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KR-20260063454-A - Method And Apparatus for Measuring CTR using Radiographic Image

KR20260063454AKR 20260063454 AKR20260063454 AKR 20260063454AKR-20260063454-A

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring the cardiothoracic ratio using radiographic images are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-implemented method for measuring the cardiothoracic ratio from an image is provided, comprising the steps of: detecting one or more anatomical structures from the image to obtain an outline of the heart and an outline of the thorax; determining a centerline representing the direction of the spine based on the outline of the thorax; generating a plurality of reference lines perpendicular to the centerline and passing through the outline of the thorax; determining a heart width based on the plurality of reference lines and the outline of the heart; determining a thorax width based on the plurality of reference lines and the outline of the thorax; and calculating the cardiothoracic ratio based on the heart width and the thorax width.

Inventors

  • 이상율
  • 장소은

Assignees

  • 에스케이텔레콤 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20241030

Claims (9)

  1. As a computer implementation method for measuring cardiothoracic ratio from images, A process of detecting one or more anatomical structures from the above image to obtain the outline of the heart and the outline of the thorax; A process of determining a centerline indicating the direction of the spine based on the outline of the above-mentioned thoracic cage; A process of generating a plurality of reference lines that are perpendicular to the centerline and pass through the outer edge of the thorax; A process of determining the heart width based on the above plurality of reference lines and the outline of the heart; A process of determining the width of the thoracic cavity based on the plurality of reference lines and the outline of the thoracic cavity; and A process of calculating the cardiothoracic ratio based on the heart width and the thoracic width. A method including
  2. In paragraph 1, The process of determining the above centerline is, A process of generating a plurality of horizontal lines, with both ends located on the outline of the rib cage; A process of obtaining the center point of each of the above plurality of horizontal lines; and The process of determining the centerline based on the center points obtained above. A method including
  3. In paragraph 2, A method in which the above plurality of horizontal lines are generated at equal intervals.
  4. In paragraph 2, The process of determining the centerline based on the center points obtained above is, A method, which is a process of determining that the straight line to which the sum of the vertical distances to the above center points is minimized is the above center line.
  5. In paragraph 1, A method in which the above plurality of reference lines are generated at equal intervals.
  6. In paragraph 1, The process of determining the heart width mentioned above is, A process of obtaining a plurality of candidate distances representing the distance between two points where each of the plurality of reference lines intersects the outline of the heart; and The process of determining the longest candidate distance among the aforementioned multiple candidate distances as the heart width. A method including
  7. In paragraph 1, The process of determining the above chest width is, A process of obtaining a plurality of candidate distances representing the distance between two points where each of the plurality of reference lines intersects the outline of the thorax; and The process of determining the longest candidate distance among the above multiple candidate distances as the chest width. A method including
  8. As a device for measuring the cardiothoracic ratio, At least one memory for storing instructions; and Includes at least one processor, The above at least one processor executes the above instructions, Detecting one or more anatomical structures from an image to obtain the outline of the heart and the outline of the thorax, and Based on the outline of the above-mentioned thoracic cage, a centerline indicating the direction of the spine is determined, and Generating a plurality of reference lines that are perpendicular to the centerline and pass through the outline of the heart and the outline of the thoracic cage, and Determining the heart width based on the above plurality of reference lines and the outline of the heart, The width of the thorax is determined based on the plurality of reference lines and the outline of the thorax, and A device for calculating the cardiothoracic ratio based on the heart width and the chest width.
  9. A computer program stored on a computer-readable recording medium to execute each process included in the method according to any one of paragraphs 1 through 7.

Description

Method and Apparatus for Measuring CTR using Radiographic Image The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for measuring the cardiothoracic ratio using radiographic images. More specifically, it relates to a method and apparatus for measuring the width of the heart and the width of the thorax from radiographic images to measure the cardiothoracic ratio. The following description merely provides background information related to the present embodiment and does not constitute prior art. Cardiomegaly refers to the abnormal enlargement of the heart. In animals, cardiomegaly can be a sign of various heart diseases and, in severe cases, can lead to heart failure. The Cardio-Thoracic Ratio (CTR) is the ratio of the cardiac width to the thoracic width, calculated by dividing the cardiac width by the thoracic width. The CTR is used as an important indicator in the diagnosis of cardiac hypertrophy because it allows for a simple assessment of the condition in animals. This is because when cardiac hypertrophy occurs in animals, the left-right width of the heart may increase, and the CTR enables verification of whether the animal's heart is abnormally enlarged relative to the thoracic cavity. Cardiomegaly in animals can be diagnosed indirectly by measuring the cardiothoracic ratio through radiographic images of the animal's chest. For example, in cats, a normal cardiothoracic ratio typically ranges from 0.65 to 0.7. If a cat's cardiothoracic ratio is 0.7 or higher, cardiomegaly is suspected, and further examinations are performed. Conventionally, the cardiothoracic ratio of animals was calculated by humans observing radiographic images to measure the heart width and thoracic width. However, this method of direct human measurement is subjective, subject to variations depending on the operator's skill or experience, and time-consuming. Therefore, a method and device capable of automatically measuring the cardiothoracic ratio are required to ensure accurate and consistent measurements. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a measuring device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an illustrative diagram for explaining an object detection model according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is an example diagram showing the outline of an animal's heart (CO, Cardiac Outline) and the outline of its thorax (TO, Thoracic Outline) detected using an object detection model, displayed on a radiographic image. Figure 4 is an example diagram showing a simplified representation of the radiation image of Figure 3. Figure 5 is an example diagram illustrating an example of calculating a centerline representing the spine line of an animal. Figure 6 is an illustrative diagram to explain an example of identifying a baseline for measuring the chest width and/or heart width of an animal in a radiographic image. Figure 7 is an example diagram showing the chest width and heart width of an animal determined in one example of Figure 6 on a radiographic image. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for measuring the cardiothoracic ratio according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an exemplary computing device that can be used to implement a method or device according to the present disclosure. FIGS. 10a to 10c are exemplary drawings illustrating examples of screens that can be provided by a computing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Some embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to exemplary drawings. It should be noted that in assigning reference numerals to the components of each drawing, the same components are given the same reference numeral whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, in describing the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known components or functions could obscure the essence of the present disclosure, such detailed description is omitted. In describing the components of the embodiments according to the present disclosure, symbols such as first, second, i), ii), a), b), etc., may be used. These symbols are intended only to distinguish the components from other components, and the essence, order, or sequence of the components is not limited by the symbols. When a part in the specification is described as 'comprising' or 'having' a component, this means that, unless explicitly stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. The detailed description set forth below, together with the accompanying drawings, is intended to describe exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only embodiment in which the present disclosure can be practiced. In the present disclosure, 'cardiac width' is defined as the width of the widest part of an animal's heart, 'thoracic width' is de