Patent ID: 9713451
Date: 2017-07-25
CPC Classifications: A61B

Claim:
1. An apparatus for aiding in navigating a device in a network of tubular structures, comprising: an input configured to receive a current reference 2D projection image including a footprint of the device acquired at a first projection direction whilst the device is residing in the network of tubular structures; a processor coupled to the input and configured to use a current in-image position of the footprint and a model of the network of tubular structures to retrieve, without using acquired 3D image data of the network of tubular structures, a supplementary projection image from a sequence of previously acquired 2D projection images, the so retrieved supplementary image showing, when displayed, at least a partial footprint of the network of tubular structures, the so retrieved supplementary image affording a view along a second projection direction on the network of tubular structures at a section of interest where the device currently resides; a graphics display generator configured to generate for display on a screen a graphics panel including the current reference 2D projection image and the supplementary projection image, the apparatus configured to update the graphics panel upon receipt of a new projection image at the input, the updated panel then including the new projection image and a newly retrieved supplementary projection image, wherein the plurality of 2D projection images are previously acquired at different projection directions, wherein the processor is further configured to compute, based on the network model, a score for a first goodness of view standard from a plurality of standards or a combination of a plurality of different goodness of view standards, wherein the standard or any one of the standards accounts for any one of the following: (i) low degree of overlaps between the current reference 2D projection image in the part of the footprint and images of the sequence representing the section of interest, (ii) low degree of foreshortening of the part of the footprint representing the section of interest within the images of the sequence, (iii) high degree of tortuosity of the part of the footprint representing the section of interest within the images of the sequence, and the processor is further configured to select the supplementary image from among the sequence, based on the score for the goodness of view standard for each of the sequence.