned surgical path on a C-arm image in a tomographic image.

In the present operation, when a stereotactic frame is assembled with a numerical value calculated by a planned target point and pathway in a tomographic image and attached to a head of a patient, . Attaching a special cross-hair kit to an earring located on the frame's rotation axis and taking the C-arm in alignment with the frame's rotation axis from the patient's side, the position of the target point in the image can be checked.

The surgical navigation system recognizes the position of the C-arm in the sensor's coordinate system by attaching a device with a traceable marker to the detector to track the position of the C-arm using a sensor to track the surgical tool. The alignment between the tomographic image and the sensor can be used to show the planned surgical path and the position of the trackable surgical instrument in the C-arm image. In the case of a surgical robot, CT images can be taken while the surgical instrument is inserted during operation, and the difference between the inserted position and the planned position can be confirmed through the matching of the tomographic images.

The targeting mechanism of the stereotactic frame described above allows each part to be assembled by the numerical value calculated from the surgical path so that it can be positioned on the rotation axis of the frame based on the target point.

On the other hand, the surgical robot can not be applied because it is an automated device developed to improve the inconvenience caused by such manual assembly. In the case of the stereotactic frame, the rotation axis is located on the target point of the surgery and the space for the X-ray can be secured. However, in the case of the robot system, the rotation axis is positioned at the target point, it is difficult to secure a space for the rail. Also, since the C-arm must be shot in a specific direction, it is impossible to identify the target point from various angles. The use of acquired CT during surgery has a limitation in use because it requires an imaging device capable of imaging CT in the operating room. The method of tracking the position of the C-arm is to attach a device consisting of markers for calibration and tracking for accurate camera modeling of the C-arm to the detector. it's difficult.

The present invention provides an image processing method capable of displaying a pre-operatively planned target tissue and a pathway thereof to the C-arm image during surgery.

In addition, the present invention provides an image processing method capable of displaying a C-arm image showing a planned surgical path in various postures of a C-arm.

The image processing method according to the present invention includes the steps of acquiring first image information including a body of a patient, a frame mounted on a body of the patient, and a CT image of a first localizer mounted on the frame; Obtaining positional information of the first localizer and the frame shown in the first image information; Obtaining a C-arm image of the patient's body, the frame, and a second localizer mounted on the frame; Obtaining positional information of the second localizer and the frame appearing in the C-arm image; And matching the first image information with the C-arm image based on position information of the frame obtained from the first image information and position information of the frame obtained from the C-arm image.

The method may further include acquiring an MRI image of a body of the patient, wherein the obtaining of the first image information comprises matching the MRI image with the CT image, May be an image in which the MRI image and the CT image are matched.

In addition, the step of acquiring the position information of the second localizer and the frame shown in the C-arm image may include extracting at least three feature points from the mark of the second localizer shown in the C-arm image step; And acquiring position information of the frame shown in the C-arm image from the position information of the feature points.

Also, the mark of the second localizer may include at least three vertices, and the vertices may be extracted as the feature point.

Also, the second localizer is mounted to at least two positions of the frame, the second localizers mounted at each position have different indications, and the C-arm image has a plurality of second localizers Other markers may appear.

According to the present invention, it is possible to confirm a matching image in which the first image information and the C-arm image are matched during the operation through the display, and it is possible to allow the surgical instrument to accurately reach the path indicated in the first image information, .

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to generate a matching image at all C-arm angles in which the mark of the second localizer can be seen, so that the path indicated in the first image information and the target tissue .

1 is a flowchart showing an image processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a photograph showing an MRI image photographed according to an embodiment of the present invention and a path for reaching a surgical target tissue.
3 is a photograph showing a state in which a frame having a first localizer attached thereto is attached to a patient according to an embodiment of the present invention
4 is a photograph showing a CT image of the patient of FIG.
5 is a photograph showing first image information obtained by matching an MRI image and a CT image according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram showing a frame with a second localizer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the markings displayed on the second localizer. Fig.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein but may be embodied in other forms. Rather, the embodiments disclosed herein are provided so that the disclosure can be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

In this specification, when an element is referred to as being on another element, it may be directly formed on another element, or a third element may be interposed therebetween. Further, in the drawings, the thicknesses of the films and regions are exaggerated for an effective explanation of the technical content.

Also, while the terms first, second, third, etc. in the various embodiments of the present disclosure are used to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms have only been used to distinguish one component from another. Thus, what is referred to as a first component in any one embodiment may be referred to as a second component in another embodiment. Each embodiment described and exemplified herein also includes its complementary embodiment. Also, in this specification, 'and / or' are used to include at least one of the front and rear components.

The singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is also to be understood that the terms such as " comprises "or" having "are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, Should not be understood to exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements, elements, or combinations thereof. Also, in this specification, the term "connection " is used to include both indirectly connecting and directly connecting a plurality of components.

In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear.

The image processing method according to the present invention can be applied to a surgical system in which a C-arm image is used. The C-arm imaging system is a type of X-ray device that can continuously view the bones and joints of the body and can be operated while viewing the images during operation, so that the operator can operate the precise operation target point.

In the image processing method according to the present invention, in order to confirm whether or not the position of the target tissue and the path for reaching the target tissue in the tomography image of the patient before operation are consistent with the operation using the C-arm imaging system, Provides a method for displaying on a -arm image.

The image processing method according to the present invention can be implemented by an algorithm and stored in a computer-readable recording medium, and can be implemented in a computer or the like.

Hereinafter, an image processing method according to the present invention is applied to brain pacing surgery. However, the image processing method according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described operation, and can be applied to various operations in which a C-arm imaging system is utilized.

1 is a flowchart showing an image processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the image processing method includes acquiring an MRI image (S10), acquiring a CT image (S20), acquiring first image information by matching the MRI image and CT image (S30) (S40), acquiring position information of a frame indicated by the first image information (S40), acquiring a C-arm image (S50), acquiring position information of a frame shown in the C-arm image And matching the first image information with the C-arm image on the basis of the position information of the C-arm image (S60).

The step S10 of acquiring the MRI image captures the MRI image of the patient before surgery and determines the position of the target tissue and the path to reach the target tissue in the photographed MRI image.

FIG. 2 is a photograph showing an MRI image photographed according to an embodiment of the present invention and a path for reaching a surgical target tissue.

Referring to FIG. 2, an MRI image shows an image of a patient's skull, brain tissue, and blood vessel tissue, and the surgical target tissue and path for reaching the target tissue can be displayed. In Fig. 2, the path for reaching the target tissue for surgery is indicated in red.

FIG. 3 is a photograph showing a state in which a frame having a first localizer attached thereto is mounted on a patient according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a photograph showing a CT image of the patient in FIG.

3 and 4, the acquiring step (S20) of acquiring a CT image includes attaching a frame 110 to a patient and attaching a first localizer 120, which displays a mark for matching between the frame 110 and the CT image And CT images are captured in a state of being attached to the frame 120.

In the photographed CT image, the marks of the patient's skull A, the frame 110a, and the first localizer 120b are photographed.

Since the CT image does not show the patient's brain and blood vessels, matching with MRI images is required to obtain a pathway to reach the target tissue.

The step S30 of obtaining the first image information by matching the MRI image and the CT image matches the information obtained from the MRI image and the information obtained from the CT image. According to one example, images can be matched using intensity information obtained from an MRI image and a CT image. In addition, MRI images and CT images can be matched by various image matching methods.

5 is a photograph showing first image information obtained by matching an MRI image and a CT image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, information included in the MRI image and information included in the CT image are displayed together with the first image information.

The step S40 of acquiring the position information of the frame indicated by the first image information acquires the position information of the frame from the mark of the first localizer shown in the first image information. Since the relative positional relationship between the real frame and the first localizer mounted thereon is predetermined, when the mark of the first localizer is acquired from the first image information, position information of the frame on the first image information can be obtained.

In step S50, the C-arm image is acquired by removing the first localizer 120 from the frame 110 mounted on the patient, and moving the second localizer 130, The C-arm image is obtained through the imaging system. C-arm images are acquired during the patient's surgical procedure. Therefore, in the step of acquiring the C-arm image, the second localizer 130, 140 having a shape different from that of the first localizer 120 is attached for the structural characteristic of the C- .

Fig. 6 is a view showing a frame with a second localizer attached thereto according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 7 is a diagram showing markers displayed on a second localizer.

6 and 7, a second localizer 130, 140 is mounted to the frame 110 at at least two locations and is provided with markers 131, 141 may have different shapes. The second localizers 130 and 140 may be mounted at positions facing each other. The markers 131 and 141 may be formed of a metal material through which X-rays are not transmitted. According to the embodiment, the marking may be formed of any one of Ti, Cu, and Fe. The indicia 131, 141 may have a polygonal image with at least three vertices.

According to the embodiment, two second local loziers 130 and 140 are mounted on the frame 110 so as to face each other, one rhombic mark 131 is attached to one second localizer 130, The second localizer 140 may be displayed with a rectangular mark 141.

FIG. 8 is a photograph showing a patient equipped with a frame according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a view showing a C-arm image taken from the patient in FIG.

8 and 9, the markers 131a and 141a of the second localizer 130 and 140 are displayed on the C-arm image, and the C-arm image 141a and the mark 141a are displayed on the C- And the position and posture of the frame 110 can be confirmed.

The step S60 of acquiring the position information of the frame shown in the C-arm image acquires the position information of the frame 110a from the marks 131a and 141a shown in the C-arm image. According to the embodiment, at least three feature points are extracted from the marks 131a and 141a displayed on the C-arm image, and the three-point perspective estimation algorithm is used to extract the C-arm image The position information of the frame 110a shown in FIG. According to the embodiment, the feature points can be arbitrarily extracted from the vertices of the marks 131a and 141a appearing in the C-arm image.

In step S70, the first image information and the C-arm image are matched with each other based on the position information of the frame obtained in the first image information and the position information of the frame obtained in the C-arm image, Match the -arm image. Since the frame 110 is fixed to the patient at the same position in the step of photographing the CT image and the step of photographing the C-arm image, the images can be registered based on the position information of the frame.

10 is a photograph showing a matching image in which first image information and C-arm image are matched according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the surgeon can confirm a matched image A in which the first image information and the C-arm image are matched during the operation through the display, It is possible to confirm whether or not the indicated path and the target tissue (D) have been correctly reached. When the position of the inserted surgical instrument is different from the path indicated in the first image information, the position of the surgical instrument can be adjusted to the planned position.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. It will also be appreciated that many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

110: frame
120: first localizer
130, 140: a second localizer
131, 141: Marker

Claims (6)

Obtaining first image information including a body of a patient, a frame mounted on a body of the patient, and a CT image of a first localizer mounted on the frame;
Obtaining positional information of the frame represented by the first image information;
Obtaining a C-arm image of the patient's body, the frame, and a second localizer mounted on the frame;
Obtaining position information of the frame displayed on the C-arm image; And
And matching the first image information with the C-arm image based on position information of the frame obtained from the first image information and position information of the frame obtained from the C-arm image Way. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising the step of acquiring an MRI image of the body of the patient,
The step of acquiring the first image information
And matching the MRI image with the CT image,
Wherein the first image information is an image in which the MRI image and the CT image are matched. The method according to claim 1,
The step of acquiring the position information of the frame shown in the C-
Extracting at least three feature points from the mark of the second localizer represented in the C-arm image; And
And obtaining position information of the frame displayed on the C-arm image from the position information of the feature points. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the mark of the second localizer includes at least three vertices, and the vertices are extracted with the feature points. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the second localizer is mounted to at least two positions of the frame, the second localizers mounted at each position have different indications,
Wherein the C-arm image displays different markers of the second localizers. A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is recorded.

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