Patent ID: 9471989
Filing Date: 2016-10-18
CPC Classification: G06T

Claim Text:
1. A method for characterizing vascular anatomy depicted in 3-dimensional medical images, the method comprising: performing the following with a processor: iteratively identifying, based on traversing identified image elements within 3-Dimensional medical image data, respective identified branch segments within a plurality of identified branch segments of at least one vessel tree, each iteration identifying different respective identified branch segments; identifying, based on the traversing and the iteratively identifying respective identified branch segments, a plurality of identified bifurcation points, wherein each identified bifurcation point comprises at least a second identified branch segment splitting from the respective branch segment being traversed; determining a respective radius of each respective identified branch segment at points along the respective identified branch segment; identifying, at each respective candidate bifurcation point, a respective upstream identified branch segment and at least two respective downstream identified branch segments, wherein a respective radius of the respective upstream identified branch segment is greater than a respective radius of each of the at least two respective downstream branch segments; defining, based on the iteratively identifying respective identified branch segments, on the identifying the plurality of identified bifurcation points, and on the respective upstream identified branch segment, a vascular tree model corresponding to the plurality of identified branch segments and the plurality of identified bifurcation points; fitting a smoothed curve to a respective centerline of each identified branch segment in the vascular tree model; creating 3-Dimensional vascular volume model comprising a plurality of cylindrical elements, each respective cylindrical element being located at a location corresponding to a respective centerline of a respective corresponding branch segment of the vascular tree model, and each respective cylindrical element having a respective branch segment radius corresponding to an observed radius of the respective corresponding branch segment of vascular tree model; defining a 3-Dimensional grid of voxels corresponding to 3-Dimensional vascular volume model; generating a similarity metric by comparing vessels apparent in the 3-Dimensional medical image data to the 3-Dimensional grid of voxels; and iteratively increasing the similarity metric for the corresponding 3-Dimensional vascular volume model by: