Search

US-20260127814-A1 - SYSTEM FOR ENHANCING 3D SEGMENTATION COMPREHENSION THROUGH DYNAMIC 4D ANATOMICAL MARKERS

US20260127814A1US 20260127814 A1US20260127814 A1US 20260127814A1US-20260127814-A1

Abstract

A ultrasound imaging system may include a transducer configured to transmit and receive ultrasound signals; a matching layer configured to have an acoustic impedance between a tissue to be imaged and a material of the transducer; a damping block configured to absorb ultrasound energy; and a processing circuit. The processing circuit may acquire medical imaging data of an anatomical feature of a subject. The processing circuit may determine a position of an anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject. The processing circuit may generate a four-dimensional (4D) model of the anatomical feature of the subject that includes a visual indicator that identifies the position of the anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject. The processing circuit may display the 4D model via a user interface.

Inventors

  • Hani Nozari Mirar
  • Alf Grini

Assignees

  • GE Precision Healthcare LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20241107

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . An ultrasound imaging system comprising: a transducer configured to transmit and receive ultrasound signals; a matching layer configured to have an acoustic impedance between a tissue to be imaged and a material of the transducer; a damping block configured to absorb ultrasound energy; and a processing circuit configured to: acquire medical imaging data of an anatomical feature of a subject; determine a position of an anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject; generate a four-dimensional (4D) model of the anatomical feature of the subject that includes a visual indicator that identifies the position of the anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject; and display the 4D model via a user interface.
  2. 2 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive a user input that manipulates the displayed 4D model; and adjust the displayed 4D model based on the user input while maintaining a position of the visual indicator relative to the displayed 4D model.
  3. 3 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the visual indicator is a first visual indicator, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: display, in a fixed position on the user interface, a second visual indicator that identifies the anatomical feature; and adjust an image parameter of the second visual indicator based on a distance between the first visual indicator and a viewing plane of the 4D model on the user interface.
  4. 4 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 3 , wherein the image parameter is a brightness of the second visual indicator, an opacity of the second visual indicator, or a color of the second visual indicator.
  5. 5 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: set an initial view of the displayed 4D model to depict a region having a segmentation quality that is less than a threshold.
  6. 6 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: segment the anatomical feature in the medical imaging data.
  7. 7 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine a region of the 4D model that is associated with a segmentation quality that is less than a threshold; and set an initial view of the 4D model to depict the region.
  8. 8 . A method comprising: acquiring medical imaging data of an anatomical feature of a subject; determining a position of an anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject; generating a four-dimensional (4D) model of the anatomical feature of the subject that includes a visual indicator that identifies the position of the anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject; and displaying the 4D model via a user interface.
  9. 9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising: receiving a user input that manipulates the displayed 4D model; and adjusting the displayed 4D model based on the user input while maintaining a position of the visual indicator relative to the displayed 4D model.
  10. 10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the visual indicator is a first visual indicator, and wherein the method further comprises: displaying, in a fixed position on the user interface, a second visual indicator that identifies the anatomical feature; and adjusting an image parameter of the second visual indicator based on a distance between the first visual indicator and a viewing plane of the 4D model on the user interface.
  11. 11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the image parameter is a brightness of the second visual indicator, an opacity of the second visual indicator, or a color of the second visual indicator.
  12. 12 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising: setting an initial view of the displayed 4D model to depict a region having a segmentation quality that is less than a threshold.
  13. 13 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising: segmenting the anatomical feature in the medical imaging data.
  14. 14 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising: determining a region of the 4D model that is associated with a segmentation quality that is less than a threshold; and setting an initial view of the 4D model to depict the region.
  15. 15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: acquire medical imaging data of an anatomical feature of a subject; determine a position of an anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject; generate a four-dimensional (4D) model of the anatomical feature of the subject that includes a visual indicator that identifies the position of the anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject; and display the 4D model via a user interface.
  16. 16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to: receive a user input that manipulates the displayed 4D model; and adjust the displayed 4D model based on the user input while maintaining a position of the visual indicator relative to the displayed 4D model.
  17. 17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the visual indicator is a first visual indicator, and wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to: display, in a fixed position on the user interface, a second visual indicator that identifies the anatomical feature; and adjust an image parameter of the second visual indicator based on a distance between the first visual indicator and a viewing plane of the 4D model on the user interface.
  18. 18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17 , wherein the image parameter is a brightness of the second visual indicator, an opacity of the second visual indicator, or a color of the second visual indicator.
  19. 19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to: set an initial view of the displayed 4D model to depict a region having a segmentation quality that is less than a threshold.
  20. 20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to: segment the anatomical feature in the medical imaging data.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a system for generating a four-dimensional (4D) model of an anatomical feature of a subject that includes a visual indicator that identifies the position of an anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject. BACKGROUND A medical imaging system may acquire medical images of an anatomical feature in a region of interest of a subject. Further, the medical imaging system may segment the anatomical feature in the medical images, and generate a model of the anatomical feature. The medical imaging system may display the model of the anatomical feature via a user interface to permit a user to view and assess the anatomical feature and gauge the precision of the segmentation. In some cases, users that lack experience or have a limited understanding of anatomy may find it challenging to interpret the displayed model. For instance, the users may find it difficult to assess the positions of various anatomical structures of the anatomical feature, and/or assess the quality and precision of the segmentation of the anatomical feature. This problem may be exacerbated in situations where the displayed model is a 4D model because the model is moving with time. SUMMARY This summary introduces concepts that are described in more detail in the detailed description. It should not be used to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. In an aspect, a system may include a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to: acquire medical imaging data of an anatomical feature of a subject; determine a position of an anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject; generate a four-dimensional (4D) model of the anatomical feature of the subject that includes a visual indicator that identifies the position of the anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject; and display the 4D model via a user interface. In another aspect, a method may include acquiring medical imaging data of an anatomical feature of a subject; determining a position of an anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject; generating a four-dimensional (4D) model of the anatomical feature of the subject that includes a visual indicator that identifies the position of the anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject; and displaying the 4D model via a user interface. In yet another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: acquire medical imaging data of an anatomical feature of a subject; determine a position of an anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject; generate a four-dimensional (4D) model of the anatomical feature of the subject that includes a visual indicator that identifies the position of the anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject; and display the 4D model via a user interface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example system for generating a 4D model of an anatomical feature of a subject that includes a visual indicator that identifies a position of an anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject. FIG. 2 is a diagram of example components of one or more devices of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example medical imaging system. FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example medical imaging system. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example process for generating a 4D model of an anatomical feature of a subject that includes a visual indicator that identifies a position of an anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject. FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams of an example user interface for displaying a 4D model of an anatomical feature of a subject that includes a visual indicator that identifies a position of an anatomical structure in relation to the anatomical feature of the subject. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example process for adjusting a displayed 4D model based on a user input while maintaining a position of a visual indicator relative to the displayed 4D model. FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams of an example user interface for displaying a 4D model that is adjusted based on a user input while maintaining a position of a visual indicator relative to the displayed 4D model. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example process for adjusting an image parameter of a second visual indicator that identifies an anatomical structure based on a distance between a first visual indicator that identifies a position of the anatomical structure and a viewing plane of a displayed 4D model. FIGS. 10A-10C are diagrams of an example user interface for displaying and adjusting an image parameter of a second visual indicator that identifies an